Releasing v0.4.2!
This update includes numerous bug fixes and improvements. Notably: inputs via named pipes, smoother finger animations and improvements to glove positioning relative to the controller.
A full list of changes are below.
Driver:
* Adds a method to communicate glove inputs via named pipes, which allows the gloves to be used without needing an external device connected through Bluetooth/serial
* Already being used in both @PerlinWarp 's NeuroGloves, and utility app for OpenGloves! Check them out here:
* https://github.com/PerlinWarp/NeuroGloves
* https://github.com/PerlinWarp/pygloves
* Fix to "lag" in glove poses, where there might be some delay in the glove updating it's rotation relative to the controller
* Improve animations for fingers curling in skeletal input - animations should be a lot smoother
* Adds an option to disable force feedback messages being sent to the glove, in an attempt to fix issues people were having with force feedback being disabled in the firmware
* Couple of small changes to how we handle communication and fails in order to help improve stability
* Adds an option to enable a thumb approximation mode, where the driver will trigger a touch on the A button in order to move the thumb in games like Boneworks
* Gloves are now disabled by default when downloading the driver (more below)
* Values can be now encoded with multiple characters
* Potential bug fixes for serial and Bluetooth communication dropping out
UI:
* Added ability to reset configuration to default
* Added "initialize openglove" screen on first run to help prevent people who have unintentionally installed the driver having issues with their controller setup.
* Turns out, a lot of people decide to add any free VR steam apps to their library. If this happens with opengloves, the driver is automatically installed and previously would start acting as the user's default vr controllers, preventing input from their ordinary controllers. For example: https://www.reddit.com/r/ValveIndex/comments/ohyirj/please_help_index_has_stopped_working_no_obvious/
* Now, the driver is initially disabled, with a prompt to activate opengloves when the user first opens the UI
* Move the hardware calibration option in the UI up to the top in the pose settings
* Add more info when an error occurred, such as not having a headset connected (which is required)
* UI now opens SteamVR when triggering functions. Before, functions would throw an error if SteamVR was not open
* Footer now includes link to discord server
Force Feedback Demo:
* Improve force feedback calculations done for grabbing objects. On hovering over an object, the servos will now be "armed" with an estimate of the curl, then once grabbed will be set in place.
Boneworks Force Feedback Mod:
If you haven't seen already, we also have support for force feedback in Boneworks, thanks to @l4rs!
* Check it out here: https://boneworks.thunderstore.io/package/L4rs/BW_OpenGloves/
As always, the driver is available and recommended for you to install on Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1574050/OpenGloves/
You can also see the github release here: https://github.com/LucidVR/opengloves-driver/releases/tag/v0.4.2
As always, please let us know if you run into any issues or have any suggestions for future improvements!