Opentrack integration for Pimax 4k

@PimaxVR

Could you please look at opentrack integration into piplay for pimax 4k in the same way it has been done with Riftcat?
Option 1 to use only opentrack protocol to expose tracking to steamVr
Option 2 to use device gyro tracking with opentrack
Option 3 to us device gyro only for tracking.

If this can be used to do tracking in steamvr then much of the drift issues would be sorted.

2 Likes

+100 I bought Pimax under assumption I could use TrackIR 5 for 6DOF without too much difficulty.

Might be worth directing to pimax support as well.

@PIMAX-Support.

Hi, could you possibly have a look at adding opentrack integration simillar to the way it was done for Riftcat to piplay as per the suggestion I made in this thread?

Thank you in advance

It all depends on the game. Project cars allows IR tracking not in VR mode but when rendering to normal displays. Assetto Corsa allows input from both simultaneously or from the IR tracker or Gyro depending on your pimax settings. Most VR games by the look of it wants to receive tracking info directly via steam vr and not outside of it… I had the same assumption, luckily I bought this for Assetto Corsa. No o in Elite Dangerous either, it wants SteamVR tracking data :frowning:

Yes ideally I can play ED and IL2 BoS using some sort of 6DOF.

@Lonny You could get Elite Dangerous to work in VR using Opentrack as the tracking mechanism or are you using the TrackIR software?

Hi Grey, well noted, I will reply you once I got a new progress from our engineers, thanks for your kind suggestion. :slight_smile:

@PIMAX-Support
Hi, Always a pleasure and thanks for getting back to me :smile: . If this can be done, it will give users an alternative to deal with the yaw tracking drift and allow for some 6dof tracking to a certain extent. I also found that because of maybe the quick tracking via opentrack, the ghosting of the display seems less pronounced. That would at least help give some more time for the engineers to wrestle with those two challenges.

Sorry I havent been able to have this work I would just love to use TrackIR or other IR tracker in ED and IL2 while in direct mode. This would be an excellent feature to have to counteract poor/limited tracking and bad drift.

I totally agree. Let’s hold thumbs that the Pimax engineers can get it working for us so that we have more solutions to work around our Pimax issues.

Opentrack now supports htc vive, and by extension pimax… yaye :slight_smile:

Could you confirm this is working? My understanding is that it supports Pimax/HTC Input however it would only support “extended mode” and not direct mode. We need a way to have opentrack data recognised by SteamVR and VR programs as the native head tracking output by the HMD.

I would LOVE for anyone to get this working as I understand running in extended mode causes severe performance degradation.

@Lonny
@PIMAX-Support

Hi Lonny, You are 100% correct. Opentrack supports tracking information from the steamVR HMD as tracking input data for games in extended mode to simulate an IR-head tracker. So Pimax 4k gyro data will be the input for games that receive open track data only and will facilitate tracking for those games which would still have the problem of the yaw tracking drift currently experienced by Pimax users and limited to 3 DOF in our case.
What we asked for, is the other way around though.
What we need is opentrack information to be sent via PiPlay to SteamVR, so that it can be used as native tracking for Direct\Pimax mode games. This is exactly like receiving tracking data from a “base station”. That would allow any SteamVR game to receive 6 DOF opentrack data for the PiMax instead of using the gyro or complimenting the gyro tracking that the device already has. Thus allowing us to use any open track compatible tracking device to do the tracking on behalf of the Pimax HMD in any supported VR game.

NoloVR could be an excellent alternative, but adds another $200 to the solution and may not be available to all Pimax customers as it may not ship to certain countries (not sure on this one). Opentrack on the other hand is free and the total solution can be an extremely cost effective way of resolving the current Pimax tracking issues, especially if the engineers are not able to resolve the problem via firmware. Any user that can get a webcam, PS3 eye cam and an IR-tracking clip (that can be home made) can get access to better tracking at minimal additional cost which would be a huge win for both Pimax and us :slight_smile: .

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Yes you hit the nail on the head completely! I have been trying to articulate this exact need for several weeks on this, IL2, Opentrack forums etc. Everyone keeps saying it is working but then don’t understand direct vs extended mode. We need a way to allow Opentrack to OUTPUT to Piplay/SteamVR/VR native programs. Fingers are crossed someone with the knowledge or Pimax engineers can solve this. One can get a 6DOF IR setups for about $50 and this would be HUGE for attracting those that expect 6DOF and would not buy Pimax because of this. I bought it assuming this wouldnt be so hard to implement but so far have been stuck with the terrible gyro tracking. I will be ditching my Pimax ASAP if a solution ends up being impossible which is a shame because overall I am very happy with it.

@Lonny
@PIMAX-Support

Hey Lonny, Its weird that people aren’t thinking of direct mode seeing that is native VR and extended mode is just a work around more ideal for watching movies than playing games. I’m just lucky that Assetto Corsa supports both input methods via openvr as this would have been a complete lemon for me if that were not the case. Using opentrack makes the ghosting seem almost non-existent and I have no yaw drift, although I have some challenges with drift on the y-axis and head tracking from a yaw perspective is slightly less than 180 degrees from side to side. No deal breaker though as I don’t have to go closer to the dashboard of a car with the increased resolution and cars have rear view mirrors :slight_smile: . I quite enjoy my Pimax and would consider a later gen device when the time comes, but for now ditching it, is not an option for me as I live in South Africa and even getting a Pimax (which is more reasonably priced) proved to be a costly exercise. So I have to do everything in my power to see how the existing experience can be enhanced or fixed and at least attempt to speak to the right people. Pimax support has so far been quite good.

BTW, I also logged a feature request with Opentrack as per the link below. Have you perhaps done so as yet? If not, it is something to consider. The more we request the feature the better the chances they will look at it I think…

Perhaps @PIMAX-Support and the engineers can have some discussions with the opentrack guys around this and they can help each other out seeing that Pimax has lots of experience when it comes to integrating into SteamVR?

Excellent yes I am on the exact same page as you thanks for opening that. I have talked to the “opentrack maintainer” (shatik or something to that effect) so fingers crossed they can come up with something. The main thing is that most people using opentrack with VR are using it for non native VR games such as ARMA etc with side by side injectors (often using phones/cardboard devices). Unfortunately I know nothing of programming and the protocols needed so hopefully eventually someone can come up with a solution. I will update with any further information as it comes!

Awesome stuff, let’s see how things work out :slight_smile:

This looks promising:

http://community.openmr.ai/t/use-trackir-for-headtracking-how-to-turn-off-gyroscope/464/21

http://community.openmr.ai/t/driver4vr-now-supports-kinect-one-kinect-v2/2529/15