Air 3 and googles… RC2.. no head tracking?
- Thread starter AlaskanGuy
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Droning on and on...
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Yeah that's what I meant. I have Avata 1 and MC2 and head tracking only works with the motion controller.
Huge bummer… I figured the head tracking control was a function of the goggles, not the MC.
AeroJ
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Droning on and on...
Well-Known Member
It is, but the way the system works it requires the MC user interface in the goggles... for example, the little circle the display indicating flight direction isn't present with the RC.
With head tracking, the aircraft can be flying a different course and heading than where you're looking with the tracking. This is what's cool about it. The bells and whistles that handle all this in the display are only implemented in the goggles software for the MC.
Could support for the RC be added? Easily. But that costs money in engineering, and then a support commitment for years. IMO the head tracking feature is a gimmick that won't survive as a feature on future goggles, and won't ever have enough popularity/use to lead to adding support for the RC.
Going out to test it now...
I agree this probably will never make it to the RC but I disagree that head tracking is a gimmick. For the super majority of the Avata flyers, the MC is all they have and head-tracking permits them to do something with the drone there is no other way to do it outside of manual mode. Just like using the MC, head-tracking takes a lot of practice to get good at it and until them, it does come off as kinda tricky especially when you lose focus and the alignment is such that you have to pause and fix everything back. But once you get really good with it (just like when you get really good with the MC), it really does open up a new facet of cinematic flying for the Avata in sports mode.
Droning on and on...
Well-Known Member
Uggghhhhh... had to do a bunch of updating.
Result: No, head tracking does not work with Air 3 / Goggles 3 / RC2 combination. It's grayed out and does not respond to clicking it.
Air 3 /Goggles 3 / MC3 does support head tracking.
There was a lot of whining when the Goggles 3 was updated to support the Air 3 that there was no means for a stick controller. Eventually support was added for the RC2, but it feels hastily put together, I'm think in response to the complaints.
Result: No, head tracking does not work with Air 3 / Goggles 3 / RC2 combination. It's grayed out and does not respond to clicking it.
Air 3 /Goggles 3 / MC3 does support head tracking.
There was a lot of whining when the Goggles 3 was updated to support the Air 3 that there was no means for a stick controller. Eventually support was added for the RC2, but it feels hastily put together, I'm think in response to the complaints.
Kilrah
Well-Known Member
You don't need manual modes, P/S are enough on the RC. But yeah, HT is required to be able to do the same with the MC.
Can you please clarify how the RC3 can simulate HT in P/S modes, where the camera is facing a different direction than the drone is flying, other than gimbal elevation changing?
Droning on and on...
Well-Known Member
Remember that quads really don't have a front. There is no actual "forwards". In terms of flight dynamics, they're omnidirectional.
So it's very easy to have the camera pointed in one direction, while the flight direction. For example flying sideways, camera pointed 90° from direction of flight.
When head tracking is on, the gimbal will tilt up and down and the drone will yaw CW and CCW in response to head movements. Turn your head while flying forward and the drone will yaw L/R to look in that direction and fly sideways.
The controller (MC3) controls the flight characteristics independently. This can be duplicated with a stick controller by simply not flying "forward", i.e. pitch-forward only as input, but mixing in some roll. Now your flying in a direction different from where the camera's pointing.
It's very cool, and for many of us (most?) an utterly useless gimmick for personal use. Kinda like the easy acro feature on the Avata 2... fun a few times, then boring. Real loops and rolls in Manual mode are far more fun...
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Appreciate the response regarding the MC3, which I have yet to use (I bought it with the Combo Kit and simultaneously purchased the RC3, which was far more intuitive for me), but it appeared above that @Kilrah was stating that the RC3 could somehow simulate head tracking in both P and S modes, rather than requiring Manual mode. Just curious how that would work.
"You don't need manual modes, P/S are enough on the RC. But yeah, HT is required to be able to do the same with the MC."
Kilrah
Well-Known Member
Well any time you are not going striaght forward with the right stick (mode 2) you are going to move in a direction that is not where you're looking. So look where you go with yaw, then use the appropriate angle to move where you want.
Thank you! That makes sense.
Kind of like non-correcting older car headlights, when making turns at night, that always point straight ahead, instead of into the turn.
Droning on and on...
Well-Known Member
Droning on and on...
Well-Known Member
Understand that with HT you can be looking in a direction so far off your direction of travel you don't see anything in your flight path. You can be looking straight down at the ground, while flying level in some direction.
With HT enabled, your head position establishes an angular offset for the gimbal and yaw position relative to the course the drone is flying.
Kilrah
Well-Known Member
I never mentioned HT working in other configurations, it was about HT not being required to get the same kind of "not looking in the direction of travel" footage when you have the RC that gives you all 4 axes on sticks.
