How to Obtain SteamVR Serial

How to Obtain StreamVR Serial

The following is an excerpt from the SteamVR Tracking Component. Please check out the full article for more information on SteamVR tracking with ARFX!

The Tracker Serials

Once added to an ARFX Camera, the SteamVR Tracking Component is where you’ll go to set up its trackers. In the past, you may have had to use 3rd party software to figure out the serial numbers that indicate each tracker, but today it is as easy as pressing a button.

Using the “Get Serials‘ Button.          

This button makes having to figure out tracker serials a breeze, but it does have its limitations.

In order to use this button, you must have the following ready:    

• SteamVR must be running.    

• Your ViveTracker must be plugged in via USB.

• Your trackers must be shown within SteamVR’s status window.

• You do not need your base stations for this.

Once you click on Get Serials, both the hero and calibration serial numbers will be automatically populated with the first two trackers it finds. If only one tracker is found, both the hero and the calibrator will be assigned the same serial number.

On first press, Unreal may pause for a few seconds before responding again. This especially happens when SteamVR is not running as Unreal is trying to use an application that is not ready to do so.

The message you’ll get when getting the serials fails.  

If this button fails to find your tracker serials, then make sure that each tracker is connected directly into your PC’s USB ports (avoid USB hubs!). If you are using USB extension cables, be mindful of the limits on USB cable length. It is best to use active extension cables for lengths. You know your trackers are connected when in SteamVR your tracker’s icon is no longer gray.

How to Manually Obtain Your Tracker Serials.    

If you cannot obtain the right serials or you are using more than two [ViveTracker]s, then you may have no choice except to use third party software to obtain your tracker’s serial number.

Required Software - [USBDeUSBDeviewcroll down to find its download link.

USBDeview used to be bundled along with SteamVR and is no longer due to being 3rd party.

• Once you have downloaded USBDeview, run it.

• Connect your Tracker to your PC via USB.

• In USBDeview, click on Registry Time View 1 next to Serial Number to order the list of USB devices by the time they were last connected.

• In USBDeview’s Serial Number column, find the tracker by looking for a value that starts with LHR-

• Double-clicking that device will open a menu that you can use to copy and paste the LHR- serial number into the SteamVR Component (Example input: _LHR-D0D5F19C_ ).      

• If you have another tracker, plug it in next. The new tracker should appear at the top of the list of newly connected USB devices.

• Repeat the last two steps until you are done.              

Important

It is recommended to label your trackers with their unique Serial Number for ease of identification on set. It is also recommended to label which wireless USB Dongle belongs to (Label them A, B, C, etc. for example).