Tracking initialised but nothing happens

[GoogleCodeExporter]

What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. Start Linuxtrack

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?
I am completely new to linuxtrack but have used other head tracking 
software/hardware on Windows. I was hoping linuxtrack would move the mouse 
around via my webcam. I have the reflective sticker on my glasses that I use on 
my Windows desktop with the "Tracker Pro" hardware. I was hoping not to have to 
use a "Tracker Pro" as they are expensive, and anyway it does not fit 
conveniently on my laptop.
Alternatively I still have an ancient "SmartNav" at the back of the cupboard. 
If linuxtrack does not work with my webcam might it work with that if I can 
find a way to fix it physically?

What version of the product are you using? 
I do not know how to check the version of the product (it might be useful if 
the version number was written to the log or displayed in "help").
On what operating system?
Ubuntu 12.04 32 bit on a laptop with built in webcam (webcam works fine with 
"cheese")

Please provide any additional information below.
XPlane.org says "server not found" otherwise I would have asked there. But 
ignore that as that is almost certainly not your problem.
I tried "Load defaults"
Log file attached.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by a...@geoff.kelsall.name on 4 Apr 2014 at 11:58

Attachments:

• templog

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hello,
you mention having reflective sticker on your glasses, but in the log the model 
type you have set is NP TrackClip. If you intend to use that reflective 
sticker, you should use a single point model (e.g. Single point reflective) - 
choose that one in the second pane.

Also bear in mind, that most webcams don't have illumination, that would be 
reflected by the sticker...

As for the SmartNav support - SmartNav3 and 4 should work; if you have an older 
version, then with a bit of luck and some some help from your side 
(communication dumps), I can try to add support for that device too (I did that 
for TrackIR2 and 3 and both supported SmartNav models).

One more thing - before you start playing with Mickey (Linuxtrack's mouse 
emulator), make sure you can reasonably well pan around in the 3D preview;also 
check the help built in the ltr_gui - it should guide you step by step through 
the Linuxtrack setup.

Kind regards,

Michal   

Original comment by f.jo...@email.cz on 4 Apr 2014 at 11:15

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hi Michal,

Thanks for bearing with my basic misunderstandings. 

I had been assuming there is some kind of introduction to Linuxtrack on 
Xplane.org as I had been guessing it was a site which explains things. I am in 
Turkey and I suspect the telecoms regulator has blocked that site by mistake 
whilst blocking Youtube. I am lazy to find a circuitous way into them when the 
courts might order Youtube unblocked in days - I hope. But now I guess 
xplane.org is a site about the X-plane flight simulator.  

On my SmartNav circuit board it says "Copyright 2004" and underneath there is a 
number 31034 - so as it does not say 3 or 4 I guess it is not supported. It is 
not worth wasting your time figuring out how to support old hardware.

Thanks for mentioning Mickie. I had not heard of that but it sounds like what I 
need from the info at http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/wiki/VirtualMouse. 
The reason I use headmice is to avoid recurrence of RSI. I already have foot 
buttons for the mouse (via an Arduino Micro - if anyone needs details please 
ask) so just need the movement.

My newbie questions are:

1) Is there an overview of Linuxtrack somewhere (apart from any on Youtube)? 

I had already had a look in "help" but am having trouble finding out 
2) What exactly does Linuxtrack track? It seems from 
http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/ that Linuxtrack works both with devices 
which have illumination (e.g. emit infra red) and with typical webcams, which 
do not as you say. To use it with a webcam do I need some other kind of sticker 
or will it track my eyes or head or what?

and
3) How do I start the preview you mention above?

On a completely different subject I am experimenting with ripple (payment 
protocol) at the moment - you might like to try it as an alternative method of 
accepting donations and keeping up your geek reputation. Otherwise I have made 
a note in my diary to send you a small thank you once I have sorted out some 
Paypal problems I am having.

Original comment by a...@geoff.kelsall.name on 7 Apr 2014 at 6:36

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Forgot to mention I created a 1 point model as you suggested but still cannot 
work out how to get a preview.

Regards

Geoff

Original comment by a...@geoff.kelsall.name on 7 Apr 2014 at 6:47

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hello,
x-plane.org indeed is a forum around X-Plane flight simulator; there are just 
several support threads, most info is on this site and in the ltr_gui's help.

As for the SmartNav, look at this page: 
http://www.naturalpoint.com/smartnav/products/older-model-comparison.html - 
does the unit you have look like any of those? I didn't manage any note of 
SmartNav2 or older...

Overview of Linuxtrack and walkthrough of the configuration is in the ltr_gui's 
help.
Just start ltr_gui and in the lower left corner there should be a Help button...

Linuxtrack itself uses wiimote, webcam, TrackIR or SmartNav device to track 
users head movements and the resulting pose info is passed to the client 
application - be it X-Plane plugin, Mickey, ltr_pipe, Wine program (there is 
also an interface to add this functionality to your own program)...

Some devices have integrated IR source (TrackIR, SmartNav) and they are able to 
use passive models (like the SmartNav's stickers or caps); other devices like 
wiimote or most webcams don't have light source, so they have to utilize LED 
(or generally active) models - they see the light and use that to compute the 
pose.

Last option is to use pure headtracking (detection of the face), but I'd not 
advise you to use that (but you can try it of course) - it is the least stable 
and most CPU hungry method.

The preview I was talking about is part of ltr_gui - install the appropriate 
universal package (see here: 
http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/wiki/UniversalPkgInstall ) and when you 
sort out the libraries (let me know if you need help with that one) you run the 
ltr_gui and there is it all...

Kind regards,

Michal

Original comment by f.jo...@email.cz on 7 Apr 2014 at 7:22

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hi Michal,

Ah yes my SmartNav looks like a 3 from the picture, so I set the "model" in 
ltr_gui back to the default (is that right?). I plugged it in and pressed 
"refresh" but no "SmartNav" option appeared in "Tracking Device". The help 
mentions "tracking view" but I cannot see that either. 

ltr_gui seems to work fine otherwise but I cannot see any option for "preview" 
(the "disable 3D tracking" box is NOT ticked). 

How can I check the LinuxTrack version please to make sure I have the right one?

Regards

Geoff

Original comment by a...@geoff.kelsall.name on 7 Apr 2014 at 11:55

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hello Geoff,
the current Linuxtrack version can be found here: 
http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/downloads/list

The latest linux versions are these (both available from the above page):

http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/downloads/detail?name=linuxtrack-0.99.8-32.
zip

http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/downloads/detail?name=linuxtrack-0.99.8-64.
zip

Choose the one depending on the system you use (32/64 bit). I'm still going to 
look for another way to make them available now that google code doesn't allow 
any more downloads to be created, but for now these are the most current.

With that version, when you start ltr_gui, you should get a message box saying 
that you have TrackIR like device installed and you don't have necessary 
permissions to access it (unless you installed the udev rule already).

Then you should be able to set the TrackIR/SmartNav on the first pane as the 
tracking device; then on the second pane, you should select the model you want 
to use - I'd suggest using single point reflective (that sticker/cap - most 
convenient).

The preview I was talking about is on the second ltr_gui's window - there 
should be two panes - Camera view and 3D preview; the Camera view shows what 
camera sees and helps debugging tracking problems. If you are able to select 
the device (SmatrNav), just press the Start button in the second window and the 
tracker should start.

Kind regards,

Michal

Original comment by f.jo...@email.cz on 7 Apr 2014 at 12:38

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hello Michal,

I tried following the install instructions (I am on 32 bit Ubuntu 12.04) but 
get:

geoff@geoff-laptop:/opt/linuxtrack/bin$ ldd *.so
ldd: ./*.so: No such file or directory
geoff@geoff-laptop:/opt/linuxtrack/bin$

Previously I had installed from the Ubuntu Software Centre which is very easy. 
However that has version: linuxtrack 0.0~svn121018-precise1 which I assume is 
an old version?

Can you tell me what "software source" I need to put in the Ubuntu "software 
centre" to pick up the latest stable 32 bit version? 

Regards

Geoff

Original comment by a...@geoff.kelsall.name on 8 Apr 2014 at 6:39

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hello Geoff,
some time ago, I decided to pause creating distro packages; the problem was, 
that I was doing some deeper changes in order to get it ready for the 1.0 
release and there is no easy way to revert back to previous version in case of 
a problem. I decided to create only the universal packages for now, but when I 
have the Linuxtrack stabilized enough, I'll resume publishing distro packages.

I'd advise you to uninstall the old Linuxtrack package and install the newest 
universal package (using one of the links above). That way you get the SmartNav 
support and much more new stuff - especially the mickey.

As for the stable version, the 0.99.8 should be pretty stable - at least I 
didn't get any complaints.

And as for the ldd thingie - *.so are dynamic libraries, residing in 
/opt/linuxtrack/lib and /opt/linuxtrack/lib/linuxtrack ... But ldd can give you 
info on executables too - just run 'ldd *' in /opt/linuxtrack/bin .

Kind regards,

Michal 

Original comment by f.jo...@email.cz on 8 Apr 2014 at 7:22

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hello Michal,

I installed Synaptics package manager, uninstalled all linuxtrack packages and 
rebooted. 

I tried to follow the install instructions but as you can see below I am 
unfamiliar with manual installs.

I do not have a solution for distro change rollback but I do have a suggestion 
for you. Produce a 1.0 distro under the normal licence but charge 10 dollars 
for unlimited support for a certain period of time (1 month, 1 year or whatever 
you think). I will be your first customer. If no one else pays for support then 
you can enjoy taking a holiday or starting some other project. If you don't 
have time and/or do not need the money then ask one of your poverty stricken 
student or teenage geek friends if they would like to support it. After all if 
a deserving user really cannot afford 10 dollars you can always waive the fee 
for them.  

Regards

Geoff 

geoff@geoff-laptop:/opt$ sudo tar xfz 
${HOME}/Downloads/linuxtrack-0.99.8-32.tar.gz
geoff@geoff-laptop:/opt$ sudo ln -s linuxtrack-0.99.8-32 linuxtrack
geoff@geoff-laptop:/opt$ cd linuxtrack/bin
geoff@geoff-laptop:/opt/linuxtrack/bin$ ldd * | grep 'not found' | sort -u
    libcwiid.so.1 => not found
    libmxml.so.1 => not found
geoff@geoff-laptop:/opt/linuxtrack/bin$ sudo apt-get install libcwiid libmxml
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree      
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package libcwiid
E: Unable to locate package libmxml
geoff@geoff-laptop:/opt/linuxtrack/bin$ 

Original comment by a...@geoff.kelsall.name on 9 Apr 2014 at 6:27

[GoogleCodeExporter]

By the way I notice 
http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/opengazer/#head%20tracking say they are 
happy to collaborate. Don't know if they are still active but might be worth 
you contacting them. 

Original comment by a...@geoff.kelsall.name on 9 Apr 2014 at 6:58

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hello Geoff,
first, to your problems. The easiest way to locate the missing packages is to 
take a look at packages.ubuntu.com - it will locate packages with the given 
file inside. The ones you need are 'libcwiid1' and 'libmxml1'. Install those 
and you should be good to go.

As for the opengazer, I might take a look at that, however from the description 
it seems to use the same thing I do (I use opencv with haar cascades, which 
should be similar to their Viola-Jones). There are also other possibilities, 
which I might add when the time comes, but to be honest, face tracking is not 
my favourite technique. The reason is, that those algorithms are much more 
complex, fragile and take considerable CPU power, compared to simple "blob" 
extraction.

And concerning charging for Linuxtrack, I'm not going to do that. First of all, 
I said that Linuxtrack is and will be free. There are lots of people spending 
their free time for the good of others, so I want to give them something back. 
I enjoy working on the project, I learn in the process and if something 
happened and I lost my job, I can use it as my portfolio. Another thing is, 
that given the fact that I'm able to work on it only in my spare time (which is 
much sparse than it used to be), I'm affraid I wouldn't be able to provide the 
level of support that I would expect for a paid product. But thanks for the 
idea anyway...

Kind regards,

Michal

Original comment by f.jo...@email.cz on 9 Apr 2014 at 7:23

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Ah OK thanks very much for your sparse time. So rather than sending a donation 
perhaps it would be more useful for me to write a short document for the wiki 
explaining to non-technical people how to install on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (I will 
probably try installing the 64 bit version on my laptop) when it is out 
shortly. I assume you will not have time to make a Ubuntu distro in the medium 
term so if that would be useful I would write how to install it manually, as 
you are helping me to do now.

Now I have the up to date version of ltr_gui installed thanks. 

But I do not have a /usr/share/linuxtrack directory as described in the current 
documentation at 
http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/wiki/UniversalPkgInstall
and
http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/wiki/Ubuntu_pkg_install
so am having trouble recognizing the SmartNav.

geoff@geoff-laptop:/usr/share$ sudo cp /usr/share/linuxtrack/51-TIR.rules 
/lib/udev/rules.d
cp: cannot stat `/usr/share/linuxtrack/51-TIR.rules': No such file or directory
geoff@geoff-laptop:/usr/share$

Original comment by a...@geoff.kelsall.name on 9 Apr 2014 at 8:26

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I'm going to resume creation of the distro packages soon (approximately in a 
month) - I'm finishing with changes I want to have in place for 1.0. A big 
documentation clean-up is going to be a part of it too...

The file is in /opt/linuxtrack/share/linuxtrack/51-TIR.rules I think...

If you'd have few minutes to sumarize obstacles you encountered, I'd update the 
universal package install walkthrough to avoid such problems.
Kind regards,

Michal

Original comment by f.jo...@email.cz on 9 Apr 2014 at 8:40

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Yes you are right the file is where you said. 

But even after I installed a driver from NaturalPoint(the default) no lights 
came on on the SmartNav.

So perhaps I should give up on such old hardware and try the face tracking 
before buying new hardware if necessary.

In the help for webcam setup it says I should press the "start" button on the 
tracking window camera view pane.

But I cannot see any tracking window (although there is "tracking setup").

Regards

Geoff

Original comment by a...@geoff.kelsall.name on 9 Apr 2014 at 9:31

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hello Geoff,
if you attach the SmartNav, and run lsusb command - is it listed there?

When you start the ltr_gui then - I guess you can select the TrackIR/SmartNav 
device as a tracker; now when you select a single point reflective model in the 
second pane it should be good to go.

When you start ltr_gui, two windows should come up - one is the GUI for setting 
up the tracking and the other, which contains the Camera Preview pane and the 
3D preview pane. The second window has the buttons to controll the tracking. If 
you don't see the second window, look at other desktops if it isn't hidden 
somewhere (some window managers can play very dirty games on you)...

What are you looking for is this: 
http://linux-track.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/src/qt_gui/help/CamPreview.png

Kind regards,

Michal

Original comment by f.jo...@email.cz on 9 Apr 2014 at 9:52

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hello Michal,

Phew it is working now so you can close this issue.

Re some quick fixes to the documentation prior to your 1.0 distro release you 
could:

In all docs where it is mentioned correct sudo cp 
/usr/share/linuxtrack/51-TIR.rules /lib/udev/rules.d 
to the directory you mentioned above

Amend the summary text at http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/
to the attached (if you cannot read .odt docs let me know)

Temporarily remove http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/wiki/Ubuntu_pkg_install
and maybe
http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/wiki/Fedora_pkg_install

In http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/wiki/UniversalPkgInstall change

all 0.0_130127_64 to <version> and give an example like:
unzip linuxtrack-<version>.zip e.g. unzip linuxtrack-0.99.8-64.zip

In http://code.google.com/p/linux-track/wiki/Troubleshooting
add:
Installation
------------
Cannot see the camera preview
-----------------------------
(then add your notes about lsusb and the 2 windows above)

Thanks for all your help.

Geoff

Original comment by a...@geoff.kelsall.name on 9 Apr 2014 at 11:47

Attachments:

• temp.odt

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hello Geoff,
I'm glad you made it work finally...
Thank you for the summary, I have taken down the ubuntu/fedora pages and will 
go through the rest when I'm back home...

Thank you,

Michal

Original comment by f.jo...@email.cz on 9 Apr 2014 at 12:29

• Changed state: Done