Wish we were within a short driving distance to come over and try to fix what's wrong. That's the sort of thing we do here locally within our flight club. Hope you find and fix it.

Hi.

I found this YouTube video really helpful in setting up Track IR

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0PPsUCNYTnc

I think I may be setting my head position wrong? This is what happens. I start the sim and the TrackIR is on. At this point my view is off...bad. I have to look up at the camera, press F12, look down and check it..

 

Gregg, why do you look up at the camera and then press F12, of course your view will be off when you look straight ahead, you have set it whilst looking up at the camera.

Just look straight ahead and then press re center, as long as you don't shift around in your chair too much the view should not go out of position.

It is also really helpful to set a joystick/yoke button to F12, makes resetting the view much easier.

 

I set my curves to different values for left and right, faster curve to look left and also set the outer part of the look down axis to a greater value in order to glance down at the center consol. that way I can pan down at a nice speed when looking ahead at the instrument panel but looking further down quickly brings the center consol into view.

Rob, you must have a very steady head!...very sensitive settings.

 

Try "Speed" = lowest value and "smooth" equal to highest value, don't touch the default profile and allow for auto center.  Now make sure you're in "Precision" mode (F7 I think).

 

I map TrackIR enable/disable key to one of my GoFlight button so I can turn it on/off ... I usually only have TrackIR on during taxi, takeoff, landing ... maybe if I doing some sight seeing trips.

 

Optimal sensor distance is 24-36 inches from head reflector to sensor, max of 48 inches ... with my 50" monitor I'm actually a little more than 48 inches, but it still works.

 

The biggest problem I have with TrackIR is that my "silver" hair tends to confuse the sensor

 

Cheers, Rob.

I've tried on and off for years with my TrackIR 5, but have never enjoyed using it.  It's really "cool", but then drives me nuts having to hold my head still. 

 

I never thought to have a joystick toggle button to only use it while I want... that's actually a great idea.  I can use it when I want and then go back to my trusted HAT switch for normal stuff.

 

Maybe my 10th time of setting it up won't result in it going back to the closet in two days for another six months ha

Hi guys,

 

Just got back from a 400 mile road trip with my daughter.  I'm going to try these ideas in the morning.  It seems I've been doing it wrong...or at least I hope that's what it is.  Honestly, I had no idea how EZDok and TrackIR work together.

 

Gregg

When I first started using it, it really made me dizzy and sick to my stomach. Kept playing and then I did what Rob did. I have a CH yoke and I mapped the F9 (on/off) and F12(center) to the rocker on the right grip.

 

A quick flick with my thumb and my view is centered. Most of the time I leave it off - didn't do that initially and got a stiff neck trying to hold still.

 

One other advantage of using the rocker - let's say I want to look down at a radio stack below the pedestal -

 

Several options - use hat switch and try to get it lined up, press the A key and find the view or with TIR

 

F9 rocker to turn off TIR

 

Look UP and hit F12 rocker to center

 

F9 rocker to turn TIR on

 

look slightly down

 

it takes much longer to type this than to do it. Same procedure if I want to look over my left shoulder - OFF - look far RIGHT - center - on - look slightly left

 

And a quick flick and I'm centered and forward

 

I really  cannot fly without it any more.

 

Vic

When I first started using it, it really made me dizzy and sick to my stomach. Kept playing and then I did what Rob did. I have a CH yoke and I mapped the F9 (on/off) and F12(center) to the rocker on the right grip.

 

A quick flick with my thumb and my view is centered. Most of the time I leave it off - didn't do that initially and got a stiff neck trying to hold still.

 

One other advantage of using the rocker - let's say I want to look down at a radio stack below the pedestal -

 

Several options - use hat switch and try to get it lined up, press the A key and find the view or with TIR

 

F9 rocker to turn off TIR

 

Look UP and hit F12 rocker to center

 

F9 rocker to turn TIR on

 

look slightly down

 

it takes much longer to type this than to do it. Same procedure if I want to look over my left shoulder - OFF - look far RIGHT - center - on - look slightly left

 

And a quick flick and I'm centered and forward

 

I really  cannot fly without it any more.

 

Vic

This is why I've always hated it summarized perfectly, with a solution.  I will give this a try, thanks!

It becomes second nature after a bit. Have fun!

 

Vic

It's really "cool", but then drives me nuts having to hold my head still. 

 

I would say if you have to hold your head still you have not set it up correctly. It's a head tracker, of course, so moving your head is going to move the view. But the vendor's name is 'Natural Point' and if it's intruding so much then something is not right.

 

I think the problem is most people (me included) start by trying to use TrackIR out of the box, with generic profiles that can't possibly work well for everyone. A good profile will have a flat spot around the centre position so you don't have to hold your head still. This is like setting a null zone on your joystick but much more sophisticated because you have complete control over transition into and out of that null zone, independently for each of your six degrees of freedom (actually twelve, since as some have observed here it can be asymmetric for, say, left/right or up/down, etc.) It pays to spend time on this so it works naturally for you and for your particular setup. I am really surprised there have been no third-party tools for setting up a TrackIR profile. (Or perhaps there have and I heven't noticed them!)

Track IR is one of my most exspensive addons for FSX but stopped using it some years ago due to many of the issues outlined above.  The hat switch combined EZCA is a much more satisfactory way to pan around the VC for me.

 

Bruceb

I can't wear bifocal contacts though...something to do with my eyes.

Gregg

 

I'm not too sure what you mean .... but I wear multi-focal spectacles which work great smoothing the variance as you move, just need to find / train your head moves to match TrackIR.

 

For me very steady looking ahead, the overhead / pedestal & in focus .... but I still use a gamepad (Logitech G13 / G510) to set rotaries & switches, never a mouse.

 

 

I'm not too sure what you mean .... but I wear multi-focal spectacles which work great smoothing the variance as you move, just need to find / train your head moves to match TrackIR.

For me very steady looking ahead, the overhead / pedestal & in focus .... but I still use a gamepad (Logitech G13 / G510) to set rotaries & switches, never a mouse.

 

I just mentioned my thing with bifocal contacts in case someone else had a similar thing (it baffles my eye doctor).  The new profiles seem to have ironed that out mostly.

 

I also do have hardware but with more complex airplanes I simply run out of switches.  Other times the switch doesn't have a command I have figured out.  So there is some clicking I have to do from time to time.

Okay, now I see what's going on...some weirdness when it starts up.

 

I started the sim today and it worked just like people said.  I paused TrackIR, set up my view in EZDoc, looked straight forward and pressed F9 and F12....it was perfect.  Perfect view just as I wanted it.  I could even change views and look around.

 

Then  I restarted the sim.  This time, I did the same thing.  When I pressed F9 to unfreeze TrackIR, it zooms my view up looking over the dash.  I press F9 again and it's right back to my standard EZDoc view.  Click F9 again and I'm up over the dash again.  I try changing views and it won't...just slightly changes the zoom and that's all. 

 

I shut down EZDoc and TrackIR and restarted them without restarting the sim.  This got it working right again.

 

Is there some order these two apps have to be started in or something?

not so much the order Gregg but you need to get used to using the F9 *AND* F12 together.

 

Once you set up you view and hit F9  to turn off - unless your head is in the EXACT same place when you press f9 again,the view will move in relationship to where your head was last centered.

 

Try your scenario again only this time, when you press F9 again to turn on, press F12 immediately after and you will center your view again.

 

That's why I have mine on a rocker switch.   :smile:

 

Vic