Alternate 6dof Head Tracking with FaceTrackNoIR

[a1adin]

Wow! thanks a lot to Matt! :D :D :D and very looking forward for 64bit version. :D :D :D

[samtheeagle]

I'll just leave this here: http://www.forum.lockon.ru/showthread.php?t=75917

[V4Friend]

Interface for FaceTrackNoIR and FreeTrack released!

 

OK guys and girls,

 

It took me a while to get some test-results and I have spent a well-deserved vacation in the sun, but now the time has come to release the interface-DLL's for using ED-games with FaceTrackNoIR (and FreeTrack too). :smartass:

 

I have uploaded the two versions (32-bit and 64-bit) here, for all to get. Both versions were successfully tested by a few users. I also uploaded a small video of the 32-bit version to youtube:

(it took me a while: that's why sam beat me to it :music_whistling:).

 

Any feedback is appreciated. O, right, the instructions are in the ZIP-files, but it's quite easy:

 

1. download the right ZIP-file, containing the DLL;
   
2. extract the entire ZIP to the 'bin' folder of the game (the files are in a folder 'headtracker', the game searches this);
   
3. start FaceTrackNoIR, start face-tracking, verify and minimize;
   
4. start the game (I only tried DCS A-10C);
   
5. start a mission: et voila!
   

BTW: the headtracker interface does not show up in the Controls section and no additional settings need to be made...

 

Enjoy!

[samtheeagle]

lol, you wait for one to come along for ages, and then two come at once! :D

[Caldwell]

This works great! I had to slightly alter the curves setup and removed the roll rotation (not needed for me), and it works smoothly and stable under 64bit!! :)

 

Already donated to your project about 1,5 weeks ago and If it continues to work that good, I shall donate some more.

[ironstrike]

Amazing work both of you, and thank you so much for what you're doing for the community!

 

V4Friend, I've been trying your solution first and unfortunately I get a crash any time a mission is ended and DCS is going back to the post-mission stats/menu application. The tracking works perfectly and without issue; the crash happens when I choose to exit the mission. Having the headtracker dll installed will cause the crash at mission end 100% of the time.

 

I haven't yet got FTNIR setup as smoothly as freetrack so I primarily stick to the latter, but I was able to produce the end-mission crash with the headtracker dll installed and no tracking program running at all.

 

Is there any way I can submit some kind of a crash log or otherwise help you troubleshoot this? The file windows error reporting mentioned as describing the crash is nearly 1.5gb in size. I'll upload it somewhere for you if you like, but if know of something smaller that would be helpful, let me know instead. ;)

 

My specs and such are as follows, just let me know if you need more.

steam version of A-10, 64-bit, 1.1.0.8, just installed over the weekend

Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit

Core i7 920

GTX 285, 270.61 drivers

MS LifeCam VX3000

[V4Friend]

@Caldwell: thanks!

 

@ironstrike: I think we may have to start a new thread, in which we can report bugs and 'feature requests' for the headtracker interface?! I think the problem lies in the Lua-scripting, which is a part I cannot 'control'.

[samtheeagle]

@V4Friend: Great work on this :) Thanks on behalf of the community. I really like the look of the FTNIR project, I'm just waiting for it to mature a bit :) Hence my work on a FreeTrack interface...

 

You say that your HeadTrackers will work with FreeTrack too, but I can't quite figure out how the 32bit/64bit issue is overcome? I can't see how your HeadTracker can work with FreeTrack "as is". Do you perhaps mean that the 32bit HeadTracker.dll will work directly with FreeTrack via their SDK, but perhaps the 64bit one wont? (And indeed cannot)

 

Your readme file exaplains your use of shared memory for the IPC mechanism with the 32bit FTNIR application, and this is exactly the approach I took with my FreeTrack wrapper. I think perhaps that we've solved slightly different things here, that are complimentary to each other :)

 

Again, great work on FTNIR, I look forward to watching it develop.

[V4Friend]

2 DLL's

 

Hello sam,

 

It's nice that you also made an interface: with the headtracker API, anyone is 'able' to make their own version.

I was busy uploading my version, when your post popped up... :joystick:

 

About the 32/64-bit issue. Posts on the internet suggest that using a shared memory-mapping is exactly how that problem can be overcome! Since the FreeTrack 'protocol' is not much more than a memory-mapping, that is very convenient (mind you: I don't even load the FreeTrack DLL, I need no functions to read the data).

 

The 64-bit version of DCS requires a 64-bit headtracker.dll (it cannot load a 32-bit DLL). So I made a 64-bit version of the DLL. This version uses the same memory-mapping as the 32-bit version, so that's working too!

[samtheeagle]

So if I understand you correctly, you're saying that the FreeTrack application already writes it's data to a shared memory area? Is that how come you avoid using the FreeTrackClient.dll? If that's the case then I suppose my wrapper is a bit surplus to requirements :)

 

Edit - It seems it does!!! I wish I had found that out earlier :D The sample c file in the FreeTrack SDK doesn't make any mention of it, but looking at the Delphi SDK code I can clearly see the shared memory key and mutex that are used. Oh well, it was a fun learning experience :)

Edited June 21, 2011 by samtheeagle

[V4Friend]

Learning is good

 

So if I understand you correctly, you're saying that the FreeTrack application already writes it's data to a shared memory area? Is that how come you avoid using the FreeTrackClient.dll? If that's the case then I suppose my wrapper is a bit surplus to requirements :)

 

Edit - It seems it does!!! I wish I had found that out earlier :D The sample c file in the FreeTrack SDK doesn't make any mention of it, but looking at the Delphi SDK code I can clearly see the shared memory key and mutex that are used. Oh well, it was a fun learning experience :)

Hello Sam,

 

That's the second reason I started the FaceTrackNoIR project: by doing stuff, you learn the most :smartass:. It was only recently that I understood the DLL was overkill. If you have any ideas for improvement (of the interface or FaceTrackNoIR), feel free to contact me ...

[ironstrike]

@V4Friend: Certainly I'll help you troubleshoot if a bugs thread comes up - since it is your software though you probably ought to make said thread. :) I can say that I went back and tried sam's implementation of the headtracker and that had no crashes or issues at mission-end. Since I'm primarily a freetrack user, I'll be sticking with that for now.

 

If I can help you troubleshoot yours though just let me know.

 

And again, well done both of you!

[samtheeagle]

@V4Friend: I've just posted up a new version with source code available here: http://www.forum.lockon.ru/showpost.php?p=1231161&postcount=9

 

Perhaps you can compare and contrast my code with yours to see what might be causing the crash at mission end that @ironstrike is suffering from. Finger in the air wild guess is that something isn't being released in the shutDownHeadTracker() method?

 

I'll drop you a line separately about FaceTrackNoIR :)

[Username455]

hey V4Friend,

 

Just like to add that I got the 64bit working, but DCS crashes at the end of every mission like previously stated.

 

I have not tried the 32bit version yet, but I will let you know what happens

[samtheeagle]

Are you using V4Friend's implementation or mine jmod?

[Caldwell]

I used the version of V4Friend in 64Bit and experienced no crashes at all. (Windows 7 Professional 64Bit, DCS-A10c 1.1.0.8 ).

Edited June 22, 2011 by Caldwell
fixed emote

[samtheeagle]

Well I'm not 100% sure, I'll wait for V4Friend to supply his expert opinion. But, if FTNIR sets up the shared memory area the same way as FreeTrack does, which is how I think it works, then you should be able to use my implementation. So long as the standard FreeTrack data structure is used, and the same shared memory and mutex names are maintained my dll should be able to read the data from FTNIR as well as FreeTrack.

 

I think. Maybe :)

 

Give it a try I suppose, you'll soon find out if you're getting any head tracking or not :p

[jireland607]

With V4Friend's DLL, I can't even go to Options page.

 

If you are referring to the controls option in the menu, you will not see it appear in there with V4Friend's DLL. I believe that is mentioned in the readme file included with the dll. The best way to tell if its working is by looking for the log file in the root of your local disk that is made by the dll.... If it exists, then it has at least loaded the dll file.

[Username455]

I used the version of V4Friend in 64Bit and experienced no crashes at all. (Windows 7 Professional 64Bit, DCS-A10c 1.1.0.8 ).

 

Hey caldwell, I'm glad to know it works without error. If it's not too much to ask, can you give a play by play on how you setup/installed it? I know it's in The readme but I followed that too, at least as far as I know.

 

 

Jmod, I had that trouble too in the beginning. Here is what I did to get it working (not sure if all are necessary). First, download the file from V4Friend. Then, right click the zip file ->properties-> click unblock->click ok. Now extract the whole folder headtrack. Place the entire folder in the dcs a10/bin folder. Then try again. That should get rid of the crash on mission start, as well as the lock up when trying to access options. Also make sure facetracknoir protocol is freetrack not fake trackir.

 

The only issue now is when I exit a mission, dcs a10 says it's not responding then closes. Then the main page loads up with my track, asking to save, fly again. So I'm not actually losing anything when the game crashes, it's just a little annoying

[Fishbot]

Username455 - I'm using the 64bit version of V4Friend's file and have managed to get so far but then have hit a wall...

 

A10C now starts up and I get into the 'pit at mission start but I'm getting no movement even though FTN seems to be tracking me fine. Just get left looking out at a random angle that I'm unable to move out of.

 

Also have the same issue you have when I exit a mission.

 

I'm also not getting a log file saved on to the C: drive. Just wonder if its Kaspersky that might be causing some issues for me?? I don't have an Unblock option in file properties - is that your AV??

 

Damn, so near and yet so far!

[jireland607]

@Fishbot - try unticking the tick box 'EWMA' I think its called - not really sure as recalling from memory. I had an issue where when that was ticked, it locked to a single position.

[Fishbot]

Cheers, have just figured out that the issue was with Kaspersky - resolved it by allowing FTN full access rights. Useful to know!!

 

Seems to work fine but very sensitive so any tips very welcome! Is there a hotkey etc. that can be used to centre my head within the 'pit?

[jireland607]

@Fishbot - yes there is, there are a couple of hot keys but you need to set them first and enable them. You will see it in the menu somewhere of FTnoIR. I normally user ctrl+shift+num1 or num2

[Caldwell]

@Fishbot: In the menu, you can set several hotkeys (tracker toggle, view center, reset, axes inhibitor) - You need to enable them first (and set a hotkey).

I have set mine to ctrl+alt+a for view reset, shift+alt+a for tracker toggle.

 

@Username455: I really only followed the readme:

1) extracted the contents to bin/ of DCS folder

2) fired up FTNOIR, loaded DCS.ini profile from the bin folder

3) confirmed that tracking works, the dropdown menu on the right should read FreeTrack

4) Started DCS -> quick mission

 

Once the mission had loaded, the head tracker was on and running smoothly. I quit and reloaded the mission, then played through it and landed after success - with no crashes at all.

[Santini35]

@Fishbot - try unticking the tick box 'EWMA' I think its called - not really sure as recalling from memory. I had an issue where when that was ticked, it locked to a single position.

 

Unclicking EWMA fixed the same problem I was having this morning.