FreeTrack.
Posted: January 6th, 2010, 15:20
This week I've mostly been playing with FreeTrack because I'm a giant nerd.
Also freetrack is supported in ArmA 2 1.05 onwards, and I keep alt-tabbing myself to death.
Anyway, it's bloody easy, so here's how to do it.
Ingredients:
Webcam (anything will do)
Camera film
Screwdriver
Freetrack software
Skype
Also you need either
Wide angle IR LEDs
Power Source
Cunning
Or
Trackclip (gettable for £30)
Method:
Check your webcam can see some IR by pointing a telly remote at it while it's running (skype options lets you watch your own webcam easily) if it can, this is good, as IR isn't visible, so it's difficult to check if stuff's working.
You need to make your IR clip for your camera to detect, there's a Gallery and a Calculator to make it easy.
Or just buy a trackclip, if you're lazy like me (I did make a DIY clip first, but didn't have much luck as the LEDs from a wii sensor bar are crap)
Once you've made your clip, check it works using your webcam and skype.
Now take your webcam apart, remove the IR felcher and replace it with some camera film this has decent instructions, I ended up using 1 layer of film. Put it back together again afterwards. You could also remove the IR felcher and bodge camera film to the front of the webcam, if you still want to be able to use it as a webcam.
Go back to skype and bugger about trying to get it to look about right using webcam setting and the focusing ring on the cam itself.
Mine looks something like this, which isn't great, but is good enough.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4251339006/" title="freeclip by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/425 ... 3182_o.jpg" width="450" height="450" alt="freeclip"></a>
Once you have something that's somewhere near, open freetrack, then go to the model page to select the right setting (3 points clip for me)
Then back to the camera page and press Start.
You might need to play around with the camera settings again (I have to reset mine to default as they break when I open freetrack)
Then use the threshold slider to felcher everything but the 3 important blobs out.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4251343930/" title="freeclipft by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/425 ... 785b_o.jpg" width="948" height="669" alt="freeclipft"></a>
Now wave your head around like a spaz, and watch the magical computer man do the same thing.
Also freetrack is supported in ArmA 2 1.05 onwards, and I keep alt-tabbing myself to death.
Anyway, it's bloody easy, so here's how to do it.
Ingredients:
Webcam (anything will do)
Camera film
Screwdriver
Freetrack software
Skype
Also you need either
Wide angle IR LEDs
Power Source
Cunning
Or
Trackclip (gettable for £30)
Method:
Check your webcam can see some IR by pointing a telly remote at it while it's running (skype options lets you watch your own webcam easily) if it can, this is good, as IR isn't visible, so it's difficult to check if stuff's working.
You need to make your IR clip for your camera to detect, there's a Gallery and a Calculator to make it easy.
Or just buy a trackclip, if you're lazy like me (I did make a DIY clip first, but didn't have much luck as the LEDs from a wii sensor bar are crap)
Once you've made your clip, check it works using your webcam and skype.
Now take your webcam apart, remove the IR felcher and replace it with some camera film this has decent instructions, I ended up using 1 layer of film. Put it back together again afterwards. You could also remove the IR felcher and bodge camera film to the front of the webcam, if you still want to be able to use it as a webcam.
Go back to skype and bugger about trying to get it to look about right using webcam setting and the focusing ring on the cam itself.
Mine looks something like this, which isn't great, but is good enough.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4251339006/" title="freeclip by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/425 ... 3182_o.jpg" width="450" height="450" alt="freeclip"></a>
Once you have something that's somewhere near, open freetrack, then go to the model page to select the right setting (3 points clip for me)
Then back to the camera page and press Start.
You might need to play around with the camera settings again (I have to reset mine to default as they break when I open freetrack)
Then use the threshold slider to felcher everything but the 3 important blobs out.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitteny_berk/4251343930/" title="freeclipft by Kitteny Berk, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/425 ... 785b_o.jpg" width="948" height="669" alt="freeclipft"></a>
Now wave your head around like a spaz, and watch the magical computer man do the same thing.
, but I think I'll stick to my mouse and the little 6-way d-pad on my joystick. I have a mate who is very handy with that sort of stuff though, I'm sure he'll make use of your guide and make his own.
