[DIY] build a 3D gaming gun! Instructable

[nubie]

DIY a 3D gaming gun, it looks like he is using a webcam to track, I didn't catch what software he was using.

http://www.hackaday.com/2008/04/10/diy-pc-gaming-gun/

[rustlabs] put together an interesting looking gaming gun for FPS games. He wrote up his build and how to use a webcam to provide gun tracking for games like Half Life 2. He gutted a keyboard to provide the button interface, and infrared LEDs on the gun body are tracked by the cam. Surprisingly, no USB game pads were sacrificed in the build, just a USB keyboard and mouse.

http://www.instructables.com/id/FPS-arcade-style-gun/

Overview:
this is my instructable of how to make an arcade style gun for FPS pc games.

Story:
I often play computer games through the home theater setup (it just seems more fun louder and bigger). and i thought it would be pretty cool if i could play games like HL2 and Deus Ex through an arcade style gun.


The outlines for the gun are:
+ it must be able to control both the walking and looking of the game (keyboard & mouse)
+ must have many other functional keys (space enter pause ect..)
+ relatively accurate
+ decent range from computer
+ cheap and simple

Stuff you will need:
+ an old (working) usb keyboard & mouse
+ various buttons, toggle switches and LED's (infrared) of your choice
+ an old web cam (working)
+ long cable containing 8 or more wires (sata will do)
+ various materials (wood, plastic,metal ect)

This looks amazing, apparently he hacked a USB keyboard and mouse, it might be possible to do this with a cheap atmega microcontroller: http://www.obdev.at/products/avrusb/prjhid.html

Although it is so basic a PS/2 keyboard and mouse could be sacrificed too, it is just for the buttons. Using the mouse so that it will instantly compatible with all games.

I don't know if he did 6 DOF, or just a mouse with a single LED, but this would be the platform to add 3 LED tracking too.

Guess this answers your question about the handheld freetrack doesn't it?

[sharky]

hi! i dont find what youre talking about... could you please post the whole text with images here, and specify with link ehere you ahve taken it from? thanks

igor

[nubie]

Sorry, sorry, I wondered if I forgot something.

I posted both places about Freetrack, he is using some kind of robotics software, I highly doubt it is doing 6DOF or using the TrackIR protocol for games.

[sharky]

thnx!

there are 3 things that worry me..

1) accuracy
2) speed (the headtracking system i use is slow as hell)
3) the crosshair is in the center of the scrren, most likely if you try to shoot outside what happens is that youre looking around so you would have to aim outside and move towards the center of the screeen before you can shoot..

what do you think?

[nubie]

1, agreed, but since it is just the one LED it might be pretty accurate.

2, the same, only one LED so possibly faster?

3, I am unsure of what you mean, I was just planning to test it and see how it worked. In freetrack there are all sorts of adjustments to the acceleration curve, sensitivity and dead-zone.

I don't understand shoot outside the screen, do you mean like in an arcade game where you shoot out to reload?

[sharky]

immagine a guy is on your left.. if you point the "gun" there then it is like if youre moving your mouse to the left, or your head on a head tracking system... so this means that as soon as you move your weapon from the center of teh screen to the left, the "character" ingame will move the head and the position of the guy will not be at the left anymore.

[nubie]

I don't have an answer, I would have to build it first.

I would probably put a button on it for re-center, that way it wouldn't be too hard.