I have a quick question about free track. TrackIR is very very expensive and I'm on a tight budget. I've recently found out about FreeTrack. I've watched videos of both TrackIR and FreeTrack and they dont seem to have an difference.

Is FreeTrack good? Is it worth it over the TrackIR?

Also, regarding FreeTrack, if I want to be able to install it, what exactly would I need besides a webcam?

Sorry if these are stupid questions. But thanks for any helpful responses

Quote from lizardfolk :

I have a quick question about free track. TrackIR is very very expensive and I'm on a tight budget. I've recently found out about FreeTrack. I've watched videos of both TrackIR and FreeTrack and they dont seem to have an difference.

Is FreeTrack good? Is it worth it over the TrackIR?

Well, considering you are on a tight budget and FreeTrack is free I'd say FreeTrack is definitely worth a try because you have nothing to lose, except maybe a webcam It works very well once you have it set up properly. The most annoying part about FreeTrack is probably that you need to "ruin" a perfectly good webcam by removing the IR filter.

Quote from lizardfolk :

Also, regarding FreeTrack, if I want to be able to install it, what exactly would I need besides a webcam?

Nope, just a webcam, but you'll need to remove the IR filter from it in order to get the best results.

EDIT: oh, forgot the most important part! Which is probably also the hardest (at least I thought it was). You'll need to get some kind of device to put on your head with IR leds, which FreeTrack uses to track your head movements. There are plenty of DIY tutorials out there, but also some finished products that work right out of the box. You'll need to order those somewhere on the internet. I got a nice fitting cap myself which works perfectly and doesn't look ridiculous. In fact, I can just wear it outside and no one would notice that it has 3 IR leds in it.

EDIT 2: or you can use a WiiMote if you have one. It supposedly offers better performance than a webcam, but it costs more as well so it may not be an option for you if you haven't already got one.

I use freetrack, and i'am really satisfied with the results.
I have spent like 25 euro for all the hardware (20 webcam + 5 led/resistor/shipping + cable for free from scrap material).

This is a good guide for people like me who cant seem to grasp even the most easy concepts on electronics

http://forum.free-track.net/index.php?showtopic=1856

With this guide and a little soldering i was able to build my own "ghetto" setup, looks bad but works really fine! (pic attached)

About the ir-filter part, you will find plenty of information on the official freetrack forum, or you can be lucky as me and webcam automatically switch to infrared mode (still dont know how i made it )

Have fun soldering!

P.S. If you find difficult finding hardware on the net... try ebay

Is it possible to use my dslr 450D as a webcam? It has liveview, works like a webcam, only better. I can view it like one but dunno what program to use to record the view..

Quote from Tomba(FIN) :

Is it possible to use my dslr 450D as a webcam? It has liveview, works like a webcam, only better. I can view it like one but dunno what program to use to record the view..

If it can be setup as a webcam I think it should be possible. Remember that it can't have any IR filters if you want high performance, though.

Quote from obsolum :

Well, considering you are on a tight budget and FreeTrack is free I'd say FreeTrack is definitely worth a try because you have nothing to lose, except maybe a webcam It works very well once you have it set up properly. The most annoying part about FreeTrack is probably that you need to "ruin" a perfectly good webcam by removing the IR filter.


Nope, just a webcam, but you'll need to remove the IR filter from it in order to get the best results.

EDIT: oh, forgot the most important part! Which is probably also the hardest (at least I thought it was). You'll need to get some kind of device to put on your head with IR leds, which FreeTrack uses to track your head movements. There are plenty of DIY tutorials out there, but also some finished products that work right out of the box. You'll need to order those somewhere on the internet. I got a nice fitting cap myself which works perfectly and doesn't look ridiculous. In fact, I can just wear it outside and no one would notice that it has 3 IR leds in it.

EDIT 2: or you can use a WiiMote if you have one. It supposedly offers better performance than a webcam, but it costs more as well so it may not be an option for you if you haven't already got one.

how would you get teh sensor pluged in to your computer its not usb

Quote from ferrarifan777 :

how would you get teh sensor pluged in to your computer its not usb

Are you talking about the Wiimote? I have no idea as I haven't got one myself. There's a manual for it on the FreeTrack website, I'm sure.