Controlling the photogrammetric window with an Xbox One controller

July 1, 2014 joystick game controller xbox xbox one

Recently Microsoft has published drivers to connect the game controller of the Xbox One console on the PC. This game controller is today the best game controller on the market. It has two high precision JoySticks and has multiple programmable buttons. This game controller is very economical, you can buy it for 41€ on Amazon. Digi3D.NET allows you to control the photogrammetric window with game devices, and no configuration is required (apart from programming buttons) to work with this device. Just follow the steps below to set up this remote in Digi3D:

  1. Connect the controller to a USB port on your computer.
  2. Wait for Windows to set up the device.
  3. Execute Digi3D.NET
  4. Upload a photogrammetry model.
  5. Check that you can move around the model. The left joystick moves the photogrammetric window in X,Y, and the right one in Z (by moving the joystick up and down).

The JoySticks of this device have a high resolution (32767 shift pulses) and that can cause the window to move very fast. Also, you may want to change the direction of the Z axis. You can change the device tensors so that the window moves slower as well as change the Z axis through the Configuration of mice, joysticks, controllers... dialog box following the following instructions:

  1. Close photogrammetric window
  2. Select the menu option Tools/Configuration of mice, joysticks, controllers.... The dialog box Configuration of mice, joysticks, controllers,... will appear.
  3. Select the option Controller (XBOX One For Windows).
  4. Press the Configurar... button. The Device parameters dialog box will appear.
  5. Change the values of the X, Y, and Z fields to your liking.
  6. Press the OK button.
  7. Press the Exit button.
  8. Open a photogrammetric window and check that now the photogrammetric window moves as you want.

You can program the commands that are executed on the digital buttons of the game controller by following the following instructions:

  1. Close the photogrammetric window.
  2. Select the Tools/Assign command to buttons... menu item. The Button assignment dialog box will appear.
  3. Press any of the buttons on the game controller.
  4. The Command assigned to button dialog box appears.
  5. Enter the command to be executed. You can expand the list to see the standard buttons or press the Find... button to see a list of commands accepted by Digi3D.NET.
  6. Press the OK button.
  7. Press the Esc key.
  8. Open a photogrammetric window and check that pressing buttons executes the commands you have assigned.

[youtube:http://youtu.be/C71Ypv76lp8]

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