FreeTrack Forum

I've used v2.2 with both a webcam and a Wii remote.  I thought I'd share my thoughts with others who may be considering the Wii Remote.

My system: Windox XP 32-Bit, 4.0Ghz Dual Core, 4GB RAM, Radeon HD 4870, 22" WS Samsung Monitor
Webcam: Microsoft Lifecam VX-3000
Bluetooth Adapter: IOGear GBU221 USB Dongle (from Wal-Mart) Using the bluetooth stack supplied with it.
Game: Aces High II

I had no problems setting up 2.2 with my webcam.  I had a steady 30 FPS and 0-5 JPS.  In 2.1 FPS ranged from 28-30 FPS and had 0-13 JPS, so there was an improvement.  Tracking seemed way more accurate in 2.2.  In 2.1 I had a problem with rotation during translation, which is corrected in 2.2.  For me 2.2 is 10 times better than 2.1.

I was curious if there was an advantage with the Wii Remote.  I borrowed one from a friend that has a Wii to try it out.  I was actually amazed at the difference.  Tracking is very accurate and smooth.  The Wii Remote auto adjust the oreintation.  Tracking is almost perfect.

With a webcam it seemed that there was a very slight delay between head movement and in game movement.  With the Wii Remote it seemed instantaneous.  The Wii Remote ranges between 98-100 FPS.  The only problem is jitter.  With the FT window open, jitter is ranging from 70-85 and I can't seem to get it down.  In game, tracking is very smooth about 95% of the time.  I get occasional stutters but it's not bad enough to be a problem.  I'm no expert with FT so there may be a fix that I don't know about.  The only adjustment I know of is threshold.


Wii Remote Pros/Cons
Pros:
Simple setup, no IF filter removal, Just connect to the computer and go.
High FPS
Very Accurate Tracking
Lower cpu usage (Not a major problem for multicore proccessors)

Cons:
High JPS (This could be a setting I'm missing, haven't played with it much yet)
I had to make a bracket out of a coat hanger to set the Wii Remote above my flat screen monitor. (Not really a con, just a little extra work, took about 20 mins)
Battery powered. (2AA Batteries were down to 80% after about 1hour of use, need to invest in rechargeables)

I was happy enough with the Wii Remote to go out and buy my own.  I can see where it would really benifit someone with a single core proccessor becuase of the lower cpu usage.

I hope this helps someone out.  I've had little experience with Freetrack so my knowledge of the program is limited.  These are just my first impression.  If I come across any problems I'll will post below.  If anyone knows a fix to the Jitter problem with the Wii Remote, please share it with me.

I've had much the same results here, good tracking, relatively easy setup, low cpu usage, but the jitter is high (I can't really say if it's affecting the tracking though).

Me too, the same results. Works very well, good job!
My Jitter is lower round about 40.

Very cool, thanks a lot for sharing your experiences! Sounds perfect for me.

Strider @ 09/10/2008 - 18h00 a dit:

Me too, the same results. Works very well, good job!
My Jitter is lower round about 40.

What bluetooth device are you using? I'm begining to wonder if thats the difference.  The threshold setting is the only thing I can find to adjust.  In the video preview my LED's constantly pulse (get big then small), in game if I'm sitting still it jerks around a bit.  The movement seems to match the pulsing LED's.  I can't seem to fix it.  It doesn't have any negetive effect on game play, it's just a little annoying.

Setup: Borrowed Wii remote, BT USB dongle, Blue Soilel version 1.6.x given on CD with BT dongle (not 1.4.x as recommended somewhere). LEDs setup - 3 leds clip on headset

1. Wii remote can be found via native WinXP BT stack but cannot connect to its as HID
2. With BlueSoile Wii remote can be found, connected and used as HID
3. After that FT2.2 can see Wii remote
4. Threshold settings set to really low (really a lot moved to the left slider side) to see 3 IR LEDs dots
5. LEDs circles are "pulsing" bigger / smaller. For some threshold values it was NOT pulsing, but then left/right LED could disappear when rotating a head left/right (too high angle)
6. CPU usage is unknown, probably really low - only 0 (ZERO) is shown, all the time :-)
7. Wii remote had to be found and connected once again after a computer reset, probably my fault, should be possible. This is a main "blocker" for me with Wii remote - a need to search BT and connect it, too much time, too many "clicks". Comparing to that, USB camera is always on duty...
8. In-game play was OK, no problems found. Played with IL2:1946, so 2DOF in use.

Temporarily I will stay with FT 2.2 (new one) but with normal USB web camera :-)

Good work!

Best regards.
Sorbifer.

I now have everything working perfect with 2.2 and the wii remote.  The pulsing LED's were from my power adapter, I swapped it for another and it's working great now.  I still have high jitter (75-85) but it doesn't seem to effect anything.  My bluetooth adapter uses Widcomm Software, I downloaded BlueSoile software and jitter went down to 40.  Unfortunatly to continue using BlueSoile I'd have to purchase it since it didn't come with my bluetooth dongle.  I went back to Widcomm and jitter is high again but works fine.  I'll probably end up buying BlueSoile eventually.  I suggest buying a bluetooth dongle that comes with BlueSoile if you can find one.

bluesoleil is also the fastest/easiest for initiating a connection

glovepie can autoconnect to wiimote with bluesoleil but it takes ages for me, easier just doing it manually

jps high for me as well but i don't think it matters at 100fps

How much smoothing must you use in order to avoid small random movements when looking right ahead? Since high smoothing --> slow, unresponsive tracking this is a key point I think. Whether the jittering is 10 or 80 doesn't really mean anything in practice.

I have global smoothing at default (100) and profile smoothing is at 40 and it's perfect.  I did have profile smoothing at 200 and it was still more responsive than a webcam at 30FPS.