Headtracking information

[BenganJ]

A little information about headtracking.

Folks! There's a lot of solutions for headtracking out there. I'm NOT going to try and do the
documentation about all of them myself. Instead I've compiled a long list of valuable links
I have visited myself during the years I've used headtracking. Enjoy folks!

At the moment I use the following setup myself. As input I use an Aruco pattern printed on paper
and then mounted on a cardboard. That is then mounted on a regular cap in an angle of approx. 20
degrees.



I then have a Sony PS3Eye camera mounted at the top of my central monitor, who's output in turn
are read by the opentrack sofware. It analyzes the Aruco pattern for rotational and translational
movements and then outputs using the Fretrack 2.0 protocol, actually a free version of TrackIR's
proprietary protocol, to ETS2 or ATS, which has support for that protocol. If you already have a
webcam, this solution will cost you NOTHING, except some work. If you haven't got a webcam, I can
really recommend the Sony PS3Eye one. Both TrackHat and DelanClip sell them with it's infrared
filter removed, done for those that use infrared LEDs as input to the system. It's a cheap but fast
webcam very often recommended for headtracking. This is how it looks for me! I can keep both
my hands on the wheel! :D



I can tell you this, my own solution, with the Aruco pattern and opentrack plus webcamera, is pretty
light sensitive. BUT, the gadgets from DelanClip and Trackhat, based on infrared LEDs combined with
a PS3Eye camera from DelanClip, where they have taken away the infrared filter and instead mounted
a daylight filter in it, is for me the best solution there is. Due to the daylight filter it is pretty insensitive
to environment light! Check it out! Both of them also have wireless solutions!

One more thing I want to point out. The solutions based on smartphones and also the Edtracker ONLY
gives you a 3DOF solution, meaning that only rotational movements are produced, yaw, pitch and roll
motions.

Links:

1. TrackIR: https://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/
No webcam needed.
2. Tobii Eye Tracker: https://www.tobii.com/
No webcam needed.
(NOTE: You don't need the eye tracking function, so choose device with headtracking support!)
3. TrackHat: https://trackhat.org/
4. DelanClip: https://delanengineering.com/
5. Edtracker: http://www.edtracker.org.uk/
No webcam needed.
(NOTE: Only 3DOF, possible pseudo 6DOF)
6. Alternate tracking input methods:
a) Aruco pattern: https://docs.opencv.org/3.1.0/d5/dae/tu ... ction.html
https://github.com/opentrack/opentrack/ ... co-tracker
b) Smartphone: https://github.com/opentrack/opentrack/ ... adtracking
No webcam needed.
c) Facetracking: https://visagetechnologies.com/
http://facetracknoir.sourceforge.net/Tr ... Visage.htm
7. Free software:
a) opentrack: https://github.com/opentrack/opentrack/releases
Supports many different types of tracking inputs and outputs.
b) FaceTrackNoIR: http://facetracknoir.sourceforge.net/home/default.htm
Also support many different tracking schemes. NOT free anymore!
c) Edtracker: Delivered with own special software, which is also capable of cooperating with
opentrack to gain pseudo 6DOF.
d) TrackHat: You'll get with a purchase a special variant of opentrack. DON'T use it, instead use
the real opentrack!
e) If you have a Nvidia RTX2060 or better RTX card, you can get totally free facetracking from Nvidia itself.
You only need a webcam. Link to it here: https://developer.nvidia.com/rtx-broadc ... et-started
f) A similar open source solution, but which isn't that new, is to be found here: https://github.com/uricamic/clandmark
Let's see who picks that up fastest. My tips is opentrack! [New info 25th of May 2020]
8. Information guides:
a) Comprehensive guide about opentrack, mostly oriented towards infrared LED clips and caps, but
also have a lot of useful information about headtracking in general.
https://forum.il2sturmovik.com/topic/34 ... ent-580169
b) The opentrack Wiki: https://github.com/opentrack/opentrack/wiki
c) The FaceTrackNoIR Wiki: https://sourceforge.net/p/facetracknoir/wiki/Home/
9. You will find some very interesting guidance to solve the problem we now have with the possibility to open the truck windows [New info 2nd of June 2020]
and using headtracking, as SCS has only secretly taken care of the case of using the mouse as head movement. Check this post:
viewtopic.php?p=19250#p19250

[Tapir]

Yes..nice work to get it working for others.

I use a modified Sony PS3 Eye camera (a daylight filter was put into it, so it can only detect infrared light) on the monitor and headphones with the "delan clip" (https://delanengineering.com/). ;)

[BenganJ]

Yeah, that´s pretty much the best combination! Which software are you using?
The drawback with the daylight filter is that the camera is not usable as a normal
webcam, unless you have a removable daylight filter, e.g. made by an old diskett
medium! Cool to hear your solution, I want that one too as the Aruco is very light
sensitive!

[Tapir]

I do only use OpenTrack 2.310 to get it fully worked. ;)

[BenganJ]

That's the one I use too. I've used that since sthalik made his own version when he forked
FreeTrackNoIR, pretty long now, but I actually started out with FreeTrackNoIR! Do you have
the latest DelanClip, the wireless one?

[Tapir]

I use this "Our stainless steel bracket is easy to attach to any headphones and we provide multiple solutions." on https://delanengineering.com/ you can have a look on it.

[BenganJ]

Oh, I've been at that site many times! I know what you use now! BTW,
have you mounted the daylight filter or did you buy the camera at
DelanClip too? I really would like to buy the TrackHat wireless cap
solution, infrared LEDs mounted nicely on a regular cap. Looks nice
to me. That one is also wireless! :D This one!

https://trackhat.org/trackhat-plus/

[Tapir]

Yes the Trackhat looks also nice....i prefer my headphones solution, but Trackhat is also a nice one. ;)

[BenganJ]

Well, I talked a guy here in Sweden, living in a city nearby here, into my solution
of headtracking and he's right now adjusting to the new way of driving. You can take
a quick look at the video he made when first using this solution. Here it is:



Now I want Wombat start using headtracking too, it's his idea that I should make this
topic here.

[Kimmer]

Hello, Bengan. I've tried them. However, turning your head and keeping an eye on the screen is very troubled. There is a better solution. If you have a gyroscope on your mobile phone, go to https://www.trinusvirtualreality.com/. This is a successful system that enables you to achieve virtual reality using your mobile phone. Unfortunately, I don't get results because I don't have a gyroscope on my phone, but I know that the results are successful.
In summary, this system transfers and synchronizes the screen input to the mobile phone. I've used the truck with the cell phone image at least and found it quite successful. You can try.