Sporadic tracking at a particular distance

[Elukka]

I'm using a TrackIR 5, a TrackClip Pro and the newest v4 software as v5 refuses to work due to the atioglxx.dll issue. (none of the solutions on these forums work for me) Running on Vista 32-bit.

About 50 or so centimeters away from the camera the tracking is extremely sporadic, as if it's continually losing and reacquiring the signal. In the tracking window, however, the camera tracks all three LEDs perfectly smoothly, with no interference and at all head positions, even when the head tracking fails. It's very inconvenient as I run into the issue every time I try to play. It also makes the zoom axis very difficult to use. Any help would be much appreciated.

[NaturalPoint - Mike]

Does it track properly closer to the camera? How about farther?

[Elukka]

Yup - either closer or farther will work.

[Elukka]

I have determined that this problem is due to using v4 software with TrackIR 5. This is the official workaround to the TrackIR 5 software not working, and it's been said the v4 software works with it just as fine but it, well, doesn't.

I tried my TrackIR on a friend's computer who is also running Vista 32 bit and a Radeon graphics card. (a 5xxx series, though) The version 5 software happens to work on his computer and the TrackIR functions fine. We also tried the v4 software and that, however, has the exact same problem I am having.

It seems to me either there must be a real workaround to get the TrackIR 5 software running with all ATI GPUs, the TrackIR 4 software must be properly patched to work with TrackIR 5, or I have a very expensive paperweight.

[Seth Steiling]

Hi Elukka,

Sorry to hear that you've been encountering problems with your TrackIR. I do recommend continuing the troubleshooting process with Mike, though.

I can assure you that, for the vast majority of users, the TrackIR 4 software works 100% as intended with TrackIR 5 hardware. This would be the first known conflict between the two. The unlikelihood of that, combined with the nature of the behavior you're describing, really sounds to me like and issue with either settings or environmental interference--or, potentially, a hardware failure.

The ATI problem is, unfortunately, out of our hands. It's a bug on their end of things that affects all OpenGL-based 3D applications, which the TrackIR 5.x software is. We've contacted AMD about this, and it is a known issue, but there does not seem to be a resolution in the pipe. Deactivating TrackIR's OpenGL functionality via the XML settings file is our only option here, and it has worked for most.

[Elukka]

Thanks for the reply!
Since I tried it on my friend's computer, it's 2 cases of the software and the hardware conflicting, unless there's something wrong with my particular TrackIR unit.

I can't see an OpenGL setting in Settings.xml. Is that somewhere else?

[Seth Steiling]

That does sounds strange. I'm thinking the latter is more likely of the two. Hopefully Mike will have some ideas on how to narrow things down.

[Elukka]

In a surprising twist I got the TrackIR 5 software running! The bad news: this involves using a atioglxx.dll file from 2004. No telling how many other programs that will break, so it's not so much a real fix but a nasty workaround...

While I can now maybe use my TrackIR, at the likely cost of crippling all other OpenGL applications, there still remains the issue of the version 4 software conflicting with TrackIR 5 on two different computers. Have you guys tested it with a 32 bit Vista computer running an ATI gpu?

Edit: Hey, what do you know, I can get just TrackIR to load the ancient dll by dropping it in its folder, while keeping the new one in the Windows folder for other programs to use. Now it's starting to look more like a proper workaround. The program itself is choppy and uses 50% CPU if not minimized but the tracking in game seems fine.

[Seth Steiling]

[quote=Elukka]I can't see an OpenGL setting in Settings.xml. Is that somewhere else?[/quote]
It's in Settings.xml. Change:

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