Linux 3D Input Driver Project Started 92
zratchet writes "Mikey Lubker reports in his blog that a new project has been started to create drivers for 6-degree-of-freedom 3D input devices. The project hopes to support SDL_Input, XNA, DirectInput, and other major controller API's including game consoles and embedded systems, including controllers for home entertainment systems, robots, modeling clay, games, home automation, and more.
Check out the project here and the (soon to be) tech-demo Snowball Surprise: Adventures in Avatarctica."
3d input? (Score:2, Interesting)
What about a dual-mouse driver (Score:5, Interesting)
6-degrees input from a webcam (Score:4, Interesting)
The logarithms to do the calculations are solid - all you need is a better mousetrap than I have for finding the three triangle points in a single image frame (should be very straight forward - mine works but is slow).
Is this old hat, or would there be good value to open-sourcing it? I'll likely never commercialize it on my own.
MadCow.
TrackIR does this already (Score:2, Interesting)
http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/ [naturalpoint.com]
Linux already supports most 6DOFs (Score:5, Interesting)
Linux already supports the:
And most likely also the newer SpaceBall variants, because they all use USB HID.
All the drivers are GPL and included in the standard kernel release. The CyberMan2 is very cool for playing Descent2 on Linux.
I know it. I wrote the drivers.
It seems the project is more about developing and marketing a new 6dof in a world where all gaming-oriented 6dofs (the SpaceOrb, available on e-bay for a few bucks, the CyberMan / CyberMan2) failed miserably.
Re:3d input? (Score:2, Interesting)
The "6 Degree of Freedom" statement is much more important to me than "3D". When you have a 6 DOF controller, you are able to execute every possible motion in 3-space. The 6 DOF controller I used (in a research project associated with the space program) used a sliding controller in the left hand that you could push inward and outward (Z translation), as well as sliding up, down, left, and right (X and Y translation). In the right hand was a conventional joystick, which allowed you to rotate around each axis (pitch, yaw, roll).
The 6 DOF "3D" controller comes from the ability to translate AND rotate around each axis (3 * 2). I can tell you from experience that the brain really has to stretch to use this complex of operation, especially when your command frame (the origin of all of this motion) is moving along with the thing you are controlling. However, once your brain maps the motions, it is an incredible way to operate a precision machine. You can always tell an advanced user by their use of multiple axes at the same time, which leads to more efficient operation (like translating in X and Y at the same time while executing a roll).
Re:Linux already supports most 6DOFs (Score:3, Interesting)
'jstest' for testing that it operates correctly
and 'jscal' for changing the default calibration
values if needed.
Re:6-degrees input from a webcam (Score:2, Interesting)
Look to the lower right corner of the screen and the desktop slides to the upper right bringing more real estate into view.
I know there is technology that tracks the eyeballs to shift focus, but this sounds like it might be easier to use. You have to consciously (sp?) shift your head to move the focus.
A