K2EX 0.9.1

This is a very small patch update, but still important.

As always please use the automatic installer

Changes:

• Trackers are now spawned twice internally when clicking on "spawn trackers" to avoid stealing input from controllers already present.
• Input bindings for Vive and Index have been updated to be easier to use. Namely, all calibration controls swap the functionality of grip and trigger. And freeze/flip toggles on Vive are now using the touchpad click instead of menu.
• the icon is actually included in the release zip 📄

51.5.35.1 Testing Technical Preview

Build 6be944, commit e193942d6db767829d2578ee199389c5594b0f51

Please note that this is an automated release. Setup instructions are also available on discord For help with please hit 公彦赤屋先#5023 or #development

Setup for testing:

• Delete everything in C:/K2EX (or wherever is it installed)
• Put Release zip in C:/K2EX (or wherever is it installed)
• Just extract the zip there. File tree should remain the same as before

Additional setup:

• You may grab the .theme file and put it in the deployment directory
• If Input Actions refuse to work, install app manifests from the repository

Reports:

• Yaw on math-based has a narrow range (0.5 of normal), this is intentional
• If trackers magically flip when you lift your leg, don't hesitate to say so
• We're still waiting for any reports how well/bad PSMS works now
• Go to discord and post log files from %AppData%/KinectToVR/logs

(Larger) Changes:

• Added one-time auto-reconnect after 5s if Kinect isn't detected
• You can now completely reset settings with a 'Reset' button
• Fixed waist going insane in flip (again?)
• Fixed waist 'HMD orientation following' mode
• Removed useless legacy PSMS handler pointer causing a crash
• Added more logging to PSMS so you will know why it broke
• You can now disable flip (also via input actions)
• You can now freeze tracking (also via input actions)
• Calibration controls were moved into input actions
• No more green icons / crashing on WMR (probably)
• Waist tracker rotation isn't now going insane
• Flip is now changing poses and using absolute ROLE <-> ID connections
• Manual calibration should be kinda usable now
• Calibration points are locked between 3 and 10
• You can turn off or disable individual trackers
• Pose may be refreshed via API not to cause sleep in freeze mode
• Math-based orientation shouldn't now cause toes poining either at floor or at the starlink
• Kinect status label should now update after reconnect (recover from ERROR)
• If SteamVR is not installed, the app won't crash but tell you're an idiot and THEN crash
• New driver should provide better stability, smaller delay and overall better backend
• Custom SFGUI build with changed, embedded font
• Kinect V2 uses NUI orientation finally
• We finally have UI sounds
• Controller input is processed through OpenVR Input Actions
• You can now disable particular trackers or just turn them off (disconnect)
• Filters should finally work okay when interfacing with new KTVR driver
• Removed useless save buttons
• Everything's Eigen now - fewer conversions and better stability assumed
• Flip has been fixed (again) from using R's orientation for W

K2EX 0.9: The Everything Update

It's been a year since 0.8, this seems to be a pattern at this point. This time around, there's fixes and upgrades for almost every part of the app.

As always please use the automatic installer it also has gotten a few updates. ⚠If you installed K2EX 0.9 Technical Preview or K2EX 0.8.1-Testing, you should delete the K2EX folder first before running the installer!

Notable changes:

• Foot rotation is now working for Xbox One users! If the default setting doesn't suit you, math-based rotation can be enabled like with the Xbox 360 Kinect.
• You can freeze trackers at any point using a controller chord in VR, this will keep them spawned, but not moving, perfect for laying down or doing weird poses for photos.
• Latency is at an all-time low! It's so fast, you won't even see it.
• Sounds will now play on various events and errors, and to give you feedback during calibration. You can change them in the K2EX install folder or disable them in options.
• Calibration is more reliable, has one less step and isn't dependent on the playspace orientation anymore.
• All controls can now be changed via SteamVR controller bindings for both calibration and flip/freeze toggles.
• Trackers can be despawned or entirely disabled directly from inside the app. No more no-hip nonsense.
• Various PSMoveService fixes.

Full changes and fixes list:

• The SteamVR driver is now using K2API, this results in a better backend, less delay, less bugs.
• The app will attempt to auto-reconnect the Kinect once after 5 seconds if it's not detected, this should help with Kinects that take a long time to start.
• An impossible amount of fixes to rotation, flip and friends
• Fixes to filters
• Base orientation is matched between normal foot rotation and math-based.
• Skeleton Flip can be disabled within the app or with a controller toggle
• There is a button to delete the configuration and restart in options.
• The Save Settings button has been removed since all settings are auto-saved
• Calibration points are locked between 3 and 10
• Everything has been converted to Eigen
• PS Move controller slots get auto-filled the first time using it
• The font is now embedded inside SFGUI
• main_theme.theme has been changed to .theme

And I can't say it enough, please use the automatic installer

51.4.31.1 testing release preview

Build #133, commit 095809b

This is a manual release. If you want the newest files, you can grab artifacts from GitHub Actions page. Automatic builds just trigger every push, so they aren't being tested in any way and can just break. Files may be updated here, without any new release. If so, it will be properly described below.

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 13:26 GMT:
    First Release / Commit 920dc87
    
Fri, 27 Aug 2021 18:46 GMT:
    Second Release / PSMS Fixes / Commit 095809b

Setup for testing:

• Delete everything in C:/K2EX (or wherever is it installed)
• Put both zips in C:/K2EX (or wherever is it installed)
• Extract both zips there. File tree should remain the same as before

Additional setup:

• You may grab the .theme file and put it where exe's are
• If Input Actions refuse to work, grab manifests from the repo and install them

Reports:

• Yaw on math-based has a narrow range (0.5 of normal), that may be changed soon
• If trackers magically flip when you lift your leg, don't hesitate to say so
• We're still waiting for any reports how well/bad PSMS works now
• Go to discord along with log files from %AppData%/KinectToVR/logs

(Larger) Changes:

• You can now disable flip (also via input actions)
• You can now freeze tracking (also via input actions)
• Calibration controls were moved into input actions
• No more green icons / crashing on WMR (probably)
• Waist tracker rotation isn't now going insane
• Flip is now changing poses and using absolute ROLE <-> ID connections
• Manual calibration should be kinda usable now
• Calibration points are locked between 3 and 10
• You can turn off or disable individual trackers
• Pose may be refreshed via API not to cause sleep in freeze mode
• Math-based orientation shouldn't now cause toes poining either at floor or at the starlink
• Kinect status label should now update after reconnect (recover from ERROR)
• If SteamVR is not installed, the app won't crash but tell you're an idiot and THEN crash
• New driver should provide better stability, smaller delay and overall better backend
• Custom SFGUI build with changed, embedded font
• Kinect V2 uses NUI orientation finally
• We finally have UI sounds
• Controller input is processed through OpenVR Input Actions
• You can now disable particular trackers or just turn them off (disconnect)
• Filters should finally work okay when interfacing with new KTVR driver
• Removed useless save buttons
• Everything's Eigen now - fewer conversions and better stability assumed
• Flip has been fixed again from using R's orientation for W

This is a small patch with only three changes

• Kinect version is now written in the main window of KinectToVR
• Kinect V1 errors are separated across multiple lines to avoid overflowing the window
• The SteamVR driver now supports disabling the hip tracker by creating a file called no-hip in C:\K2EX

The file HAS to be in C:\K2EX\ because the path is currently hardcoded for simplicity reasons. This setup allows the use of owoTrack (Android phone based hip tracking, way better than the Kinect hip) or a single Vive puck for the hip.

The next release will add support for extra foot rotation modes, including one that should help everyone with Kinect One.

KinectToVR EX v0.8.0 "The Flippin' Update"

This is a big update for K2EX that introduces some semi-breaking changes, specifically with how your settings are saved.

Using the automatic installer is recommended!

Changes

Global Settings: We AppData now

In order to allow KinectToVR to be installed to Program Files, we've moved the location where the configuration files are saved.

It used to be in the same folder as the executable for KinectToVR C:\K2EX\ but now it gets stored in %appdata%\KinectToVR\. This means all versions will automatically use the same configuration from now on.

Skeleton Flip: You can now turn around!

Using black voodoo magic code dug deep from the ashes of Vanhelneim. We can figure out the direction your VR headset is facing and use it to turn your body around.

Normally, the skeleton tracking from Kinect can't differentiate between front and back, since it only sees a body shape. When your headset faces away from the Kinect, the foot trackers' roles get swapped and all the trackers are flipped.

Automatic Calibration: Only takes 33 seconds!

We now have super duper quick and accurate automatic calibration, no longer will you need to move trackers manually! All you need to do is stand still for 3 seconds in 3 different spots then look in the direction of the Kinect.

This also resolves a lot of tracking issues that come from bad calibration and puts the foot and hip trackers at the right distance based on your real-world height unlike manual calibration.

Advanced Manual Calibration: It's like 0.6 again!

Manual calibration now allows you to switch between position and rotation modes as many times as you wish before confirming and also allows more fine adjustments than before.

• Use Thumbsticks/Touchpads to move/rotate trackers
• Hold Left Grip to slow down thumbstick movement for fine adjustments
• Press Right Grip to switch between position and rotation calibration modes
• Press Both Triggers to confirm calibration

New App Theme: You can even see the skeleton through it!

The app sports a new font and default theme that doesn't look like military camo anymore. This actually needed a lot of digging, since SFGUI's theming isn't clearly documented anywhere officially. Look here on the SFML forums for a game that uses theming quite a bit.

Bugfixes

Xbox One Kinect foot rotation works again:

After being broken for unknown reasons at some point in September, we've brought it back! This required major changes to the way foot rotation is handled in the software, so you may notice slight differences in the tracking.

Kinect sensor now properly shuts down on app exit:

Previously there was a chance that K2EX would leave the sensor in a zombie-like state after closing the app, making it unable to be used unless unplugged and replugged, and it would cause it to uselessly wear out the device too. (Oops)

Skeleton tracking preview no longer flickers/redraws:

The app used to only draw the Kinect skeleton in the window if it actually received data from the SDK, which would cause it to glitch out, and redraw issues were caused by SFGUI being bad again.

The currently running OpenVR application does not get closed anymore when launching the app:

K2EX used to launch itself as VRApplication_Scene instead of VRApplication_Overlay despite not needing any features provided by being a Scene application. This caused SteamVR to consider KinectToVR as a game and close the previously running one. This is no longer the case.

New GUI Installer

This release comes with the first public version of the graphical installer, K2EX Installer 2.1.0. It has a lot of improvements over the old console installer, notably not being detected as a virus. Check out the official repo to see all the new changes.

Alpha-0.8.0 testing build 3 version 3 (51.4.30.98-PRE)

This is a manual release. If you want the newest files, you can grab artifacts from GitHub Actions page. Although, automatic builds just trigger every push, so they aren't being tested in any way and can just break.

Setup (If you can't wait for the installer):

• To set this up, just replace files in currently used KinectToVR
  installation directory, including replacing driver's dll file.
  (Located in KinectToVR/bin/win64/)
• Don't forget to remove -$(hash) suffixes!

Kinect close/crash handler (KinectToVR-CE):

• It fires up right with Kinect process and waits for it to exit (or crash)
• After normal app close, Kinect will blink on and then just turn off
• Argument is PID passed from KinectToVR, process checks thanks to it
• When no argument is provided, the app will try to close the Kinect

Notes (At least important ones):

• KV2 orientation should be finally working (+removed hacky filtering)
• PSMS is finally initializing with non-empty quaternion (w=1)
• Note for PSMS users: to recenter tracker please press select button
• Generally, everything should work
  (or at least try to do so)
• Kinect should now close on app crash or when exit(0) is called
• Changed icons
• Should somehow use less CPU than legacy versions
• Post-flip pitch (x) is finally ok
• Done TODOs from previous releases
• Calculated orientation is finally working
• KV2 orientation should actually work
• Moved autospawn button to Options tab
• Reduced autospawn wait time
• Changed available options for different processes

Alpha-0.8.0 testing build 3 version 2 (51.4.30.97-PRE)

TODO:

• Fix KV2 orientation calculation
• Initialize PSMS quaternion as w=1.f and write a note about recentering

Alpha-0.8.0 testing build 3 (51.4.30.96-PRE)

TODO:

• ~Write some crash handler to close kinect~

Alpha-0.8.0 testing build 3 (51.4.30.95-PRE)

TODO:

• Change icon
• Fix post-flip pitch on default foot rotation