Vizard VR Software and SightLab VR Pro Eye Tracking Product FAQ
October 12, 2022
Do you have product questions about our software tools? Here is an updated product FAQ about Vizard and SightLab VR across hardware compatibility, support options, licensing, 3D model importing, editions, and more.
Vizard VR Software FAQ
Can Vizard be used with any VR headset?
Vizard supports nearly all standard virtual reality hardware devices as well as a huge range of peripheral devices. Click here to see a list of supported devices.
What other hardware does Vizard support?
Vizard easily connects to over 100 different hardware peripherals, from biofeedback devices, to full body motion capture systems, data gloves to eye trackers and more. Using our built in “Vizconnect” GUI you can easily swap out hardware with no coding. For a full list of supported devices click here.
Do I need one Vizard license per computer?
Vizard standard licenses are node locked meaning a single license can only be used on one computer at a time. Please contact license@worldviz.com for a reset or if you need to move your license to another computer.
What support options are available for Vizard?
WorldViz offers two levels of paid technical support for Vizard license holders, Silver Support and Gold Support. Both levels give Vizard users direct access to WorldViz support engineers via an email ticketing system as well as phone support. For complete support service information please contact sales@worldviz.com. For free support all Vizard users are invited to sign up for the WorldViz free user forum.
Does WorldViz offer training services for Vizard?
Yes, WorldViz offers both on site and remote training seminars. WorldViz can customize training seminars to meet specific training needs as well as provide introductory training to Vizard and SightLab VR Pro. Please contact sales@worldviz.com for pricing information on training options.
What are the differences between Vizard Development and Vizard Enterprise?
Vizard Development will suit the needs of most researchers and students and includes all the core features of Vizard including the ability to publish and distribute standalone executable applications. Vizard Enterprise is required for commercial distribution of Vizard based applications, i.e. selling your Vizard App on the Oculus Store or selling standalone Vizard executables directly to customers. Vizard Enterprise is also required for our advanced clustering capabilities, i.e. if you want to run large Projection VR or CAVE environments that are driven off of multiple computers or graphics cards, or if you need clustering for a multi-person VR headset system with precise time synchronization where millisecond synchronization between the participants is required. Vizard Enterprise is also required for live-streaming Motion Capture data directly into a VR environment for real time avatar embodiment. For a more detailed comparison please see the Vizard Editions on our website.
Can I just purchase Vizard for short periods of time?
By default standard Vizard licenses are perpetual licenses. However, WorldViz does offer time limited versions of Vizard available upon special request. Please contact sales@worldviz.com if you have a requirement for a time limited version of Vizard.
Is it difficult to code in Vizard?
Getting started with Vizard is easy. For a quick tutorial on launching into a scene see this tutorial. Vizard uses Python as its coding language, the world’s most accessible, popular scripting language. For getting started with the Python tutorial, please click here.
Is there a trial version of Vizard?
Yes, you can download a free trial of Vizard from the downloads page of our website. The free version has the following restrictions:
A watermark is rendered to the output screen
Scripts will automatically exit after 5 minutes of running
Plug-ins created with the Vizard SDK are not supported
To obtain pricing information, please contact us. To activate a purchased license, please follow the instructions here. Time limited versions of full versions of Vizard are available upon request for evaluation purposes.
Can Vizard be used with Unity?
Unity assets can be brought over to Vizard using the .fbx exporter that’s built into Unity. Please see instructions here. Vizard and Unity are not directly compatible as they utilize different engines and different programming languages.
Does Vizard work with Mac?
Vizard is a Windows based software, but you can use “VMware Parallels” to run Windows based applications on your Mac. So development and basic testing with Vizard can be done on a VMware partition on Mac, but for testing with VR peripherals like VR headsets, typically a PC is the better and more functional solution.
How does WorldViz deliver Vizard once I purchase it?
Vizard is typically delivered electronically. If you need a physical copy of Vizard, Vizard can be delivered on a thumb drive or disk. Clients may be responsible for the shipping cost.
How can I get 3D models to use in my project?
To get started with having 3D models to use in your project, you can either use a 3D modeling program (such as 3DSMax, Blender, Sketchup, etc.) or an online content library such as SketchFab (using the .glTF download option). Here’s a knowledge base article on how to get models from Sketchfab to Vizard. For 3D modeling programs, see this article on the various workflows suggested. For more information see this page on 3D models in the documentation.
What avatar formats are supported, and where can I find avatars to use with Vizard?
Vizard supports avatars that are in the .fbx, .glTF or cal3D format. Some supported avatar workflows include:
How do I add a 3D model to start building a scene?
To add a 3D model the simplest method would be to open Inspector (Under “Tools” in the Vizard IDE select “Inspector”) and either using File-Open or dragging and dropping a 3D model into the world builder window. Alternatively, you can use code to add a model in Vizard directly using vizfx.addChild(‘yourModle.osgb’) (after importing the viz and vizfx modules using import viz and import vizfx).
Do you offer any premade templates for experiments?
Yes, there are many tutorials available in the Vizard documentation, as well as examples of common tasks. We also offer pre-made templates for performing eye tracking experiments with our SightLab VR Pro Vizard Add-on. In addition, we can help create customizable templates and fully built applications with our custom development team. For information on custom development or SightLab VR Pro, contact sales@worldviz.com.
Does Vizard allow for android deployment? Can I use it on my phone?
There is no immediate plan for that but you can use a streaming service like Plutosphere (or similar apps) to stream a Vizard application to your android device (such as the standalone Quest.
SightLab VR Pro requires WorldViz Vizard software for its full functionality as SightLab VR Pro is an add-on software to our Vizard software engine.
Can I import 3D models in any usual format (obj, fbx, for example) for data collections?
You can import 3D models in the usual formats, so .glTF, .obj and .fbx and other common formats will work. There may be mixed results depending on how the textures are packed (the most consistent format would be .glTF). For 3D modeling programs, see this article on the various workflows suggested. For more information see this page on 3D models in the documentation.
We developed some applications in Unity 3D. Can we use them for eye-tracking?
You can import assets from Unity by using their fbx exporter. Here's an article on doing that. For Unity based eye tracking templates please contact sales@worldviz.com.
Can your software export data in CSV format? What other export formats are available?
Yes, the data files are in .txt, but you can change the extension to .csv manually and they will open in any spreadsheet editor or software that reads .csv.
What data is collected in the main template?
Number of fixations, time to first fixation, average fixation time, total fixation time, fixation timeline, gaze intersect position, fixation spheres to show amount of fixation time, time stamps, head position, pupil diameter, as well as the ability to add custom flags such as interactions. Additional data is available with custom code and varies per eye tracked headset (such as “eye openness” for the Vive Pro Eye).
How many users does the multi-user edition of SightLab VR Pro support?
Currently, the Multi-User version of SightLab is set up to support up to 5 users. If you wish to have more users in your application contact sales@worldviz.com and we may be able to customize to your needs.
Are there differences in functionality between the single and multi-user version?
The multi-user version has all the same functionality as the single user, except the stand-alone heatmap.
