TrackIR
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Fun2av8RC
Member
TRACK IR and RF 6.5
I have ordered TrackIR Ver 5 and the TrackIR Pro Clip as a bundle for $169.
TRACK IR: http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/products/trackir5/
Pro Clip: http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/02-products/product-TrackClip-PRO.html
I researched the forums and found discussions in 4.5, 5.5, and 6 about whether or not it would work, did work, etc. If you did try it and if it did or did not work - please add your thoughts to this thread. I am especially interested in how you configured TRACK IR and what models you tried to use it with.
I'll post my findings once I get the unit and get it installed on my PC. In preparaton for using TRACKIR, I've created some AVs (Search CMB in the Swap Pages) that have Pan & Tilt moveable pods that are tied to to the Knob (CH6) for Pan and CH8 (3-pos sw) for tilt through CH9 (PAN) and CH10 (TILT). The fun will start when I load one of them and then select HeadTracking from the View Menu and select TRACK IR.
I am curious to see if it will work in LOS (F1) mode as well as FPV (F2) modes + the CAM modes (F4-F12). I also want to see how it interacts with the Chase Mode (F3)
What I don't know yet is whether or not I need to change the Output Channels so it sees the input from TRACKIR instead of the Knob and 3-position switch.
Stay Tuned!
I have ordered TrackIR Ver 5 and the TrackIR Pro Clip as a bundle for $169.
TRACK IR: http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/products/trackir5/
Pro Clip: http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/02-products/product-TrackClip-PRO.html
I researched the forums and found discussions in 4.5, 5.5, and 6 about whether or not it would work, did work, etc. If you did try it and if it did or did not work - please add your thoughts to this thread. I am especially interested in how you configured TRACK IR and what models you tried to use it with.
I'll post my findings once I get the unit and get it installed on my PC. In preparaton for using TRACKIR, I've created some AVs (Search CMB in the Swap Pages) that have Pan & Tilt moveable pods that are tied to to the Knob (CH6) for Pan and CH8 (3-pos sw) for tilt through CH9 (PAN) and CH10 (TILT). The fun will start when I load one of them and then select HeadTracking from the View Menu and select TRACK IR.
I am curious to see if it will work in LOS (F1) mode as well as FPV (F2) modes + the CAM modes (F4-F12). I also want to see how it interacts with the Chase Mode (F3)
What I don't know yet is whether or not I need to change the Output Channels so it sees the input from TRACKIR instead of the Knob and 3-position switch.
Stay Tuned!
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TheHeliCrasher
New member
Isnt to complicated to use TrackIr in real flight. It works but not to most peoples expectations. Mine worked but it needed to be able to move more efficiently so I stopped useing it. I have heard the same from most others that have tried it.
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opjose
Well-known member
Yup, I agree with TheHelicrasher... it just doesn't bring much to the table in Realflight.
If you want to have fun with TrackIR give it a try in A-10C Warthog or KA-52 with the 6 DOF mode, and couple it with a set of 3D glasses and a large screen 3D monitor.
The TrackIR lets you look over or around the nose of the heli or plane and the 3D glasses complete the illusion perfectly.
Track IR doesn't work as an panning input for FPV in Realflight so it is of no use there... hopefully Realflight 7.0 will address this.
If you want to have fun with TrackIR give it a try in A-10C Warthog or KA-52 with the 6 DOF mode, and couple it with a set of 3D glasses and a large screen 3D monitor.
The TrackIR lets you look over or around the nose of the heli or plane and the 3D glasses complete the illusion perfectly.
Track IR doesn't work as an panning input for FPV in Realflight so it is of no use there... hopefully Realflight 7.0 will address this.
Fun2av8RC
Member
Oh Crap, I thought I was on to something with the moveable pods ... Too late now.
Well - I can use in X-Plane and FltSim Gold.
TheHeliCrasher
New member
It also works well with LOCK ON simulator.
Fun2av8RC
Member
TRACK IR and RF-6.5
I got the TRACK-IR package today with the Pro Clip. I Installed the software - very easy, very straight forward, no issues.
Then the moment of truth - will it work?
Yes, It does indeed work and it works very well. Now for the details. Track IR comes with a calibration program which amoung other things contains a 'pano' file. This is a the cockpit of a Sptifire or something similar. It is used to give you a feel for what Track IR will do if it is setup right. Man, it works so nice inside this test mode.
But what about RF 6.5. I tested it with a number of airplanes. I have not yet tried a heli - will try that later. Track IR works amazingly well within the RF environment. The movements are realistic and it really gives you the feel that you are inside the airplane and are the PIC (Pilot in Command). However, one thing you will need to adapt to is that the Camera tracks your every movement. You need to be sure you are sitting exactly in the center and that you make movements typical to being inside a cockpit. If you lean over - Track IR will lean you right through the cockpit wall. So it does require a bit of discipline.
In the LOS Mode (F1) it is pretty cool. You can look around the airfield to make sure the runway is clear, and look around at the pit while flying (not that you would in real life).
In the Nose View (F2) it works sweet. You can look around while you are flying. However because it is a nose cam, you can't look behind you to see the airplane.
In Chase View (F3) it performs very well. Again, you can look around and see the airplane from any number of angles via the chase plane.
The real crown jewel is in FPV mode (F4-Fx (X= number of cameras)). Being able to look out the cockpit and line up your downwind, base, and final turns is pure magic. It is also a hoot to be able to just look around while flying. I can't wait to try formation flying in multi-player mode.
Is there a downside to this? Yes, I am afraid there is - but its not with Track IR --- its with the models them selves.
When you put a camera inside a model - you are able to see the model from the inside out. If there are stray pieces mysteriously floating in space, you will see them in this mode. You see the inside cockpit structures - good and bad. If there are holes inside the model - you will see them with the camera. Placement of the camera is critical to the quality of the view. If the model has a pilot, you got to be really careful where the camera is placed, otherwise you end up looking through the pilots head ... in some cases, you can see the back of his or her eyeballs. Can be a little unnerving. Some of the cockpits in the models are highly detailed and you can see that the modeler spent hours making sure that the cockpit internals are very detailed and SOLID! As I mentioned above, some of the cockpits are not tightly knit and you end up seeing pieces floating around suspended in the air and big holes in the fuse. Of course, none of this would be noticed at all if you are flying the model in LOS Mode.
So far I have found that open cockpit models seem to work better than enclosed cockpits. Those without pilots are better than those with pilots. I am going to spend some time researching models on the swap pages to find those that really work well. I will put cameras in these and publish them as <name> TIR_AV.rfx. TIR stands for Track IR which will imply that the model is acceptable for FPV flight.
Now one thing I did learn is that all that work I put into building moveable Pan and Tilt pods did pay off, sorta. TRACK IR does not interact directly with the moveable pods. But, it does adhere to the X and Z rotation angles. Track IR does it's magic usings the camera in its assigned position.
So, do I recommend Track IR as an add-on to RealFlight 6? YES, but only if you plan on practicing your FPV skills using RF 6 or just want to fly the models from a pilots persepective. I strongly recommend you get the Pro Clip along with the Track IR. The ball cap clip that comes with Track IR is kinda goofy and not 100% accurate. The Pro Clip nails it - spot on accuracy.
If you are an LOS pilot - The benefits you would realize by adding Track IR would be minimal at best.
I got the TRACK-IR package today with the Pro Clip. I Installed the software - very easy, very straight forward, no issues.
Then the moment of truth - will it work?
Yes, It does indeed work and it works very well. Now for the details. Track IR comes with a calibration program which amoung other things contains a 'pano' file. This is a the cockpit of a Sptifire or something similar. It is used to give you a feel for what Track IR will do if it is setup right. Man, it works so nice inside this test mode.
But what about RF 6.5. I tested it with a number of airplanes. I have not yet tried a heli - will try that later. Track IR works amazingly well within the RF environment. The movements are realistic and it really gives you the feel that you are inside the airplane and are the PIC (Pilot in Command). However, one thing you will need to adapt to is that the Camera tracks your every movement. You need to be sure you are sitting exactly in the center and that you make movements typical to being inside a cockpit. If you lean over - Track IR will lean you right through the cockpit wall. So it does require a bit of discipline.
In the LOS Mode (F1) it is pretty cool. You can look around the airfield to make sure the runway is clear, and look around at the pit while flying (not that you would in real life).
In the Nose View (F2) it works sweet. You can look around while you are flying. However because it is a nose cam, you can't look behind you to see the airplane.
In Chase View (F3) it performs very well. Again, you can look around and see the airplane from any number of angles via the chase plane.
The real crown jewel is in FPV mode (F4-Fx (X= number of cameras)). Being able to look out the cockpit and line up your downwind, base, and final turns is pure magic. It is also a hoot to be able to just look around while flying. I can't wait to try formation flying in multi-player mode.
Is there a downside to this? Yes, I am afraid there is - but its not with Track IR --- its with the models them selves.
When you put a camera inside a model - you are able to see the model from the inside out. If there are stray pieces mysteriously floating in space, you will see them in this mode. You see the inside cockpit structures - good and bad. If there are holes inside the model - you will see them with the camera. Placement of the camera is critical to the quality of the view. If the model has a pilot, you got to be really careful where the camera is placed, otherwise you end up looking through the pilots head ... in some cases, you can see the back of his or her eyeballs. Can be a little unnerving. Some of the cockpits in the models are highly detailed and you can see that the modeler spent hours making sure that the cockpit internals are very detailed and SOLID! As I mentioned above, some of the cockpits are not tightly knit and you end up seeing pieces floating around suspended in the air and big holes in the fuse. Of course, none of this would be noticed at all if you are flying the model in LOS Mode.
So far I have found that open cockpit models seem to work better than enclosed cockpits. Those without pilots are better than those with pilots. I am going to spend some time researching models on the swap pages to find those that really work well. I will put cameras in these and publish them as <name> TIR_AV.rfx. TIR stands for Track IR which will imply that the model is acceptable for FPV flight.
Now one thing I did learn is that all that work I put into building moveable Pan and Tilt pods did pay off, sorta. TRACK IR does not interact directly with the moveable pods. But, it does adhere to the X and Z rotation angles. Track IR does it's magic usings the camera in its assigned position.
So, do I recommend Track IR as an add-on to RealFlight 6? YES, but only if you plan on practicing your FPV skills using RF 6 or just want to fly the models from a pilots persepective. I strongly recommend you get the Pro Clip along with the Track IR. The ball cap clip that comes with Track IR is kinda goofy and not 100% accurate. The Pro Clip nails it - spot on accuracy.
If you are an LOS pilot - The benefits you would realize by adding Track IR would be minimal at best.
Fun2av8RC
Member
Update on TRACK IR 5 TrackClip Pro and RF 6.50.016
Track IR Ver 5.0 worked within RF 6.5 but it was a bit jittery. Kinda not much fun...but at least I could say it worked.
The combination of TRACK IR 5.2.2 and RF 6.50.016 - the head tracking is smooth, stable and a lot of fun. Regardless if you are flying from the ground via line-of-sight or inside the model via FPV - the experience is about as real as you can get in a FltSim. From the ground via Line-Of-Sight, you can look around you, glance ahead to see your turn point, etc. FPV flying - it is simply unbelievable!!!!
If you are on the fence....get the hell off of it an order TRACK IR TrackClip Pro Ver 5.
You will be Amazed.....
Track IR Ver 5.0 worked within RF 6.5 but it was a bit jittery. Kinda not much fun...but at least I could say it worked.
The combination of TRACK IR 5.2.2 and RF 6.50.016 - the head tracking is smooth, stable and a lot of fun. Regardless if you are flying from the ground via line-of-sight or inside the model via FPV - the experience is about as real as you can get in a FltSim. From the ground via Line-Of-Sight, you can look around you, glance ahead to see your turn point, etc. FPV flying - it is simply unbelievable!!!!
If you are on the fence....get the hell off of it an order TRACK IR TrackClip Pro Ver 5.
You will be Amazed.....
Fun2av8RC
Member
More Fun with RF 6.5 and Track IR Pro Clip
enjoy...
P51 InFlight Fire & Landing http://youtu.be/Lby7M6GmGlQ
F86 Sabre Jet Carrier Landing http://youtu.be/kl0r8x2ZXIg
enjoy...
P51 InFlight Fire & Landing http://youtu.be/Lby7M6GmGlQ
F86 Sabre Jet Carrier Landing http://youtu.be/kl0r8x2ZXIg
Fun2av8RC
Member
"normal" 3d/2d airfield flying on both 3D and Panoramic airfields
I chose the photo realistic AP named Carl Henson Field. Track IR does work - but because of the limitations of this type of field - you are limited to simple panning left and right head tracking with Track IR. Even the degree that you can pan is very limited. I don't build these so I have no idea if they can be modified to be more flexible with respect to the panning. If they can - the possibilities would be pretty cool.
RF6 Carl Henson Field (Photo) Track IR Pro Clip Ver 5 flying a T34
http://youtu.be/f8r_AN0RXCY
The "normal" field I chose was the Flight School. Its a flying field we are all very familiar with. I chose a Quad for this demo using the FPV mode. Enjoy the ride.
RF6 FPV Quad Flight at Flight School with Head Tracking using Track IR Pro V 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7dO9D-xX7Y
Later tonight, I will upload the T-34 Flight at the Flight School that will demo both the Fixed Position (F1) and the FPV Position (F4 / F5).
So,whatcha think?
I chose the photo realistic AP named Carl Henson Field. Track IR does work - but because of the limitations of this type of field - you are limited to simple panning left and right head tracking with Track IR. Even the degree that you can pan is very limited. I don't build these so I have no idea if they can be modified to be more flexible with respect to the panning. If they can - the possibilities would be pretty cool.
RF6 Carl Henson Field (Photo) Track IR Pro Clip Ver 5 flying a T34
http://youtu.be/f8r_AN0RXCY
The "normal" field I chose was the Flight School. Its a flying field we are all very familiar with. I chose a Quad for this demo using the FPV mode. Enjoy the ride.
RF6 FPV Quad Flight at Flight School with Head Tracking using Track IR Pro V 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7dO9D-xX7Y
Later tonight, I will upload the T-34 Flight at the Flight School that will demo both the Fixed Position (F1) and the FPV Position (F4 / F5).
So,whatcha think?
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Fun2av8RC
Member
Fun2av8RC
Member
opjose
Well-known member
The "in cockpit" view is particularly effective in the quad. Looks good.
I'm most interested in the view from the ground, when flying in a 3D airport.
If you have the inclination and the time, could you post a video where you look around at a 3D airfield with the plane on the ground, but not "moving" the viewport, just looking around with the TrackIR?
In older versions you could only pan about 15-25 degrees or so even in a 3D airfield much like you did in the panoramic airfield.
That was the limitation that turned me off to the TrackIR use in Realflight. I haven't tried the later versions to see if you could actually look away while the plane is in flight.
I'm most interested in the view from the ground, when flying in a 3D airport.
If you have the inclination and the time, could you post a video where you look around at a 3D airfield with the plane on the ground, but not "moving" the viewport, just looking around with the TrackIR?
In older versions you could only pan about 15-25 degrees or so even in a 3D airfield much like you did in the panoramic airfield.
That was the limitation that turned me off to the TrackIR use in Realflight. I haven't tried the later versions to see if you could actually look away while the plane is in flight.
Fun2av8RC
Member
Check out http://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=t8j-s1MPIEg
Its shot at the Bone Yard. Demo of, as you guessed, a very limited pan capability from the F1 Fixed position (Pilot Spawn). At best 20-25 degrees. Maybe this will improve in RF 7
Its shot at the Bone Yard. Demo of, as you guessed, a very limited pan capability from the F1 Fixed position (Pilot Spawn). At best 20-25 degrees. Maybe this will improve in RF 7
opjose
Well-known member
Yeah I had hoped the view would not be locked so much.
I'd like to be able to look away, say down a runway line, even if this causes you to momentarily loose sight of the plane.
... then when the viewer's head is centered the display pans backs to the plane.
This would be particularly effective for novices as it permits them to glance at the runway even when "keep ground in view" mode is turned off.
Doing this effectively eliminates one common complaint of RC sims, that you have no idea where the plane is in relation to the runway...
When flying real RC planes you can glance at the runway, or down to field to spot other planes in the air.
A setting in the sim configuration to control the amount of allowable TrackIR pan would be VERY welcome!
I'd like to be able to look away, say down a runway line, even if this causes you to momentarily loose sight of the plane.
... then when the viewer's head is centered the display pans backs to the plane.
This would be particularly effective for novices as it permits them to glance at the runway even when "keep ground in view" mode is turned off.
Doing this effectively eliminates one common complaint of RC sims, that you have no idea where the plane is in relation to the runway...
When flying real RC planes you can glance at the runway, or down to field to spot other planes in the air.
A setting in the sim configuration to control the amount of allowable TrackIR pan would be VERY welcome!