8 replies to this topic

[dinodino]

Hi All,

 

I have a cabinet with a 3-screen setup and a VR headset and I'm trying to configure a set of tables to run in "Augmented Reality" mode as follows:

1. Show the backglass and DMD normally on screens 2 & 3
2. Display *only* the playfield in VR, with all surrounding areas in VR black
3. Use chroma passthrough on the VR headset so that any black areas are transparent

The end result is that when wearing my VR headset I should see my "real" room, my "real" cab with backglass and DMD displaying on their corresponding monitor and the playfield rendered in VR and "floating" inside the cabinet.

 

I'm almost there!

 

I need to use a .directb2s file with the table when running VPinballX_GL in order to get a backglass to display on the second monitor, but once I do that there is also a backglass displayed in VR that I can't figure out how to get rid of.

 

I've been pulling my hair out for a while on this and getting nowhere... and I didn't have a lot of hair to start with 

 

Any tips on how to remove a VR backglass that is being generated from a .directb2s file (but keep the backglass on the second monitor showing) would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

Regards,

Dino

[drinkcristal]

Hi, I'm not close to my set up to be specific so I will provide some general guidance.

 

In VR, there are a couple of ways a backglass will appear. If the table uses the b2s backglass, there will be a primitive with an image called "backglassimage". VPX basically screen scraps the b2s to display in VR. 

 

Some tables have an integrated backglass with the backglass image in the VPX file.

 

Either way, you will want need to locate the backglass primitive and stop it from showing in VPX. 

 

If you find the primitive in the editor (normally called backglass or similar), it is an obvious setting (check box) to unselect it being displayed. 

 

If that doesn't work, odds are that the script is enabling the primitive to be displayed. Then you will need to locate where in the script it is being set to display and turn it off. (note, it might be part of a collection - eg VRstuff which is used to display VR specific primitives when VR is enabled).

 

If you specify the table, I might be able to provide a more comprehensive response.

 

All the best

[dinodino]

Thanks for the reply! I'll experiment with your suggestions tonight. I was trying this with the Fish Tales table just released from VPW.

[dinodino]

So, looking at both of the VPW tables for Fish Tales and Bad Cats, there are no primitives with an image called "backglassimage". The closest, for example in Bad Cats was an image called "Cab_Backglass0", although I think this was specifically a backglass that was scripted into the table and probably hidden as soon as I turned off the VR room. It would appear the backglass I am seeing in VR is not being generated by this at all.  

 

From the behavior I am seeing, my guess would be that the newer versions of VPinballX_GL (I have been testing with 10.8.0-1869 x64) are hard-coded to display the backglass in VR if a .directb2s file is present? I can't seem to figure out any element or lines in the script that are creating this. Is it simply displayed as soon as the controller.run command is executed in the table_init section? is there a command that can be added before controller.run to hide the VR backglass? Where is the position and size of the backglass specified?  Sorry... so many questions come to mind!

 

For the moment, as a workaround I was able to figure out how to add a black image file over the top of the backglass, effectively making that area transparent in VR and removing it from view (although it is still being rendered behind the "cover" and consuming some resources)

 

This unfortunately is still quite a mystery to me so, as always, any additional information that can explain what is happening here is greatly appreciated! I would love to get this working properly without my kludgy work-around.

 

Regards,

Dino

[Mike DA Spike]

Not all tables requires a directb2s.
To my opinion (and don't get me wrong vr authors!) A good vr r9om doesn't need a directb2s file, but has its own one.
That means mostly an image with gi lights off, and flashers for the illumination.

I tried your setup as well. Thats workable for tables without a vr room. But with thr mixed reality, it was hard to see the score etc on my backglass (quest 3).
If you want to remove from a vpw table the vr backglass you need to remove the backglass images and flashers as well(so for bad cats also the alphanumeric display)

[unclewilly]

Or you could find the sub that makes the vr room. Invisible and only have things turn visible in vr that you need like the cabinet and trials and stuff. Most vr tables have this sub

[dinodino]

Thank you for the replies.

 

Not all tables requires a directb2s.
To my opinion (and don't get me wrong vr authors!) A good vr r9om doesn't need a directb2s file, but has its own one.
That means mostly an image with gi lights off, and flashers for the illumination.

I tried your setup as well. Thats workable for tables without a vr room. But with thr mixed reality, it was hard to see the score etc on my backglass (quest 3).
If you want to remove from a vpw table the vr backglass you need to remove the backglass images and flashers as well(so for bad cats also the alphanumeric display)

 

Understood that a directb2s is not required by all tables to see a backglass in VR... but I believe it IS required by all tables to see a backglass on the cabinet's backglass monitor, which is what I'm shooting for. Unfortunately, I seem to get the undesired result of having an EXTRA backglass rendered in VR. That is, with some tables you will actually get multiple backglasses that appear in VR... one that was added into the VR room and another that seems to be automatically rendered if a directb2s file is used... even on a table that already has one and doesn't need it. It's this extra backglass image that I'm unable to figure out how to turn off.

 

I agree with you that passthrough on the quest 3 is still a bit lacking. However, personally I don't mind a slightly blurry backglass and DMD. My focus while playing is primarily on the playfield, so it's less obvious how grainy everything in the peripheral vision area is anyway (since our eyes don't pick it up in as much detail anyway). For this reason, and for the added immersion and realism of having the table in "my room" I think it's worth it without question... but I get that it's a bit of a personal preference.

 

 

Or you could find the sub that makes the vr room. Invisible and only have things turn visible in vr that you need like the cabinet and trials and stuff. Most vr tables have this sub

 

As mentioned in my reply above, that works to turn off the backglass that "comes bundled" in the VR room, but as soon as you add a directb2s file in the mix another backglass image is rendered. (Or at least that's how it's behaving on my setup)

 

 

Thanks again for your feedback guys.

 

Dino

[gtxjoe]

Try asking in the support thread of the table download. The author can comment on how to disable

[unclewilly]

There is a checkbox that will disable b2s in vr in either the vr setting or in the key setting window of vpx. Not sure if it's been moved
Or if there is a primitive with a texture called I believe "backglassimage" or something like that. The b2s will be rendered there, if that primitive is removed or the texture is changed to something else the b2s will not show in vr.
Unless things have changed the only way a b2s can show in vr is on a primitive with the special named texture

Edited by unclewilly, 03 March 2024 - 09:35 PM.