Hey guys - so I've tried out FreeTrack which is a freeware head-tracking application.

(edited by Victor)

Guys, you cannot post about this. What you probably do not know is that FreeTrack has stolen the code from TrackIR and distribute it as their own, under a GPL license, which is quite criminal. So this thread has been emptied and I'm leaving this note here for all to see.

Apparently they have now removed any parts that TrackIR complained about. Feel free to discuss FreeTrack.

I did some experimenting with FreeTrack a while ago. As you'll know, for FreeTrack all you need is a webcam on your PC + an LED somehow strapped to your head. (one LED --> two degrees of freedom, while three LEDs --> six degrees of freedom). I was using just one visible LED. The results were mediocre at best, but they sparked my interest. I knew it was possible to make your own tracking device, but I have no clue about soldering and stuff, so I kind of discarded the whole thing.

Then, recently, I stumbled upon a guy in the US selling pre-built caps with built-in infrared LEDs. I thought it would end up being terribly expensive, but I only paid a little over $20 (shipping included), and with the weak dollar these days it became very affordable. Here are some pics:







I haven't had a chance to try it with LFS yet as I'm on vacation, but I'm totally blown away by how well it performs in flight sims. Since the LEDs are infrared, I've strapped on a visible light filter in front of my webcam to avoid too much background noise interfering with the tracking (just a piece of the inside of a floppy disk -- it's great for the job!). The tracking is flawless and responsive, and the cap is very comfortable. Can't wait to try it out with LFS!

I know that the TrackIR-fans keep saying that their system is better because it has more FPS than a normal webcam can allow. But seriously, I notice absolutely no lag at all. 30FPS is more than enough for smooth, precise movement. And the next version of FreeTrack will also include support for using a WiiMote instead of a webcam for tracking, which gives you 120FPS. Plus, FreeTrack is -- well -- free.

All in all, I'm extremely positively surprised at how well both the software, and particularly the cap, are working. I'd definitely recommend you guys to give it a go. If someone wants the contact information to the guy making the cap, just drop me a PM.

Quote from Gnomie :

I did some experimenting with FreeTrack a while ago. As you'll know, for FreeTrack all you need is a webcam on your PC + an LED somehow strapped to your head. (one LED --> two degrees of freedom, while three LEDs --> six degrees of freedom). I was using just one visible LED. The results were mediocre at best, but they sparked my interest. I knew it was possible to make your own tracking device, but I have no clue about soldering and stuff, so I kind of discarded the whole thing.

Then, recently, I stumbled upon a guy in the US selling pre-built caps with built-in infrared LEDs. I thought it would end up being terribly expensive, but I only paid a little over $20 (shipping included), and with the weak dollar these days it became very affordable. Here are some pics:







I haven't had a chance to try it with LFS yet as I'm on vacation, but I'm totally blown away by how well it performs in flight sims. Since the LEDs are infrared, I've strapped on a visible light filter in front of my webcam to avoid too much background noise interfering with the tracking (just a piece of the inside of a floppy disk -- it's great for the job!). The tracking is flawless and responsive, and the cap is very comfortable. Can't wait to try it out with LFS!

I know that the TrackIR-fans keep saying that their system is better because it has more FPS than a normal webcam can allow. But seriously, I notice absolutely no lag at all. 30FPS is more than enough for smooth, precise movement. And the next version of FreeTrack will also include support for using a WiiMote instead of a webcam for tracking, which gives you 120FPS. Plus, FreeTrack is -- well -- free.

All in all, I'm extremely positively surprised at how well both the software, and particularly the cap, are working. I'd definitely recommend you guys to give it a go. If someone wants the contact information to the guy making the cap, just drop me a PM.

^^Did you happen to read the post above yours?^^

Quote from Victor :

Apparently they have now removed any parts that TrackIR complained about. Feel free to discuss FreeTrack.

Not quite true, Victor. My understanding from contacts at TrackIR is that FreeTrack are still using TrackIR licensed material.

Yes Todd have you. It says in last line its OK to discuss because they removed infringements.

Whether that is true is not up to us at this time.

:sorry:Ooopps:sorry:

Tie me up and whip me:bullwhip::bullwhip:

Sorry dude

Quote from Toddshooter :

:sorry:Ooopps:sorry:

Tie me up and whip me:bullwhip::bullwhip:

Sorry dude

Its that damn English English instead of Canadian English

Quote from Toddshooter :

:sorry:Ooopps:sorry:

Tie me up and whip me:bullwhip::bullwhip:

Sorry dude

NP. I think the thread was locked for a while and then unlocked again. I believe quite a lot of posts were also deleted back then.

Well, this might be interesting. Lately I've been thinking how nice it would be to have TrackIR. Although I have no idea how much it costs, I'm sure it's a bit more than I can spend right now having just bought a house and having a lot of other monthly costs. But if FreeTrack is decent I might give that a go.

Gnomie, have you had the chance to actually try it with LFS yet? And if so, what are your impressions?

Quote :

Gnomie, have you had the chance to actually try it with LFS yet? And if so, what are your impressions?

Yes, I've tried it briefly. I don't have my wheel here, but I played a little (using a mouse) just to see how it works.

A good thing is that FreeTrack allows non-linear relationship between the number of degrees you turn your head in reality and the turning of the head in LFS. You can set this relationship as you please. (see image)

I'd imagine that many people would like a low sensitivity in the near-forward region (say, plus/minus 10 degrees or something) to look at the apex and mirror and such, and then a more snappy movement to get to 90 degrees quickly to look beside you to see who's coming up next to you. And yes, FreeTrack allows quick and responsive enough tracking for this to be possible.

So, in short: I am convinced that it is possible for anyone to create a profile in FreeTrack that meets their requirements for LFS. When I get back home (in about a month) I'll start playing LFS again with the cap, and I'll let you know how that works out.

I really do need a free look solution as my situation makes it that I have no free buttons left easily reachable for looking about in my car, makes T1 stupid at best.. I'm not going to rob some company for it though

Quote from Richie Cahill :

I'm not going to rob some company for it though

Hey, no court has decided that Freetrack is illegal so...

I got my cap in the mail yesterday (too lazy and not enough patience to try and build one myself). I fiddled around with it a bit yesterday evening, but couldn't get it to work properly. I didn't have a lot of time to really try everything and familiarize myself with the settings, though, so I hope to get it working nicely today after I get home from work.

I've been thinking... Freetrack supports pretty much every movement, but do I really want that in LFS? From the small test drive I did yesterday in the XFG on BL1, I noticed that I get disoriented pretty easily when I'm looking around in the car The sensitivity was way too high, so maybe that was the problem. However, it seems to me that it would be enough if I could just turn my head left/right (yaw). I don't need to look up or down to see the roof or my feet, and I don't need to roll my head either. Moving sideways from left to right, and forward/backward can be useful too. So that would be only 3 movements I would have to keep enabled, and it would prevent unwanted in-game movements, as I probably don't sit perfectly still in my chair the whole time.

I'll post my experiences later when I've got it working good and proper, and had time to test it thoroughly with LFS.

does that actually work on basic webcam? I does.. I'm gonna buy webcam

The whole point of FreeTrack is using a web cam Just make sure it's not a crappy one, the list of supported cams is on their site

Aye, if you wanna be safe take a good look at the list of compatible webcams on their site. I bought the Microsoft Lifecam VX-3000, maybe a bit expensive but meh, I wanted to be sure I had a good one The VX-1000 would have worked just as well, I'm sure.

Quote from obsolum :

Hey, no court has decided that Freetrack is illegal so...

So just because someone isn't convicted, means they're not guilty? Strange logic.

On-topic, though - having used both FreeTrack and TrackIR (I own a TIR4 PRO), TIR is a significant improvement.

Quote from JamesF1 :

So just because someone isn't convicted, means they're not guilty? Strange logic.

Erm, isn't that the logic on which the entire legal system is built in modern society? A person is innocent until proven guilty? Surely you've heard of that?

Okay, I've had time to test it a little better today. Turns out I had set the dimensions of the LED cap wrong. I corrected it, and it pretty much worked straight away.

I've done a numer of laps on Blackwood and South City while racing against the AI. Man, it sure takes some getting used to. The fact that the cockpit view isn't static anymore but moves around as you move your head, makes for a lot of missed apexes and a lot of crashes into the barrier in the chicane at SO. So obviously my laptimes were considerably slower, but they're already improving again now that I'm getting used to it. Not sure if they're even going to be as good as without the headtracking, though, but for now I'm gonna persist in getting used to it and getting the most out of it.

So far I'm not able to say if it is actually better than just using buttons to look left/right. It's fun to be able to just look around in your car or outside, but you don't really do that when racing. Perhaps if you're a cruise fan and can afford to look around a bit without having to worry about bumping into a car close to you, you can really enjoy the freedom of movement

So yeah, I'm glad I didn't spend a significant sum of money on a TrackIR, as I'm not sure I'll continue to use headtracking for a long time.

Quote from obsolum :

Hey, no court has decided that Freetrack is illegal so...

I got my cap in the mail yesterday (too lazy and not enough patience to try and build one myself).

Are there complete caps available? I"m not that handy with electronics and thought about abusing a 3-led bicycle light for this if there are complete caps somewhere then that could be a better option

Quote from marzman :

Are there complete caps available? I"m not that handy with electronics and thought about abusing a 3-led bicycle light for this if there are complete caps somewhere then that could be a better option

Yeah, a guy on the Freetrack forums called Marcus makes caps with IR LEDS in them, see Gnomie's post earlier in this thread, he posted pictures of the cap. I also find the cap to be really comfortable, it feels just like a normal cap and even looks like one, too. At first glance you hardly notice the leds that are sewn into it. I'd rather wear such a cap instead of some goofy looking device that a lot of other users use

You can order the cap here for $29.99 (with the weak dollar that's a bargain), but there'll be shipping costs added, depending on where you live ($9 outside of the American continent). It gets sent to you by mail. I received mine after 10 days of ordering online, I live in Belgium. In total it cost me about € 25,5 (will be the same for you). I find that affordable Of course, you do need a webcam, so if you don't have one yet you'll have to buy one like I did.

Quote from obsolum :

Yeah, a guy on the Freetrack forums called Marcus makes caps with IR LEDS in them, see Gnomie's post earlier in this thread, he posted pictures of the cap. I also find the cap to be really comfortable, it feels just like a normal cap and even looks like one, too. At first glance you hardly notice the leds that are sewn into it. I'd rather wear such a cap instead of some goofy looking device that a lot of other users use

You can order the cap here for $29.99 (with the weak dollar that's a bargain), but there'll be shipping costs added, depending on where you live ($9 outside of the American continent). It gets sent to you by mail. I received mine after 10 days of ordering online, I live in Belgium. In total it cost me about € 25,5 (will be the same for you). I find that affordable Of course, you do need a webcam, so if you don't have one yet you'll have to buy one like I did.

Thanks, i've bought one too from the guy now (have to try this ). What webcam have you bought for it? Not all webcams on TrackIr website are that good available.

I bought a Microsoft Lifecam VX-3000, but the VX-1000 works just as well and costs a lot less so you might want to look for that one.

Quote from obsolum :

I bought a Microsoft Lifecam VX-3000, but the VX-1000 works just as well and costs a lot less so you might want to look for that one.

I've got VX-1000 one, works just fine

Thanks, the VX-1000 is good available and good priced