How can I use Leap Motion with X Plane 11 and SteamVR to get virtual hands in my cockpit?

Question

Hello:

I am running X Plane 11 with SteamVR and Oculus VR Goggles and Oculus controllers. This system works well, but I wish to incorporate Leap Motion so I can use my hands to manipulate cockpit switches instead of having to locate and manipulate a controller.  I've seen Leap Motion hands used in a cockpit using FlyInside with X Plane 11, but my attempt to install and use FlyInside always results in X Plane crashing and shutting down.

I've downloaded and installed the SteamVR Leap Motion driver published by Cbuchner.  After manipulating the Config files per advice on the internet, I managed to get Leap Motion to manifest itself in the form of two virtual Vive contollers, but not my own hands.

The Leap Motion system works flawlessly on its own, using the Orion program and Leap Motion Visualizer.  I just cannot get my hands to appear in my virtual cockpit using Steam VR. I've scoured the forums, but there are more questions than answers.  

Could you give me any advice on how to make this work?  I really appreciate your help.

Comments

Do the hand gestures work for you in XP11? i can get the controller to show up but the trigger doesn't work. I have the Alpha 8 release of the leap to steam from github

Answer 1

I believe X-Plane is only capable of modeling controllers at this time, and hands are not an option.

Comments

As stated in my question, X Plane users have successfully used virtual hands in their cockpit with FlyInside, but I can't get it to work without crashing.  But thanks for your input anyway.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JOYm45CdkU

Answer 2

I think the "dirty" way at the moment is to replace steam VR vive controllers 3D models with actual hands models. I am not 3d designer or developer, and I think the result will be hands with no animation, but you should be able to use them same wawy as you would be using touch controllers. Similar question was raised for another game in steam community: https://steamcommunity.com/app/611660/discussions/0/2906376154313329260/

Some more info https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/3hbnz0/3d_models_of_the_vive_controllers/

https://www.vrheads.com/how-apply-skins-your-htc-vive-controllers

It would be fantastic if LR implements in some near future native leap motion support. I think leap motion is the perfect tracking device for all kinds of cockpit switches manipulation. The advantage over oculus toches is that you actually always look at what you are switching/adjusting. so your hand will be always in focus, eliminating problem with switches below yoke, that you can only use if you sit far enough from your desk now with oculus touches.

Comments

Roger that.  After some investigation and experimentation, the only way to make Leap Motion hands appear in your cockpit is via FlyInside.  And the only way to run FlyInside without crashing X Plane is to use an earlier version of X Plane.  I tried it, and found that the hands were not very user-friendly.  There was no positive indication of switch or knob interaction, and some knobs bring up a menu for digital number entry. Some have a slider that is very overreactive (a minor altimeter adjustment throws it off several hundred feet). It was also difficult to put my virtual fingers at the proper distance to activate things.  So in retrospect, the Oculus controllers are ideal.  Pulling the trigger and twisting the wrist actually turns the knobs, and you get haptic feedback when things are moved or changed.  The only issue is locating the controller while under goggles, but I'll lanyard it around my neck.

Thanks for your input, and I hope my "test report" is beneficial to others.

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Thanks for your investigation :)

I am monitoring some forums and I think later on we will see some leap implementation.

Here is the guy working on bringing leap into DCS, he is still working on it, but the results that you can watch on youtube are quite impressive.

https://github.com/cbuchner1/driver_leap/issues/29