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X-Plane 12 (Linux)

Linux Native (UDP Protocol)

Use this method if you're running the native Linux version of X-Plane 12.

Prerequisites

  1. Install the headtrack plugin for X-Plane 12:
    • Download the headtrack plugin from GitHub: amyinorbit/headtrack
    • Get the latest release: 2209.1r2 (as of the original writing)
    • Download the release zip file: htrack-1010-2209.1r2.zip
    • Extract the zip file and navigate to the htrack/lin_x64 folder
    • Copy htrack.xpl to your X-Plane plugin folder (usually X-Plane 12/Resources/plugins)

LookPilot Configuration

  1. Set protocol to udp
  2. Set IP address to 127.0.0.1
  3. Set port to 4242
  4. Click Start to begin tracking

X-Plane 12 Setup

  1. Start X-Plane 12 and launch your aircraft
  2. Once in the cockpit, move your mouse cursor to the top of the screen to open the menu bar
  3. Click on Plugins
  4. You should see HeadTrack in the menu
  5. Click Track Head Motion to enable head tracking
  6. Additional settings can be found in the Settings... option in the plugin's menu

Windows via Wine

Use these methods if you're running the Windows version of X-Plane 12 via Wine/Proton.

Option 1: Auto Protocol

  1. Set protocol to auto
  2. Launch X-Plane 12
  3. Select the X-Plane 12 Wine prefix in the Game's Wine prefix dropdown
  4. Click Start tracking to begin tracking and wait for about 10 seconds
  5. Click Stop tracking
  6. Restart the game
  7. Click Start tracking

Option 2: Freetrack (Wine)

If the auto method doesn't work, try using the freetrack (Wine) protocol:

  1. Set protocol to freetrack (Wine)
  2. Set launcher to Other
  3. Find and select X-Plane 12's Wine prefix path
  4. Find and select X-Plane 12's Wine executable path
  5. Launch the game
  6. Click Start tracking to begin tracking and wait for about 10 seconds
  7. Click Stop tracking
  8. Restart the game
  9. Click Start tracking

Head tracking should work out of the box once properly configured. No additional in-game setup is required for the auto and freetrack protocols.

Tips

  1. For the UDP method, make initial adjustments and response curve settings in LookPilot first, then fine-tune in the plugin if needed
  2. The UDP method eliminates Wine overhead and may provide better performance
  3. The UDP method has been tested to work reliably on Ubuntu/Kubuntu 23.10

Credits

The UDP solution is based on the work by Randy Bancroft (CannonFodderSE) documented in the OpenTrack GitHub discussions.

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