opentrack
Head tracking software for MS Windows, Linux, and Apple OSX
Head tracking software that reads where you are looking using a webcam, VR accessory, or other device and sends that movement to flight simulators and combat games so the cockpit view follows your head.
opentrack is a program that tracks where a user's head is pointing and sends that information to flight simulators and combat games. When you move your head left, right, or up, the software detects the movement and tells your game to shift the in-cockpit view to match, so you can look around without touching the keyboard or mouse.
The project runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Apple macOS, though the macOS version is currently unmaintained. Windows users can download an installer or a portable archive from the project's releases page, including a version that runs from a USB stick with no installation required.
A wide range of physical devices can feed movement data into opentrack. Options include standard webcams using light-point or paper marker tracking, AI-based head pose estimation through a neural network, Wiimotes, Arduino boards with custom firmware, Intel RealSense cameras, Tobii eye trackers, and several VR headset accessories. There is also support for relaying data over a network from a second computer or from Android devices via a companion app. The breadth of supported hardware means most users can find an input method that fits their setup and budget.
Once opentrack has the head position data, it can forward it to games and simulators through a matching set of output protocols. Supported targets include Microsoft Flight Simulator via SimConnect, FlightGear, X-Plane, FSUIPC for older Microsoft Flight Simulator versions, and virtual joystick outputs on Windows and Linux. A SteamVR bridge is available for Windows as well. The software lets users shape and filter the output, so you can tune how sensitive or smooth the head movement feels before it reaches the game.
opentrack is open-source under the ISC license with almost no proprietary dependencies and no copyleft restrictions. The codebase began as a fork of an earlier project called FaceTrackNoIR, though it has been largely rewritten over time. Contributions are welcome through pull requests, and a wiki hosted separately covers build instructions for each platform and answers to common questions.
Where it fits
- Use a standard webcam to look around the cockpit in Microsoft Flight Simulator without touching the mouse
- Connect an Android phone over your network as a head tracker and forward its movement to X-Plane or DCS World
- Build a custom Arduino-based head tracking device and feed its data into any supported flight simulator
- Tune head tracking sensitivity and smoothness with custom filter curves before forwarding movement to MSFS via SimConnect