EZDOK -- rocks!

[JET 1 0]

I think grabbing and clickong knobs will be even harder with EZCA because your view moves ALL the time...!

No.As all effects can be individually adjusted for each view, you can simply take your normal pilot viewpoint which has all effects enabled, "clone" it and disable all effects on the cloned camera. Facilicate button pushing by toggling between the two.The possibilities are endless really, similarly you can create views on the radio stack, FMC or whatever and make those views static if desired.

[Guest]

No.As all effects can be individually adjusted for each view, you can simply take your normal pilot viewpoint which has all effects enabled, "clone" it and disable all effects on the cloned camera. Facilicate button pushing by toggling between the two.The possibilities are endless really, similarly you can create views on the radio stack, FMC or whatever and make those views static if desired.

I know this is possible, but it doesn't make it easier than Track IR... Pausing TrackIR (if necessary) is quicker done than making yet another view for easy grabbing of knobs. :( You could say that with TrackIR you can make ANY (VC-)view in a split second, while with EZCA you need to save them, edit them, assign a key to them, etc. etc. I am not trying to bash the program, because it looks very cool indeed and if the price was (at least) half of what it is now, I would buy it instantly, but since I do not make movies and never leave the VC, TrackIR is just a more logical option for me, also because I own it. ;) If I didn't have TrackIR and had to choose between the two, that would make things really different...!!! The fact that I recently bought REX, FSPassengers, PNW, 7s3 and 1s2 doesn't help justifying the purchase of EZCA... :(

[Paul J 349]

We could be twins, Jeroen! This is exactly how I feel, too. I purchased it, and tried it for a day or so, but I did return it. The realism was quite incredible, but I like aerobatics, and they're simply not possible - in the least very difficult - when using the hat switch, or any kind of switch. How do you instantly go from the ASI to left wingtip - right wingtip - slip indicator - ASI without TrackIR? I don't want to be thinking about which switch to press to change the camera - I just want to look left, right or whatever. I think someone needs to build another head-position-sensing device which is incorporated with EZCA. NP says it would be a total re-write of their software, and they have no plans to do that. Well - perhaps someone - preferably Flight1 - could come up with an alternate to NP's TrackIR that would/could be coupled with EZCA. This would be an absolute must for any serious simflyer, because it would fully simulate the feel of the aircraft.

[emwardjr 0]

For my money, the two have to work together. I use Track IR all the time (using VC) and can pause it with a button stroke. It would be nice to have those effects though!Regards,Ed

[Guest srathe]

For my money, the two have to work together. I use Track IR all the time (using VC) and can pause it with a button stroke. It would be nice to have those effects though!Regards,Ed

For what it's worth, I use both during flight. I simply pause TrackIR when I'm accelerating down the runway, and when on final, and sometimes during the more normal parts of flight as well, when I want to enjoy relaxed flying (relaxed in the sense of not having my head still, taking a drink of tea, leaning back in my chair, etc). When TrackIR is paused, EZCA takes over instantly and smoothly. Works as a beautiful combination for me. Of course, I would prefer both to work in concert with each other. I should also say, despite using TrackIR for years, and loving it, I'm finding that EZCA gives me a freedom in looking around and quickly seeing what I want to see that is light years beyond the way the hat switch functions in FSX without it. To the point where sometimes, for quick flights, I don't even load up TrackIR.

[Marniftarr 1]

No.As all effects can be individually adjusted for each view, you can simply take your normal pilot viewpoint which has all effects enabled, "clone" it and disable all effects on the cloned camera. Facilicate button pushing by toggling between the two.The possibilities are endless really, similarly you can create views on the radio stack, FMC or whatever and make those views static if desired.

I know this is possible, but it doesn't make it easier than Track IR... Pausing TrackIR (if necessary) is quicker done than making yet another view for easy grabbing of knobs. == :( ..look this short videolession http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVzhwtZ7gZUHow reduce vibration level for convenient gauge tuning .

[Guest]

For what it's worth, I use both during flight. I simply pause TrackIR when I'm accelerating down the runway, and when on final, and sometimes during the more normal parts of flight as well, when I want to enjoy relaxed flying (relaxed in the sense of not having my head still, taking a drink of tea, leaning back in my chair, etc). When TrackIR is paused, EZCA takes over instantly and smoothly. Works as a beautiful combination for me. Of course, I would prefer both to work in concert with each other. I should also say, despite using TrackIR for years, and loving it, I'm finding that EZCA gives me a freedom in looking around and quickly seeing what I want to see that is light years beyond the way the hat switch functions in FSX without it. To the point where sometimes, for quick flights, I don't even load up TrackIR.

Just when I thought 'I won't buy it' someone posts this... :( This hobby is costing me too much money. Luckily it's about the only hobby I have right now. :( BTW Thanks for the new video, Marniftarr!

[Jean-Paul 167]

For what it's worth, I use both during flight. I simply pause TrackIR when I'm accelerating down the runway, and when on final, and sometimes during the more normal parts of flight as well, when I want to enjoy relaxed flying (relaxed in the sense of not having my head still, taking a drink of tea, leaning back in my chair, etc). When TrackIR is paused, EZCA takes over instantly and smoothly. Works as a beautiful combination for me. Of course, I would prefer both to work in concert with each other. I should also say, despite using TrackIR for years, and loving it, I'm finding that EZCA gives me a freedom in looking around and quickly seeing what I want to see that is light years beyond the way the hat switch functions in FSX without it. To the point where sometimes, for quick flights, I don't even load up TrackIR.

Same here, I use both and wouldn't fly without them.

[Alan_A 1,650]

Update: I bought EZDOK late last night. Haven't had much of a chance to try it yet and am having trouble getting my hat switches to work on my G940, so no verdict yet. Quick impression after a first flight - I really, really like the EZDOK turbulence and head latency effects. I find using the hat or the mouse to pan really, really awkward after years of TrackIR. So I'm up in the air.Later today I'll try to get the hat switch problem sorted out, and will also try to use EZDOK and TrackIR together, either by using TrackIR in mouse look or by alternating, as described in the report above.Will advise.Best,Alan

[Guest stpierce45]

I just purchase this software also and like it very much. Just have a question about making an outside walk around camera. I assume you would start with a "World Camera" for this, right? Which viewing options need to be enabled, such as PTP, 360? I want a camera to do a preflight checkout with. Thanks,Steve

[hangar 661]

just a simple question about this...how quick and easy is it to create multiple ground cameras on-the- fly (one at a time as im watching a replay with the plane in the air) that would simulate watching a landing replay from the ground (from any vantage point i choose such as runway end or my own custom tower and altitude view)?Dave

[MSW 0]

When using the Saitek Yoke and Throttle Quadrant is it possible to assign the movements to the hat switch and buttons and/or throttle levers on the yoke and throttle quadrant? If not when will this be included?Thanks!Mike

[NaturalPoint_Seth 0]

...but it sounds like there is no SDK, per se, for TIR. It sounds like they do not have an in-house software design team and are mainly hardware oriented. They said they do not have the personnel to develop a EZDOK type effect nor do they plan to. It's not they don't want to work with EZDOK, it's just that they don't think they have anything to give them that would help the effort. My apologies to TIR is I got any of his explanation wrong...

Hi JJ. I'm the one that you chatted with on the phone, and I did want to clarify a few things. :D It's not a matter of us not having an SDK (which we do) or not having in-house developers (which we do). Rather, FSX is the very rare exception to most TrackIR-supported games, in that it doesn't utilize our SDK. Instead, TrackIR is supported in FSX via Simconnect, like all other FSX peripherals. The problem is, if Ezdok was set up to receive head tracking data from TrackIR, but was running at the same time as FSX (which of course it would be), TrackIR has to choose between the two applications. It will always choose to pipe data into the first TrackIR Enhanced application it detects (which would be FSX). So, us offering our SDK to the Ezdok developers would not solve the problem. And, since we don't have access to the Simconnect interface or the FSX developers (which no longer exist), we can't lobby to them to assist in the development work. So, our hands are tied.My understanding is that the Ezdok developers are recommending we change our SDK/TrackIR application to enable a checkbox-like override to give special priority to their plugin. Unfortunately, we're not at a place where we're able to accomodate this kind of request. We have a long list of to-dos that we're already committed to tackling, so even if we were able to do this (which I'm not certain of, especially considering some of the heavy UI constraints within the TrackIR application), the task would be at the bottom of a long list. I explained this more in the simforums post that Vince linked above.

...With TrackIR I don't really like that feeling of having to keep my head still all the time... I didn't like the way the screen jerks when I do...

Hi ziffel. You're obviously free to use/not use TrackIR as you see fit, and I'm not here to persuade you one way or another. :) However, the issues you're describing (needing to keep your head still, jerky movement) do not reflect ideal TrackIR behavior. You should be able to relax your head w/o worrying about excessive movement if you set up healthy dead zones. Additionally, you can reduce the sensitivity of the tracking if it catches you off guard with its speed. If you'd like help on working with your profiles, in hopes of improving your experience, you're more than welcome to inquire on our forums and we'll chip in with advice.

...and apparently there are lots of issues with headmovements, how to keep centered etc.

Like with ziffel, I'm not intending to persuade you to purchase/keep a TrackIR. That's 100% your choice, either way. :) But, when set up properly (for probably 90% of users, it's fine out of the box), you should have zero issues with erratic head movements, keeping the view centered, etc. It's true that some users need a bit of guidance in how they position their camera, or maybe even editing the motion profiles a bit, but that's rare. I just don't want you or others to be dissuaded by the perception that TrackIR cannot sufficiently track your head movement with accuracy when this is not the case. Now, what you do with your hard-earned money is still your business, which we respect. :)

...I

[wombat778 0]

The problem is, if Ezdok was set up to receive head tracking data from TrackIR, but was running at the same time as FSX (which of course it would be), TrackIR has to choose between the two applications. It will always choose to pipe data into the first TrackIR Enhanced application it detects (which would be FSX).

Perhaps its a silly idea, but maybe that is a way to get it to work with EZDOK. Specifically, if there was a way to get EZDOK to start up TIR tracking before FSX opens, would the TIR keep piping data to EZDOK instead? I do not yet have EZDOK so I don't know how it works exactly, but it seems like this approach could be plausible if EZDOK runs as an external application through Simconnect...

[Alan_A 1,650]

OK, my verdict - EZDOK is great, and I'm going back to TrackIR. Finally got EZDOK working after an uninstall and reinstall (the first time, I hadn't killed all the pan references in the button/key assignments). Tried it out in the A2A Cub in moderate turbulence and heavy crosswinds. I love the effects. Made my feel like I was really in a light airplane, and not flying a window around... at first. But the problem is, I'm so used to TrackIR, that trying to manage the views via the hat switch and mouse look felt as though I'd left my eyeballs in a drawer somewhere, and had to fumble for them every time I wanted to look at something. I noticed that, instead of doing the things I routinely do in TrackIR, like glancing out at the wing to check trim or down at the ground to look at road or boat traffice, I stopped doing them and stayed fixated on the panel view. So in spite of the wonderful effects, very quickly I got fixated on the panel view and spent most of the flight staring at it the way I used to do in FS2k2, when VC's weren't all that useful yet. Then I repeated the flight using TrackIR instead, and it was back to being completely intuitive. What I lost in head latency effects, I made up because I was able to move my head naturally, look around struts and up at the instruments, without resorting to my hands.Please note that this is a very personal opinion. It's based on three years' experience with TrackIR, and also the fact that I typically fly low and slow aircraft where looking around is a big activity. I dont' mean to denigrate EZDOK at all - quite the opposite. The effects are great, and if anyone can manage to merge them with TrackIR, that'd be the ideal solution. But I can see where, if you flew a different kind of aircraft, or if you didn't have all that time in country with TrackIR, EZDOK would be a terrific solution.I should say also that I didn't quite manage to get TrackIR and EZDOK working together. The Logitech G940 doesn't allow you to map a mouse button to the joystick. and for some reason, using mouse emulation in TrackIR, I got the view locked on the center of the back seat and couldn't move it. I have no idea why. It might be worth another attempt.But for the moment, that's my report and it looks like TrackIR is going to continue to be my answer.Hope this helps you make up your own mind. Hard to make a wrong choice here, so think about how you fly and if necessary, take advantage of the Flight 1 guarantee to give EZDOK a try.Best,Alan