918 replies to this topic

[Shredhed]

Ok i seem to have it working.  Since my playfield is actually sunk down about 5 inches into my cab, trying to mimic a playfield on a real pinball, I  had to do some creative angling on the wiimotes to get all three points. Anyway i was able to get it calibrated, and the single LED is being picked up by the wiimotes.  It looks very cool. nice job dood.

 

A couple of questions:  I notice on the camera assistant(thing in upper right corner) that the "optimum viewing" placement is represented by a bright asterisk.  Which when i move the camera led to this location the table looks more centered, deeper etc...

But when i move the camera led to where my actual eye location is, it seems to "zoom" the table.  I guess my question is, is there anyway to adjust that "optimum asterisk" to make it more where my actual head location is ? so it doesn't look so zoomed when i put the camera led at eye location ?

 

Also do you have any suggestions on FP or Nvidia driver settings to make the 3D effect smoother.  It's smooth now but i want to see if i can get it as close to what you have in your video(which is awesome by the way).

 

 

Excellent work on this project.  Sliced bread doesn't have dick on this, this is way better ;-)  I can go without eating, but i can't go without messing around with this, its so cool.

 

Again great job ! Keep up the good work.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

As I understand it 5 inches above the TV screen is glass. So you can not put IR LED for 3 point, which displays the BAM. You can place the IR LED 5 inches above the point.

In that situation You should keep IR LED 5 inches above "eye" to get right view/perspective.

 

This a bright asterisk represents position of light source (in game virtual light, not IR LED i reality).

 

Today I will make another update. A will add option to enter "shift" in Y axis.  It will allow  to remove this 5 inches.

 

My tips to make it look more like on videos:

1. Close one eye. It will greatly improve "feeling" of depth. When two eyes looking, your brain "sees" that perspective is "a little cheated".

2. Make own video with cam. Realy. You will see same results.

 

 

My Bluetooth dongle will not see my Wii remotes. Can someone give me a model number of a Bluetooth dongle that seems to work well with Win7 64bit and the Wii remotes please? Thanks.

 

 

It is hard to pair Wiimotes to pc.

 

Before You start connection:

1. Make sure to remove any previously installed devices called: RVL-CNT-01 from "devices & printers" menu. (After computer restart previously paired WiiMotes stays "installed" but they dont work).

2. Connect WiiMotes.

 

BAM sometimes don't detect WiiMotes right. If You see in "wiimote cam" menu battery status higher than 0% and BAM don't displays "dots" => restart BAM.

 

 

 

Thanks for the help.  Look forward to the new build..

[ravarcade]

BAM Update! v0.3-5

 

change log

- added file keyboard.cfg - allow to change keys, like "menu key" 'Q' => 'B' (file is "human readable")

- added option "Shift Y" to "Find my eyes" submenu. Value can be entered in: FP unit/inches/centimeters. Please remember to enter Your TV screen size.

 

- added submenu "Find my eyes" to "wiimote cam" menu

 

 

About "Shift Y".

 

If You can't put ir led on point while setting "3 points" at end of calibration process. You can now enter value how high above tv/display was ir led.

 

So Shredhed can here enter "5 inches".

 

 

"Shift Y" solves another problem.

When WiiMotes are close to player and can not see the user's head and the surface of the table at the same time. In the process of setting three points you can put on the point object high enough, to allow seen IR LED do the cams.

 

I'm not sure it is clear. Maybe picture will be better description.

http://img687.images...tableoffset.png

 

and now video

 

I used plastic bottle as offset from table. I just put the bottle on points and ir-led at the top of bottle. Then I filled the height of the bottle as a "Shift Y". In my case it was over 12 inches. 

 

Please let me know if it was helpful.

Edited by ravarcade, 04 April 2013 - 12:10 AM.

[Shredhed]

Hi Rav,

   Hey got slight problem, the settings in shift-y while in wiimite mode don't save.   I went and setup several tables last night, and when i loaded them this morning the table size was set back to default(42).

 

Another question.  Do i need to recalibrate/set points for tables i 've played everytime i reboot machine? 

 

Thanks Rav...

[ravarcade]

Hi Rav,

   Hey got slight problem, the settings in shift-y while in wiimite mode don't save.   I went and setup several tables last night, and when i loaded them this morning the table size was set back to default(42).

 

Another question.  Do i need to recalibrate/set points for tables i 've played everytime i reboot machine? 

 

Thanks Rav...

I don save values: tv size & shift y.

After calibration they are don't needed. (You can load another table or restart program).

I know it will be better to store some more informations about user cabine.

It will be added in next update.

 

Most time You wont need recalibrate. But there may be some errors after reload. For example sometimes BAM switch Cam left/right and tracking is "reversed".

I will work on errors like this after i finish cleaning code.

 

If after load/restert tracking don't work correct most time you need only set "3 points" (and enter again Shift-Y/ TV size ... sorry..... it will be fixed)

Edited by ravarcade, 06 April 2013 - 12:39 PM.

[Shredhed]

Hi Rav,

   Hey got slight problem, the settings in shift-y while in wiimite mode don't save.   I went and setup several tables last night, and when i loaded them this morning the table size was set back to default(42).

 

Another question.  Do i need to recalibrate/set points for tables i 've played everytime i reboot machine? 

 

Thanks Rav...

I don save values: tv size & shift y.

After calibration they are don't needed. (You can load another table or restart program).

I know it will be better to store some more informations about user cabine.

It will be added in next update.

 

Most time You wont need recalibrate. But there may be some errors after reload. For example sometimes BAM switch Cam left/right and tracking is "reversed".

I will work on errors like this after i finish cleaning code.

 

If after load/restert tracking don't work correct most time you need only set "3 points" (and enter again Shift-Y/ TV size ... sorry..... it will be fixed)

 

Thanks Rav, look forward to update. 

 

Had it running nicely on several tables last night, runs well with no ball-stutter. Good job dood. Got a question tho, in your vid i noticed that the playfield glass had sort of a "frosted" tint to it.  That really adds to the perception of foeground/background seperation(3D).  I can't seem to get the same effect, is that "frost" a setting in FP? or the lighting in BAM? or is it that you have a better vid card than me? ;-)

 

Thanks Again Rav..  I'll send you a vid, if you want, when i get this tweaked out.

[ravarcade]

Hi Rav,

   Hey got slight problem, the settings in shift-y while in wiimite mode don't save.   I went and setup several tables last night, and when i loaded them this morning the table size was set back to default(42).

 

Another question.  Do i need to recalibrate/set points for tables i 've played everytime i reboot machine? 

 

Thanks Rav...

I don save values: tv size & shift y.

After calibration they are don't needed. (You can load another table or restart program).

I know it will be better to store some more informations about user cabine.

It will be added in next update.

 

Most time You wont need recalibrate. But there may be some errors after reload. For example sometimes BAM switch Cam left/right and tracking is "reversed".

I will work on errors like this after i finish cleaning code.

 

If after load/restert tracking don't work correct most time you need only set "3 points" (and enter again Shift-Y/ TV size ... sorry..... it will be fixed)

 

Thanks Rav, look forward to update. 

 

Had it running nicely on several tables last night, runs well with no ball-stutter. Good job dood. Got a question tho, in your vid i noticed that the playfield glass had sort of a "frosted" tint to it.  That really adds to the perception of foeground/background seperation(3D).  I can't seem to get the same effect, is that "frost" a setting in FP? or the lighting in BAM? or is it that you have a better vid card than me? ;-)

 

Thanks Again Rav..  I'll send you a vid, if you want, when i get this tweaked out.

No, i have bad TV  

Bad view angle. 

That frost is then i look from "bottom" of TV. I want to get rid of it. I have to buy better display, then i will build my cab.

 

Mayby i should add this "feature" to BAM ?

[Shredhed]

Hi Rav,

   Hey got slight problem, the settings in shift-y while in wiimite mode don't save.   I went and setup several tables last night, and when i loaded them this morning the table size was set back to default(42).

 

Another question.  Do i need to recalibrate/set points for tables i 've played everytime i reboot machine? 

 

Thanks Rav...

I don save values: tv size & shift y.

After calibration they are don't needed. (You can load another table or restart program).

I know it will be better to store some more informations about user cabine.

It will be added in next update.

 

Most time You wont need recalibrate. But there may be some errors after reload. For example sometimes BAM switch Cam left/right and tracking is "reversed".

I will work on errors like this after i finish cleaning code.

 

If after load/restert tracking don't work correct most time you need only set "3 points" (and enter again Shift-Y/ TV size ... sorry..... it will be fixed)

 

Thanks Rav, look forward to update. 

 

Had it running nicely on several tables last night, runs well with no ball-stutter. Good job dood. Got a question tho, in your vid i noticed that the playfield glass had sort of a "frosted" tint to it.  That really adds to the perception of foeground/background seperation(3D).  I can't seem to get the same effect, is that "frost" a setting in FP? or the lighting in BAM? or is it that you have a better vid card than me? ;-)

 

Thanks Again Rav..  I'll send you a vid, if you want, when i get this tweaked out.

No, i have bad TV

Bad view angle. 

That frost is then i look from "bottom" of TV. I want to get rid of it. I have to buy better display, then i will build my cab.

 

Mayby i should add this "feature" to BAM ?

 

 

LOL.  that the "frost" is from Bad view angle.  Yeah i think you should add it as a feature(ex: playfield glass), it adds to foreground/background seperation at least it did in the vid.  I would love to see if it has same effect in realtime.

 

And just a suggestion concerning the wiimotes initializing switched eg: left is right, right is left.  How bout a simple checkbox "swap left and right".  Not sure if that would be easier to code than trying to figure out which wiimote is on what side.

 

Anyway keep up the good work, look forward to the next build. 

 

Keep on BAMing !!

[ravarcade]

BAM UPDATE

http://ravarcade.pl/files/BAM.ZIP

 

v.4-7

 

Changes:

- New menu. On bottom of screen. Menu structure is slightly modified.

- New "setup assistant" view

- New "reality" option.

- Improved tracking quality (Fixed a bug that caused reductions camera resolution).

- Head Tracking is now compatible with HyperPin (WiiMotes now work).

- Cameras should not swap left/right after BAM/Computer restart.

- I changed the calibration procedure.Now frames are recorded every 1 second.

Tip: When you move your calibration board, do it slowly. When waving quickly, the camera can see blurred points

 

 

PLEASE MAKE BACKUP OF YOUR SETTINGS.

It is new build with many changes inside and possible new errors

[ravarcade]

BAM UPDATE

http://ravarcade.pl/files/BAM.ZIP

 

v.4-7

 

Changes:

- New menu. On bottom of screen. Menu structure is slightly modified.

- New "setup assistant" view

- New "reality" option.

- Improved tracking quality (Fixed a bug that caused reductions camera resolution).

- Head Tracking is now compatible with HyperPin (WiiMotes now work).

- Cameras should not swap left/right after BAM/Computer restart.

- I changed the calibration procedure.Now frames are recorded every 1 second.

Tip: When you move your calibration board, do it slowly. When waving quickly, the camera can see blurred points

 

 

PLEASE MAKE BACKUP OF YOUR SETTINGS.

It is new build with many changes inside and possible new errors

 

By mistake i swiched files wrong.

Sorry

 

Update link.

Please redownload..

[ravarcade]

new version v0.4-8

 

Changed back frames capture speed during calibration from 1/sec to 2.5/sec.

I added switch "New Light System".
It is usefull only for head tracking.
It prevent of moving light spot when player moves.


(i set light params to visualize the behavior of a spot light.)

[ravarcade]

BAM! update

 

v0.4-9

 

http://ravarcade.pl/.../BAM_v0.4-9.ZIP 

 

- Added "Sesitivity" option to "WiiMote Cam".

Now at last you can change the sensitivity of the cameras!

I don't tested it yet on my setup (I have burned IR LED during tests )

I think that it will somehow be able to significantly improve tracking quality.

 

Ther are 8 modes: 

Wii 1, Wii 2, Wii 3, [default], Hight, Wii 4, Wii 5, Max.

 

During Calibration it is important to avoid reflections. So don't increase Sensitivity too much.

 

During play, then one dot is tracked BAM removes some reflection. You can increase Sensitivity.

 

Now he will be able to set a lower brightness LEDs. This will extend the battery life.

 

Please note "Picture Quality". The value displayed below cam frames.

Minimum value is 33%. Higher is better, but You have to avoid reflections and "badly detected dots".

 

[mountaingamer]

Ravarcade - great stuff and thanks for your time! I'll donate as soon as my cab is complete!

[freneticamnesic]

This is incredible. My mind is blown by this. I would love to see Kinect support for this, there's great Windows support for it already. Kinect is a usb device with 2 cameras and the FOV is pretty good. There's an adapter that many companies sell for "closer playing" that's essentially reverse binoculars, so being 3 feet away should not be a problem. As you've seen, this sort of thing has been done on other games with Kinect. I don't think it would be too hard, since you've managed to do it with Wiimotes.

 

I have several Wiimotes laying around and am really tempted to set this up but I don't know about making the controller board and IR transmitter. I am sure I can do that, but having to calibrate all the time seems tedious, I think the Kinect camera being stationary all the time would alleviate these issues.

 

Not to mention, Kinects are off the shelf devices that anyone could set up.. I'd love to see this take off!

[ravarcade]

This is incredible. My mind is blown by this. I would love to see Kinect support for this, there's great Windows support for it already. Kinect is a usb device with 2 cameras and the FOV is pretty good. There's an adapter that many companies sell for "closer playing" that's essentially reverse binoculars, so being 3 feet away should not be a problem. As you've seen, this sort of thing has been done on other games with Kinect. I don't think it would be too hard, since you've managed to do it with Wiimotes.

 

I have several Wiimotes laying around and am really tempted to set this up but I don't know about making the controller board and IR transmitter. I am sure I can do that, but having to calibrate all the time seems tedious, I think the Kinect camera being stationary all the time would alleviate these issues.

 

Not to mention, Kinects are off the shelf devices that anyone could set up.. I'd love to see this take off!

 

About Kinect support:

- Now I almost finish "plugin" system for BAM.

- I will not build "plugin" for kinect

- Some one contatc me, and i hoop he will create "kinect plugin" soon

 

... and ...

Now i'm creating plugin for ordinary web cam.

I will today release update with this "plugin".

Compared to "wiimote cam" it is poor imitation of head tracking ... and it works in my first test much better than i expected .

[freneticamnesic]

This is incredible. My mind is blown by this. I would love to see Kinect support for this, there's great Windows support for it already. Kinect is a usb device with 2 cameras and the FOV is pretty good. There's an adapter that many companies sell for "closer playing" that's essentially reverse binoculars, so being 3 feet away should not be a problem. As you've seen, this sort of thing has been done on other games with Kinect. I don't think it would be too hard, since you've managed to do it with Wiimotes.

 

I have several Wiimotes laying around and am really tempted to set this up but I don't know about making the controller board and IR transmitter. I am sure I can do that, but having to calibrate all the time seems tedious, I think the Kinect camera being stationary all the time would alleviate these issues.

 

Not to mention, Kinects are off the shelf devices that anyone could set up.. I'd love to see this take off!

 

About Kinect support:

- Now I almost finish "plugin" system for BAM.

- I will not build "plugin" for kinect

- Some one contatc me, and i hoop he will create "kinect plugin" soon

 

... and ...

Now i'm creating plugin for ordinary web cam.

I will today release update with this "plugin".

Compared to "wiimote cam" it is poor imitation of head tracking ... and it works in my first test much better than i expected .

 

Appreciate the response. Any reason you won't do Kinect support yourself? If you don't expect to implement it then I will build a wiimote setup  

[ravarcade]

Appreciate the response. Any reason you won't do Kinect support yourself? If you don't expect to implement it then I will build a wiimote setup

I don't have kinect. It will take time to learn how to use it in BAM. 

 

Now someone else is working on it. I think "kinect plugin" will be ready in few days.

[toxie]

I like the webcam plugin idea.. So this will be just a webcam necessary or will there be also need for wearing trackers?

[ravarcade]

BAM UPDATE!

 

v0.5-10

http://ravarcade.pl/...BAM_v0.5-10.ZIP

 

- Now BAM can use plugins.

- Added "Simple Cam" as example.

It uses face detection to get X/Y postion of face, Z value is entered manualy.

Here is my video: how to setup this mode.

 

You can use any web cam (i used PS3 Eye Toy, but tested with webcam from my notebook).

Face detection is cpu power hungry. If You have 2 (or more) cores in Your machine it will not do any harm to FP frame rate.

(Plugin use other cpu core than FP).

 

This mode uses "3 points" setup, but only 2 points are used.

First & second point will tell BAM width of table and distance from table on player "eye".

Thidy point is needed to enter, but it is not used in calculations.

 

You can choose betewen 3 resolutions of face recognition: 160x120 / 320x240 / 640x480.

On my I5-2500 160x120 & 320x240 give 30 fps (to detect human face, in FP i get 60 fps without any impact).

In 640x480 i get ~17fps.

On my notebook (core duo 1.8GHz) i get in 160x120  ~15 fps.

 

 

Notice!

If You use WiiMotes new version won't improve anything.

 

I add video stream from cam (in futre 2 cams). If it make any troubles let me know and give some info: (used gfx, drivers version, cpu).

 

If You want to develoup plugins for BAM, let me known. I can send source code of "Simple Cam" plugin. Mayby You can make this better (i'm newbie in OpenCv).

 

 

[last update]

It seems "Simple Cam" don't have impact in frame rate but during game there is  slowdown.

I will try to find if i can do something about this.

Edited by ravarcade, 21 April 2013 - 04:12 PM.

[Pinball999]

Hi Ravarcade,

 

does it mean that the cam can replace the Wiimotes AND the IR?

 

Cheers

[freneticamnesic]

Awesome, will try out the cam update when I get a chance today! Great job.