27 minutes ago, Zimmerbz said:

Can you toggle TrackIR on and off during flight?

Yes...you need to assign a key or button (within the TrackIR software) to the 'PAUSE TrackIR' command. Then, when in your cockpit (or even in the MSFS UI screens) just press the button you assigned and TrackIR will freeze in the current view. When you want to unfreeze, just press the same assigned button again. You will use this button so much it will become second nature.

Edited March 30, 20224 yr by sniper31

11 minutes ago, sniper31 said:

Yes...you need to assign a key or button (within the TrackIR software) to the 'FREEZE TrackIR' command. Then, when in your cockpit (or even in the MSFS UI screens) just press the button you assigned and TrackIR will freeze in the current view. When you want to unfreeze, just press the same assigned button again. You will use this button so much it will become second nature.

Got it... What does Precision do?  I think this is a big learning curve so hopefully I can figure out my sweet spot!

1 minute ago, Zimmerbz said:

Got it... What does Precision do?  I think this is a big learning curve so hopefully I can figure out my sweet spot!

Precision is very important...that is what you use to CENTER your view whenever TrackIR is UNPAUSED. So, that is the other important command to assign a button to. You will use the Precision command as often as the Pause TrackIR one. 

One more question... I found a good profile to start from but it doesn't do much when I zoom in and out.  Meaning, if I want a better view of my FD by moving my head closer to the screen, how to I make that happen?  This profile barely gets closer

1 hour ago, sniper31 said:

Precision is very important...that is what you use to CENTER your view whenever TrackIR is UNPAUSED. So, that is the other important command to assign a button to. You will use the Precision command as often as the Pause TrackIR one. 

No, precision is't the center view! It's what I'd call a slow motion mode in which movements go slower, as in more precise. I myself never use that mode. Don't bother wasting a key on that. 

I have assigned two buttons on my joystick to TrackIR: one for re-center and one for pause/unpause (which is a toggle function). I use them quite a lot. I have to say I also assigned a button to the MSFS option to toggle TrackIR on and off: unlike the native TrackIR pause option (which freezes your current view) the MSFS option disables AND resets the view: every now and then that's a convenient option. 

 

1 hour ago, sniper31 said:

Precision is very important...that is what you use to CENTER your view whenever TrackIR is UNPAUSED. So, that is the other important command to assign a button to. You will use the Precision command as often as the Pause TrackIR one. 

Precision just adjusts the amount of smoothing you have. More smoothing and response is slower and smoother, when you change your view, less smoothing, and view change is more responsive. My smooth is set on 44 and I never touch it. 

Edited March 30, 20224 yr by Bobsk8

17 minutes ago, Zimmerbz said:

One more question... I found a good profile to start from but it doesn't do much when I zoom in and out.  Meaning, if I want a better view of my FD by moving my head closer to the screen, how to I make that happen?  This profile barely gets closer

Get another profile. I have been using the default Smooth profile since I bought TrackIR around 16 years ago and haven't looked at anything else ever since. I do have the Smooth option somewhere at the top of the setting screen all the way to the right (at 50). Never played with curves or anything, nor with online profiles. 

8 minutes ago, tup61 said:

No, precision is't the center view! It's what I'd call a slow motion mode in which movements go slower, as in more precise. I myself never use that mode. Don't bother wasting a key on that. 

 

8 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

Precision just adjusts the amount of smoothing you have.

Yes, you guys are right....bad memory on my part. The Center command is what I should have said. 

When you finish adjusting the Track IR, you will find that your left and right settings are properly adjusted when you are in your normal position in front of the monitor and you move your head and  look at the left edge and right edge of your monitor, and the top and bottom and you get the right amount of left and right and top and bottom shift that you want. 

BTW On a sidenote: I do think people start fooling around with profiles way too soon. That goes for any piece of hardware. I often read people are having problems with profiles (like for TrackIR or controllers or what not) and often that's because they haven't 1. tried the default settings first and/or 2. downloaded profiles right away from other people. Profiles often are very personal and there is no wonder profile that works for everyone. And you might get used to the default settings anyway after a while.

My advice: start with the default profile and use it for a while. You might get used to it. If you don't (like apparently with the OP) start changing the most obvious settings, one by one, before you start pulling all curves and downloading various profiles. I myself also found the TrackIR too sensitive at first: I noticed 1. there was a setting for smoothness and 2. a default smooth profile. 'Smooth' sounded like a right and obvious solution for my problem so I turned smoothess up and selected the smooth profile and never looked back after that. Been using the same settings for 16 years now. All the posts I read in the meantime about great ('must have') profiles online and curves you really should change didn't make me change anything because the two simple changes I made worked and I got used to it all. And you should never change a winning team.

I am still trying to get used to it but am having one issue that I wanted to see if I could explain to get some help.  When looking up, down, left or right, if I go too far, the camera starts going nuts and flipping all over the place (i can't think of any other way to describe what is happening).  Is there a way to lock the view so that doesn't happen?  Meaning, make it so I can only look as far left or right as the furthest cockpit window, up only to the top of the overhead panel, etc.  Does that make sense?

5 minutes ago, Zimmerbz said:

I am still trying to get used to it but am having one issue that I wanted to see if I could explain to get some help.  When looking up, down, left or right, if I go too far, the camera starts going nuts and flipping all over the place (i can't think of any other way to describe what is happening).  Is there a way to lock the view so that doesn't happen?  Meaning, make it so I can only look as far left or right as the furthest cockpit window, up only to the top of the overhead panel, etc.  Does that make sense?

Read my post above , and you won't have that problem. Also make sure your camera is centered. 

Edited March 31, 20224 yr by Bobsk8

22 hours ago, Bobsk8 said:

When you finish adjusting the Track IR, you will find that your left and right settings are properly adjusted when you are in your normal position in front of the monitor and you move your head and  look at the left edge and right edge of your monitor, and the top and bottom and you get the right amount of left and right and top and bottom shift that you want. 

This one?

Just now, Zimmerbz said:

This one?

Yes,  what you are trying to do there is limit the amount of head movement so that you are looking at he left right and top bottom of your screen. Then you adjust the curves so that you can see high and low enough and to the right and left. If you don't exceed that head movement, you won't lose the Track IR and the image won't jump around. 

3 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

Yes,  what you are trying to do there is limit the amount of head movement so that you are looking at he left right and top bottom of your screen. Then you adjust the curves so that you can see high and low enough and to the right and left. If you don't exceed that head movement, you won't lose the Track IR and the image won't jump around. 

Ok... I'll need to figure out how to adjust the curves.  Right now with the default profile I can look left and down without issue, but up and right the camera goes crazy if I go too far.  Hopefully i can figure that out!