Run SteamVR without HMD?

[Brackets]

I'm interested in using the lighthouse system + Vive controllers without using the HMD, and I noticed that if you run SteamVR without the HMD connected, it will stop and won't track any controllers. For now, I can leave the headset connected and just not use it. However, I could see wanting to use the controllers without the HMD in the future.

Is this a technical limitation, is it be possible to run SteamVR without a HMD connected, or could this be something that SteamVR supports in the future?

Thanks!

[bendotcom]

This is the sample driver:

https://github.com/ValveSoftware/openvr/tree/master/samples/driver_sample

[eric.schleicher]

Originally posted by Brackets:

Is this a technical limitation, is it be possible to run SteamVR without a HMD connected, or could this be something that SteamVR supports in the future?

Thanks!

This is possible today!


Ben outline what needs to be done in order to run without the hmd connected here http://steamcommunity.com/app/358720/discussions/0/485624149150957321/#c1290690926862315884

^ see above you have to enable the null driver and allow multiple drivers to run... some editing in the steam.vrsettings file

[87 I FrostyFinn]

How do I specify the null driver?

here's the beginning of my vrsettings file.
{
"steamvr" : {
"requireHmd" : true,
"forcedDriver" : "",
"forcedHmd" : "",
"displayDebug" : false,
"debugProcessPipe" : "",
"enableDistortion" : true,
"displayDebugX" : 0,
"displayDebugY" : 0,
"sendSystemButtonToAllApps" : false,
"loglevel" : 3,
"ipd" : 0.063,
"ipdOffset" : 0.0,
"background" : "",
"backgroundUseDomeProjection" : false,
"backgroundCameraHeight" : 1.6,
"backgroundDomeRadius" : 0.0,
"environment" : "",
"gridColor" : "",
"playAreaColor" : "",
"showStage" : false,
"activateMultipleDrivers" : true,
"directMode" : true,
"usingSpeakers" : false,
"speakersForwardYawOffsetDegrees" : 0.0,
"basestationPowerManagement" : false,
"neverKillProcesses" : false,

[eric.schleicher]

you need to enable the null driver in the default.vrsettings for the null driver (has it's own folder/file),

I'm not in front of my machine at the moment, but the name is obvious, like `enabled`.

The combination of that and activateMultupleDrivers should work.

[87 I FrostyFinn]

Allright! got it working now.

Thank you Eric!

[eric.schleicher]

Originally posted by paintlab:

Allright! got it working now.

Thank you Eric!

Great! FWIW, I've enjoyed painlab, are you continuing development of it?

[Hoodad]

I don't know if things in SteamVR has changed since when this was written. But I cannot seem to get OpenVR up and running without the HMD plugged in. I'm running in to the problems as described by @eric. You can set the requireHmd = false but then you cannot Init OpenVR.

If I set activateMultipleDrivers = true and then the instructions are to enable the null driver. Where can I enable the null driver?

There is a file just next to default.vrsettings called driver_defaults.vrsettings. All it contains is a setting "enabled" : true

Any clarification is much appreciated

[BYO.Shaun]

I just spent time trying to use

requireHmd : false

to run steamvr without a hmd and all you have to do is described at post #12 of this very thread which says forget about using

requireHmd : false

First

Just add

"activateMultipleDrivers" : true,

to near the top of the "steamvr" section of your steamvr.vrsettings config file. Using

"forcedDriver": "null",

in steamvr.vrsettings helps make sure the non physical display be used even when there is a physical hmd connected.

{
   "steamvr" : {
      "activateMultipleDrivers" : true,
      "forcedDriver": "null",
      "allowAsyncReprojection" : false,
      "allowInterleavedReprojection" : false,
      "allowSupersampleFiltering" : false,
      "enableHomeApp" : false,
      "mirrorViewGeometry" : "1387 675 2272 1270",
      "showMirrorView" : true
   }
}

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config\steamvr.vrsettings

Secondly

Set enable to true in null driver to enable it.

{
	"driver_null" : {
		"enable" : true,
		"serialNumber" : "Null Serial Number", 
		"modelNumber" : "Null Model Number",
		"windowX" : 0,
		"windowY" : 0,
		"windowWidth" : 1920,
		"windowHeight" : 1080,
		"renderWidth" : 1920,
		"renderHeight" : 1060,
		"secondsFromVsyncToPhotons" : 0.01111111,
		"displayFrequency" : 60.0
	}
}

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\SteamVR\drivers\null\resources\settings\default.vrsettings


EDIT:
added forceddriver info ^^ which is described at https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamVR/steamvr.vrsettings

"driver_null" : {
		// drivers are searched in alphabetical order, so you may need steamvr.forcedDriver="null" as well

which is also described earlier in this thread.

[Hoodad]

Originally posted by BYO.Shaun:

I just spent time trying to use

requireHmd : false

to run steamvr without a hmd and all you have to do is described at post #12 of this very thread which...

Thank you for the clarification on what and where the relevant files are. It works like a charm now.

[KAI42]

Thank you everyone for the explanations.
I've got the null driver running, had to do a room setup and then SteamVR stopped complaining that the HMD was asleep.
I've now got a SteamVR folder copied from another machine and can run SteamVR stand-alone.
Two questions:
1) Is there a way to make SteamVR look for the steamvr.vrsettings file somewhere else than in the AppData folder? I'd like to put the steamvr.vrsettings and chaperone_info.vrchap files somewhere under my SteamVR folder to get everything into one stand-alone folder.
2) What do the render/window settings in the null driver do? I would expect:
- renderW/H : actual render size reported to the application and preferred texture size (seems to work, at least my app shows the right size)
- windowW/H/X/Y: "display"/mirror window position. With the default values everything seems to sort-of work. I expect that if I want to move the window, I'd modify X and Y - that doesn't do anything it seems. I also expect that if I want to resize the window, I'd enter different sizes and the content gets resized. That sort-of works, but the resizing code seems to do something weird, the content never is resized correctly. There's black bars and some parts don't fit.

[bendotcom]

vrpathreg configures the paths you want.

[Enzo]

Hey, does this still work? I'm having trouble setting it up. Did everything Shaun said but it's still not working.

[Jackal Scamander]

Originally posted by bendotcom:

Take a look at:

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamVR/steamvr.vrsettings

Set "requireHmd" to false. Requries one of the recent betas to avoid a lighthouse-specific HMD dependency that was recently removed.

Hello Sir, where can i found the file? i searched Vrsetting and doesnt show anything,, and the json file too doesnt show vrsetting

[eric.schleicher]

in windows: steamvr.vrsettings is typically in the config folder of the steam install.
e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config


On my machine there requireHMD value was is located in the default.vrsettings is in:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\SteamVR\resources\settings

YMMV

[shawnblais]

Does this still work? Added all the suggested settings, and disconnected the HMD. SteamVR seems to see the Null HMD (H symbol shows up), but all the controllers are missing.

Can anyone confirm that they have this working? ie, Disconnected HMD + tracked controllers?