X-Plane 11 Head & Eye Tracking with Beam Eye Tracker

Follow this complete guide to add more immersion in X-Plane 11.

X-Plane 11 Head & Eye Tracking with Beam Eye Tracker

Follow this complete guide to add more immersion in X-Plane 11.

Setup

Windows

Install the Beam Eye Tracker for Windows

Get the Beam Eye Tracker here, install and complete the onboarding.

Keep the default Head Tracking Device Emulation method selected under General > Game Connection.
Launch X-Plane 11

If the game is already open, you must close and relaunch it for it to recognize the change. Relaunch is only necessary if you install Beam for the first time.
Adjust Game Settings

To enable tracking in X-Plane 11, configure your in-game menu as follows:

• Go to Settings.
• Select the Graphics tab.
• At the bottom of that window, activate the checkmark: "Enable TrackIR and TrackHat view tracking in 3-D cockpit".

Eyeware Tech SA and the Beam Eye Tracker solution are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or associated with NaturalPoint. The Beam Eye Tracker solution is an independent product which uses OpenTrack components or its own implementations to interoperate with games. TrackIR® is a registered trademark of NaturalPoint, Inc.

Linux

RequirementsBeam 2.6.4 or newer

Install the native Beam Eye Tracker for Linux

Versions

UseStandalone

Download the AppImage from your account page. Do not have Beam yet? Get it here.

If the AppImage doesn't run when you double-click it, open a terminal in your Downloads folder and run:

chmod +x BeamEyeTracker-x86_64.AppImage

UseSteam

Install the Beam Eye Tracker from your Steam library. Beam is designed to run natively, so leave Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool unchecked in its properties.

Do not useWindows version in Proton or WineNot supported

Game Connection

Keep the default Head Tracking Device Emulation method selected under General > Game Connection.
Launch the Windows build of X-Plane 11
Versions

UseWindows build of X-Plane 11Through Proton or Wine

Do not useNative Linux buildDevice emulation does not reach it
- To reach X-Plane 11, Beam configures its Proton or Wine prefix, the compatibility environment.
  Games installed through Steam are configured by Beam on its own.
  For a game running on a separate Wine setup outside Steam, launch the game at least once while Beam is running, so it is recognized and configured.
  X-Plane 11 has to be relaunched once it has been configured.
- Use the General > Game Connection settings in the Beam Eye Tracker to manage discovered compatibility environments and to troubleshoot.
Adjust Game Settings

To enable tracking in X-Plane 11, configure your in-game menu as follows:

• Go to Settings.
• Select the Graphics tab.
• At the bottom of that window, activate the checkmark: "Enable TrackIR and TrackHat view tracking in 3-D cockpit".

Eyeware Tech SA and the Beam Eye Tracker solution are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or associated with NaturalPoint. The Beam Eye Tracker solution is an independent product which uses OpenTrack components or its own implementations to interoperate with games. TrackIR® is a registered trademark of NaturalPoint, Inc.

macOS

RequirementsBeam 2.6.4 or newermacOS 12.0 or newer

Install the native Beam Eye Tracker for macOS

Versions

UseStandalone

Download the .dmg from your account page. Do not have Beam yet? Get it here.

UseSteam

Install the Beam Eye Tracker from your Steam library, using the macOS native Steam client.

Do not useWindows version in CrossOverNot supported

Game Connection

Keep the default Head Tracking Device Emulation method selected under General > Game Connection.
Launch X-Plane 11 in CrossOver
Versions

UseWindows build of X-Plane 11Through CrossOver
- CrossOver is the only compatibility environment Beam supports on macOS today.
- To reach X-Plane 11, Beam configures the compatibility environment it runs in, from CrossOver. It does that on its own for the environments it discovers.
- macOS asks the first time, because CrossOver keeps its environments in another app's data. Allow it, or Beam has nothing to configure. If you dismissed the prompt, grant it again under System Settings > Privacy & Security.
- Check in General > Game Connection that Beam found and configured it. If X-Plane 11 or its environment is not listed, start X-Plane 11 and Beam picks it up.
- Relaunch X-Plane 11 once the environment is configured. If it was running while that happened, close it and start it again.
Adjust Game Settings

To enable tracking in X-Plane 11, configure your in-game menu as follows:

• Go to Settings.
• Select the Graphics tab.
• At the bottom of that window, activate the checkmark: "Enable TrackIR and TrackHat view tracking in 3-D cockpit".

Eyeware Tech SA and the Beam Eye Tracker solution are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or associated with NaturalPoint. The Beam Eye Tracker solution is an independent product which uses OpenTrack components or its own implementations to interoperate with games. TrackIR® is a registered trademark of NaturalPoint, Inc.

Optimize

1 Basic ControlsAdjust Speed and Amplification to get started.

Amplification how far the in-game camera turns

Speed how fast the in-game camera moves

your eyes/headthe in-game camera

2 Advanced ControlsFine-tune each degree of freedom individually.

In the Immersive Camera, click Show Advanced Controls at the top right to fine-tune each degree of freedom individually.

3 ProfilesSwitch between Default, Demo and Community Profiles, and create your own.

Default Profile

Balanced and cockpit-ready, with both eye tracking and head tracking on. It is read-only, so you cannot break it by accident, and you can always come back to it as your baseline.

Demo Profiles

Four presets, each isolating one input, so you can learn what head tracking and eye tracking each contribute before you combine them:

Demo - Head Movements - Relaxed
Demo - Head Movements - Fast
Demo - Eye Movements - Smooth
Demo - Eye Movements - Snappy

Community Profiles

Settings other players and creators have already dialed in for specific games, shared on the Steam Workshop.

4 Too fast, too slow, jittery or sensing motion sickness?Pick what it feels like and learn about common fixes.

Too fast

Go to Immersive Camera > Profile and select the Head Movements - Relaxed profile. This is a gentle baseline and only uses head tracking. If that is still too fast, lower Speed and raise Stability on Small Head Movements. Usually a good start for flight simmers in heavy aircraft, an Airbus for instance, or for truck sims: with Stability on Small Head Movements raised, the view stays steadier while you focus on the instruments.

Once you have that dialed in, slowly raise the sliders and bring eye tracking back in. Eye tracking makes the movement feel more natural and cuts down how much you have to move your head. More in the Profiles Guide.

Too slow

Go to Immersive Camera > Profile and select the Head Movements - Fast profile. If that is not fast enough, raise Speed and tweak Amplification from there.

Especially in space and combat flight sims, checking your six usually needs quite a high Speed and Amplification setting, or individual adjustments to pitch and yaw under Show Advanced Controls. More in the Profiles Guide.

Jittery

Lower Speed and raise Stability on Small Head Movements and Stability on Small Eye Movements.

If it still shakes, raise Head Tracking Smoothing and Eye Tracking Smoothing under Tracker in the settings. Both steady the signal against webcam noise and low light. Higher values are smoother but add latency.

Glasses, room lighting and camera position affect this as well. More in the jitteriness section on our support page.

Latency

Raise Speed, and lower Eye Tracking Smoothing and Head Tracking Smoothing under Tracker in the settings, since smoothing buys steadiness with delay.

Good light can help as well, as some webcams lower their frame rate in dark environments to increase exposure. If you choose to target a higher fps camera, check out our webcams page.

Motion sickness

If you feel nausea or dizziness after your first try, the default settings might be too sensitive for you. Go to Immersive Camera > Profile and select the Head Movements - Relaxed profile. This is a gentle baseline and only uses head tracking. If that is still too fast, lower Speed and raise Stability on Small Head Movements.

That is usually a good starting point: settle into it first, then adjust slowly, adding eye tracking and tuning from there. More in the Profiles Guide.

Troubleshoot

Need help?Common questions and troubleshooting.

Get answers to common questions and troubleshooting help on our support page.

Using the separate Opentrack app?(only required for v2.4.5 or older)

For Beam Eye Tracker 2.5.2 and newer, OpenTrack components are built-in for a simplified experience.

Users on v2.4.5 or older are required to use the separate OpenTrack app. Current users can also choose to use it if preferred. Follow the Opentrack extension setup guide and refer to the instructions and tooltips inside the Beam Eye Tracker for guidance.

Did we miss something in these instructions?Missing steps, unclear wording, anything out of date.

If a step is missing, unclear, or out of date, please help us keep it up to date and tell us on Discord, in our Steam discussion board or via [email protected].

Troubleshoot

Compatibility environmentBeam finds it and configures it. Check it here if X-Plane 11 is not responding.

Beam lists the environment X-Plane 11 runs in under General > Game Connection. If it is still missing after starting X-Plane 11 once with Beam running, contact support.

Every environment starts on the Compatibility driver. Optimized gives smoother head tracking and is set per environment.

New to this? What a compatibility environment is, and why Beam needs one.

Need help?Common questions and troubleshooting.

Get answers to common questions and troubleshooting help on our support page.

The Linux channel on our Discord server is a good place to get an answer. You can also email [email protected].

Using the separate Opentrack app?(only required for v2.4.5 or older)

For Beam Eye Tracker 2.5.2 and newer, OpenTrack components are built-in for a simplified experience.

Users on v2.4.5 or older are required to use the separate OpenTrack app. Current users can also choose to use it if preferred. Follow the Opentrack extension setup guide and refer to the instructions and tooltips inside the Beam Eye Tracker for guidance.

Did we miss something in these instructions?Missing steps, unclear wording, anything out of date.

If a step is missing, unclear, or out of date, please help us keep it up to date and tell us on Discord, in our Steam discussion board or via [email protected].

Troubleshoot

Compatibility environmentBeam finds it and configures it. Check it here if X-Plane 11 is not responding.

Beam lists the environment X-Plane 11 runs in under General > Game Connection. If it is still missing after starting X-Plane 11 once with Beam running, contact support.

Every environment starts on the Compatibility driver. Optimized gives smoother head tracking and is set per environment.

New to this? What a compatibility environment is, and why Beam needs one.

Need help?Common questions and troubleshooting.

Get answers to common questions and troubleshooting help on our support page.

Using the separate Opentrack app?(only required for v2.4.5 or older)

For Beam Eye Tracker 2.5.2 and newer, OpenTrack components are built-in for a simplified experience.

Users on v2.4.5 or older are required to use the separate OpenTrack app. Current users can also choose to use it if preferred. Follow the Opentrack extension setup guide and refer to the instructions and tooltips inside the Beam Eye Tracker for guidance.

Did we miss something in these instructions?Missing steps, unclear wording, anything out of date.

If a step is missing, unclear, or out of date, please help us keep it up to date and tell us on Discord, in our Steam discussion board or via [email protected].

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