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OpenFOV – Webcam head tracking for iRacing

openfov.com

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Re: OpenFOV – Webcam head tracking for iRacing

#31

Post by adolph »

cubefox wrote: post #9

Wouldn't it be better to use head tracking to get the position of the head relative to the monitor, so the monitor behaves like a window? Like in Johnny Lee's classic Wii demo [1]. The way it currently works (rotating the view upon head rotation) doesn't really make sense because a monitor is not a head mounted display. 1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw

My kid is using a webcam based head tracker with a combat flight sim of some sort. You don't want to move your head too far since you are looking at the monitor right? It works kind of like mouse acceleration where if you move your head quickly, it changes perspective further.

Re: OpenFOV – Webcam head tracking for iRacing

#33

Post by itsloopyo »

Freaky wrote: post #12
jai_ wrote: post #5

Cool to see this, it's a cool in-between step for not having additional wraparound screens or a VR headset. I used to run a similar software[1] for when I was really into playing F1 racing games. However one of the problems I found was the initial disconnect in your head and eye movement that took some getting used to. For example, if you want to look left to see an upcoming turn, naturally your eyes move before your…

opentrack would be the one to beat these days: https://github.com/opentrack/opentrack It's completely replaced my TrackIR 5, since it averts the need to wear headphones and dig out the tracking bracket every time I want to use it, and the accuracy feels about the same. I found head tracking pretty much becomes second-nature after a while - to the point at which it feels weird to play first-person sims without it. Not…

Head tracking's great, the reasons it became a niche thing are easy to overcome in 2026. I've been churning out loads of decoupled look+aim head tracking mods for non-sims with this in mind (all OpenTrack compatible) - https://github.com/itsloopyo#the-mods

Re: OpenFOV – Webcam head tracking for iRacing

#34

Post by jhomedall »

cubefox wrote: post #30
Mashimo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The way it currently works doesn't really make sense And yet, sim players are using it. Players want to use small headmovements to simulate large head movements ingame. It seems to work.

Wouldn't it be much more convenient then to buy a VR headset which actually follows your head movements because it's physically head mounted? Not to mention that it provides a stereoscopic view of the scenery. I guess the price is a hurdle.

I have a VR headset and still prefer head tracking. It's more comfortable, and becomes second nature after an hour or two of use.

Re: OpenFOV – Webcam head tracking for iRacing

#35

Post by russdill »

oyagci wrote: post #8

What are the differences between OpenTrack and this ?

It was discovered and completely reimplemented independently without knowledge that Opentrack exists? That's the only thing I can figure. Except they actually mention TrackIR as that's the input method they are using.

Re: OpenFOV – Webcam head tracking for iRacing

#36

Post by russdill »

adolph wrote: post #31
cubefox wrote: post #9

Wouldn't it be better to use head tracking to get the position of the head relative to the monitor, so the monitor behaves like a window? Like in Johnny Lee's classic Wii demo [1]. The way it currently works (rotating the view upon head rotation) doesn't really make sense because a monitor is not a head mounted display. 1: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw

My kid is using a webcam based head tracker with a combat flight sim of some sort. You don't want to move your head too far since you are looking at the monitor right? It works kind of like mouse acceleration where if you move your head quickly, it changes perspective further.

Yes, this tech has long been used to great effect for flight sims. It might seem odd if you've never used it, but it turns out it's very intuitive.

Re: OpenFOV – Webcam head tracking for iRacing

#37

Post by hyperific »

epaga wrote: post #25
hyperific wrote: post #13

Also check out the SmoothTrack mobile app. Same use case but the compute is done on a phone instead of the gaming machine. Head position data can be sent over local network or USB.

Hey! Thanks for recommending this!! That’s my app. :) pushing the tracking work off to the phone is helpful for freeing up resources on the computer.

Thanks for making a fantastic tool!

Re: OpenFOV – Webcam head tracking for iRacing

#38

Post by arrowleaf »

Freaky wrote: post #12
jai_ wrote: post #5

Cool to see this, it's a cool in-between step for not having additional wraparound screens or a VR headset. I used to run a similar software[1] for when I was really into playing F1 racing games. However one of the problems I found was the initial disconnect in your head and eye movement that took some getting used to. For example, if you want to look left to see an upcoming turn, naturally your eyes move before your…

opentrack would be the one to beat these days: https://github.com/opentrack/opentrack It's completely replaced my TrackIR 5, since it averts the need to wear headphones and dig out the tracking bracket every time I want to use it, and the accuracy feels about the same. I found head tracking pretty much becomes second-nature after a while - to the point at which it feels weird to play first-person sims without it. Not…

Do you really prefer webcam + opentrack over the trackir? Asking because I literally have a trackir on the way to me in the mail, and most discussions I could find were at least 2-3 years old.
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