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Troubleshooting and FAQ

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kaaori edited this page Dec 6, 2020 · 55 revisions
Nothing is showing up in SteamVR anymore!!
  • Please check your config file and make sure it was not reset by the update, this may happen. The space calibrator should automatically update this on launch, but it is always good to check if it still is not working!

Pertinent FAQ for SteamVR 1.7.15

================================

My trackers are way below my body/the ground!
  • Clear your calibration in Space Cal and create another one.
My head is NOT in the ground, but my room setup is still wrong!
or My view is way above the ground!
  • Presuming the setup was working in the past, in Space Cal: untick "Paste chaperone bounds automatically" and restart SteamVR
  • Once loaded WITHOUT TURNING ON TRACKERS click on "Copy chaperone bounds" again.
  • After pasting your new chaperone bounds, back out to the main SteamVR menu, select "Library", and launch the game from this menu instead.
I use the oculus controller as my hip and it's below the floor!
  • Check this document for the most recent LIV Virtual Object driver and use it instead of the old version.
Playspace mover is snapping me back to the center and SteamVR says my room setup is invalid even after pasting my chaperone profile

More fixes will be posted as they are come across, please be patient.

Space Calibrator FAQ

If any of the below cannot solve your issue, please join this Discord: https://discord.gg/m7g2Wyj

What do I need?

================================

Bare minimum:

  • 1x Oculus rift (CV1 OR Rift S will work with this setup)
  • 2x HTC Vive Base Station (1 can be used on channel "A" if saving money)
  • 3x HTC Vive Trackers (2018/Blue center logo)

Accessories/extras:

  • 1x Rebuff Reality Trackstrap bundle (2x foot straps 1x belt | for mounting to body)
  • 2x CCTV camera wall mounts OR 2x tripods (for mounting the base stations)
  • 1x 3.5mm audio cable (acts as the sync cable, make sure to set your channels to A and b if you are using this)
  • ^ Ensure this cable has enough length to comfortably reach both base stations.

Pairing Instructions and Initial Setup

================================

Pairing

It is recommended to plug in one dongle at a time when pairing. Plug in a dongle, complete steps 1-4, plug in the next dongle and repeat.

  1. Plug in a tracker dongle
  2. On the SteamVR window, select the dropdown -> Devices -> Pair Controller (Pair tracker will not appear for this setup)
  3. Once the window appears, press and hold the centre button on tracker until the light on the tracker turns on.
  4. Let go of the centre button, then press and hold again until the tracker begins blinking
  5. Wait for the light to turn green, and then repeat for the other trackers.
Basestation setup

Preface: The basestations do not need to connect to your computer in any way (usb/bluetooth) for normal functionality, they simply need to be plugged into the wall and configured as below

  1. Position your basestations in opposing corners of your room, placed above your head tilted down, making sure they can still see eachother (ceiling fan etc may cause problems without a sync cable)
  2. Plug your basestations into the wall (NOTE: Basestations do NOT need to be plugged into your PC, only the wall)
  • 1.0 BASESTATIONS (Square shaped) -- Change the channel (letter on the front) on one basestation to b and the other to c. Do this by pressing the button on the back to cycle through the channels.
  • 2.0 BASESTATIONS (Rounded front) -- The two basestations need to be on separate channels. You can check what channel a basestation is on by hovering over it in SteamVR. If one of your basestations is greyed out or will not appear alongside the other basestation, look for the pinhole on the back of the basestation, and press into it with a paperclip or pen tip, gently pressing until you feel the button click. Short click the button a few times to make sure, and then confirm on SteamVR the channel has changed by hovering over the basestation icon. If it still is not turning on, restart SteamVR to ensure the channel changes applied.
  1. Once the light at the top of the basestations turns green you should be ready to continue with the steps.

The basestations will NOT show up on steamVR until a tracker is paired, turned on, and tracking in your play area

Tracking

================================

Hip flyaway

if you want to give your tracker the best possible quality of tracking make sure:

  • mirrors/glossy TVs or monitors/windows are covered up
  • your basestations aren't too far apart (15 feet x 15 feet/4.5m x 4.5m is the maximum recommended by HTC)
  • your basestations can see eachother well (opposing corners of your play area) or use a sync cable
  • ensure that any routers in your room are broadcasting 5ghz as opposed to 2.4ghz
  • the dongles are separated from eachother using the included cradle and cable
  • you are mindful of where your hands are with the touch controller (touching the tracker/passing in front of it will cause a flyaway)

Common Issues

================================

REDDIT GUIDE

reboot vive devices/headset
how to align trackers manually

These steps come from the Reddit guide, which is now slightly outdated. Check the guide posted in #welcome for the most up to date info here

SteamVR

Advanced Settings modification:

Advanced settings now has the ability to toggle this setting within their SteamVR Menu. Download the latest release and enable it here

Manual config modification

Before doing any of these methods CLOSE STEAMVR.

  1. Open the file C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config\steamvr.vrsettings* with Windows' Notepad and add the following to the beginning of the steamvr section.
"steamvr": {
  "activateMultipleDrivers": true,

*Directory may be different if you installed steam to another folder.

Click here to see a short video on how to do that.

  1. Restart SteamVR
Automated config modification 1 (bat)
  1. Download the following .bat file or create a .bat file containing OpenVR-SpaceCalibrator.exe -activatemultipledrivers
  2. Place it in the install directory of SpaceCalibrator: C:\Program Files\OpenVR-SpaceCalibrator
  3. Run it.
Automated config modification 2 (manual)
  1. Open the folder containing the SpaceCalibrator C:\Program Files\OpenVR-SpaceCalibrator
  2. Follow the steps in this gif.
Head stuck in floor

  • The latest space calibrator now fixes this for you. If it doesn't follow these steps:

    1. Uncheck "Paste Chaperone Bounds automatically"
    2. Close steamVR
    3. Open steamVR
    4. DO NOT TURN ON ANY VIVE DEVICES
    5. Copy chaperone and check "Paste Chaperone Bounds automatically"

  • (Old way) Use OpenVR-AdvancedSettings to copy the chaperone. Video: https://streamable.com/2e0zl

Config cleanup (list from Dj Lukis.LT)

Delete the following files and folders from C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config (Given steam is in C drive)

  • 01spacecalibrator
  • lighthouse
  • oculus
  • oculus_legacy
  • vrappconfig
  • steamvr.vrsettings
Hmm that shouldn't have happened
  • Usually that means SteamVR hasn't closed properly; you can either restart your PC to fix this, or check in task manager (ctrl+shift+escape) and end any SteamVR processes (usually vrserver.exe)
Safe mode

  • This happens after a crash, disable it and restart your PC

  • This can happen if you have installed OpenVR Input Emulator but have not applied the patch. Uninstall input emulator or apply the patch described here

  • If you downloaded OpenVR Advanced Settings from the Reddit guide, or have not updated it in a while, be sure to reinstall all software to ensure it is up to date from the following guide

I already have two controllers connected

  • Make sure when initially pairing, you are not using any USB hubs. This confuses steamVR in the pairing process and may cause a myriad of issues. Plug the dongle and cradle directly into a USB port instead of a hub. Once you've paired all 3 successfully, you may plug the cradles+dongles back into the hub.

  • This happens if you have two trackers paired to one dongle. Fix this by turning off all currently paired trackers, and then one by one (plug in first dongle, pair tracker, plug in second etc.) pairing them again through the steps provided here https://www.vive.com/eu/support/accessory/category_howto/pairing-vive-tracker.html.

  • If the re-pairing process does not work, connect the tracker to your computer using the supplied USBcable, and then press and hold the Power button for 10 seconds. This should reset the tracker.

  • Extreme steps:

    1. Restart steamVR & unplug all dongles
    2. Plug in ONE dongle (Do not plug the dongles into a USB hub for pairing)
    3. Open the pair device window
    4. Pair the tracker
    5. Unplug the dongle
    6. Repeat for the rest
No headset detected

  • Make sure you have run the installer for the latest space calibrator with SteamVR closed. If your issue persists send a screenshot of your install window after it has completed as well as any errors the installer gave you.

  • If you have installed the space calibrator and the issue persists, open the folder which contains the space calibrator at C:\Program Files\OpenVR-SpaceCalibrator and follow the gif below here OpenVR-SpaceCalibrator.exe -activatemultipledrivers

  • This error usually means the tracker dongles aren't plugged in or are having issues pairing with the tracker. Plug the small black/blue dongle that came with the tracker into the included cradle and place it away from your PC, preferably with line-of-sight to your play area and try again.

Calibrator

Jitter/Avatar jumping up and down repeatedly
  • This is an issue with the 0.5 version of the playspace calibrator, fix it (and also fix playspace mover compatibility) by downloading the latest space calibrator
File not specified
  • SteamVR may have gone into safe mode which can cause some issues. Try closing SteamVR, and restarting your PC. If your issues persist, make sure that you followed all the steps from the guide
My Config File Won't Save
  • Updateyour Space Calibrator! Non-standard Steam installs are now supported for saving configs
Trackers getting offset overtime
  • This is normal, due to the nature of how this setup works (two separate playspaces set on top of each other). If it happens while in VRChat and the offset is not too big, you can simply change avatars and change back so you go back into the T-Pose tracking state. Small offsets won't matter too much due to how VRChat's tracking works, so binding back in will correct these. Otherwise, you can just recalibrate.
Couldn't connect to driver

  • Make sure steamVR is running when you try!

  • If steamVR IS running, this can happen for multiple reasons; first and foremost ensure steamVR isn't in safe mode. If it is, you will see a box above the steamVR window and a button stating "Disable Safe Mode." Click this, restart steamVR, and try again.

  • If steamVR is not in safe mode, try the following: Close steamVR -> run the calibrator installer again -> open steamVR and try again.

The calibration isn't working!

  • Extreme steps from start to finish:

    1. Turn on steamVR
    2. Turn on one tracker
    3. Launch the calibrator
    4. Select the tracker in the right panel
    5. Place it on top of your left touch controller (as that's the default controller selected in the left panel)
    6. Put on your headset and open oculus dash
    7. Click "start"
    8. Wave the controller and tracker pair as shown in the gif linked here https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/453627478594945034/530198102200549395/tracking-calibration.gif
    9. If done successfully the tracker will snap to its correct spot when calibration is complete

Hardware Issues

================================

Base stations

No red leds in the centre/not showing on steam even with tracker paired and visible (Thanks to Eray-Kun for finding and fixing this issue)
THIS SHOULD ONLY BE RECOMMENDED AS A LAST RESORT AND ONLY FOR 1.0 BASESTATIONS WITH 9 RED LIGHTS (NOT INDEX/2.0 BASESTATIONS). DO AT OWN RISK.
My Index/2.0 Basestations aren't working! - Troubleshooting steps from Dj Lukis.LT
  • If you have not updated your trackers to the latest firmware, they will not work on 2.0 basestations. Update them by following the steps provided by the official vive website.
  • If they still do not appear after updating your trackers, make sure that the stations themselves are up to date by following the steps provided by the official vive website
Only one of my Index/2.0 Basestations is recognized at a time!
  • You likely need to set up the channels for your basestations. There is a small hole on the back which you can insert a paperclip into to change the channel, do this for one basestation and check if both now show up in steamVR.

Trackers

Why do my trackers look checkered?
Trackers FAQ (from vive.com)
Extreme tracking loss/Flyaway
  • Check the centre button of your trackers, if they are grey that means you are using the first version of the vive trackers. These trackers are known to be extremely susceptible to interference from the oculus tracking system and not much can be done about this. If you are able to get a spare oculus touch controller, the hip tracker (which should be the worst offender) can be replaced with this, following the guide

Vrchat

Why are the white balls/my trackers in the shins of my avatar?

  • Due to the models used for vrchat not having very human-like proportions (usually extremely long legs) the trackers wont line up properly without some fiddling with vrchat height and advanced settings.

  • Review this video for one method of fixing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu2VZ1w8J2E

Why are my knees bending?

  • The avatar you are using does not utilize the "Full body fix" that can be done when creating avatars.

  • If you do not make your own models, you'll need to find a world that is marked as "Full body ready" or similar.

  • OR you will need to match the bend in your avatar's legs before you pull the triggers when calibrating (The same effect can be achieved by changing with your vrchat height up/down, calibrating into the avatar, then resetting your height to its previous setting)

  • If you do make your own models, the settings (wrench) icon in the CATs plugin contains a tick box for the "Full body fix" which needs to be checked before pressing "Fix Model"

Why does my viewpoint go into my chest when I lay down?

  • If you make your own avatars: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/441208173551026180/538938136592646154/unknown.png

  • DO make a backup of your avatar before doing this, as when the issue is fixed in vrchat, it may cause unintended results. NOTE THAT THIS WILL BREAK YOUR AVATARS WHEN THE FBT FIXES GO LIVE

  • If you do not make your own avatars: This is something that you will need to experiment with to find an avatar that works best for you Ideally the new FBT fixes will make this no longer an issue. If you are still experiencing it on avatars that have not been "Neck-fixed" open a bug ticket on the VRChat canny.

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