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Babble Tracker Quickstart

This guide applies to the Official Babble Tracker, and should cover DIY versions that use similar hardware/firmware. It will walk you through the complete setup process, from initial connection to calibration and troubleshooting.

Getting Started

Initial Setup

  1. Plug your tracker into your PC
  • Connect using the USB port on your tracker
  • Make sure the switch is in the "ON" position, as seen below
  • Two bright green lights should appear on the back of the tracker
  • You should hear a connection sound when properly connected

Switch Position

  1. Finding your device's name
  • Windows
    • Press the Windows key, type "Device Manager" and press enter
    • Expand "Ports (COM & LPT)"
    • Look for a "USB Serial Device" entry - this is your tracker's COM port

Device Manager

  • macOS/Linux
    • On macOS/Linux, the Babble Tracker with appear as a device with a /dev/ttyACM prefix . You can list what devices are present with ls -ld /dev/ttyACM*.

Download and install the software

Connect to your tracker

  • Open the Project Babble software
  • Click on the dropdown next to "Camera Address"
  • Select the namely identified in step 2
  • Click "Save and Restart Tracking" to connect
info

If your camera isn't present in the dropdown, just type it in.

Camera Address Selection

Setting Up The Camera Feed

Before use, you need to properly set up your camera feed:

  1. Ensure proper positioning
  • Your face should be evenly and well-illuminated
  • The tracker should be able to see your entire lower face and jaw
  • Positioned at a slight angle that shows the tip of your nose/nostrils
  1. Set the crop area
  • Click the "Cropping Mode" button

Cropping Mode Button

  • The feed may appear choppy in this mode - this is normal
  • Click and drag across the image to set the crop area
  • Make sure the cropped area includes:
    • Tip of your nose/nostrils
    • Bottom of your jaw when open
    • Sides of your cheeks when puffed

Proper Crop Example

  • Don't worry if the image is flipped - mirroring options are available at the bottom of the cam tab
  1. Switch to tracking mode
  • Once you've set your crop, click "Tracking Mode"

Tracking Mode Button

  • You should now see a smooth video feed from your camera

Working Camera Feed

Calibration Process

Proper calibration is essential for accurate facial tracking:

  1. Navigate to the Calibration tab

Calibration Tab

  1. Perform Neutral Calibration
  • Set the calibration mode to "Neutral"

Neutral Mode

  • Return to the Cam tab
  • Check "Enable Calibration"

Enable Calibration

  • Relax your face into its natural resting position
  • Click "Start Calibration"

Start Calibration

  • You'll hear a sound indicating calibration has started
  • After a few seconds, click "Stop Calibration"

Stop Calibration

  1. Perform Full Calibration
  • Return to the Calibration tab
  • Set the calibration mode to "Full"

Full Mode

  • Go back to the Cam tab
  • Click "Start Calibration"
  • After hearing the start sound, make as many facial expressions as possible:
    • Smile, frown, open mouth wide
    • Puff cheeks, stick out tongue
    • Move jaw side to side
  • Tip: Keep movements natural - don't exaggerate expressions
  • Calibration ends when you hear a different sound

Fine-Tuning and Troubleshooting

If some expressions work better on one side than the other, or you need to adjust tracking sensitivity:

Understanding the Calibration Tab

Calibration Panel

The calibration panel allows you to manually adjust tracking values:

  • Left/Right: Indicates which side of the face the shape corresponds to

Left Right Options

  • Shapes: The specific facial movement (left and/or right) being tracked (Mouth Open, Cheek Puff, etc.)

Shape Names Minimum Value

  • Min: The threshold at which the model starts detecting a shape

Min Value

  • Max: The maximum value the model detects for the shape

Maximum Value

Adjusting Values

  • For proper tracking, minimum values should generally start at around 0.1
  • Example with CheekPuff:
    • Setting Minimum to 0.4: You need significant cheek puffing before detection
    • Setting Maximum to 0.1: Slight cheek movement registers as full puffing

Fixing Common Issues

If your jaw appears to lean in your neutral position:

  • Adjust the minimum value for JawLeft until it's no longer detected when your face is at rest

Pro Tip: For precise adjustments, open your VR application's debug menu for the mouth tracking asset. Watch how values change as you make expressions, then return to the calibration tab to fine-tune.

Maximum Value

Next Steps

Your Babble Tracker is now set up and ready to use! To get started with specific VR platforms:

WiFi Capability

Want to use your tracker wirelessly? Check out our Firmware Guide for instructions on enabling and configuring WiFi functionality.