Input System Update

Hi everybody. Is this worth using yet for a project using Vive?

I'm working on a new Cross-Platform Input Module for AR/VR.

As I got started on it, I became aware of this new Input System. It seems great conceptually, and appears to solve a lot of the issues that have forced me into the Cross-Platform Input-Module business in the first place.

But, I've not gotten it to receive Vive Input, and it seems a little premature maybe to attempt to incorporate this new package into a real project. Then again, I'm unfamiliar with how it works, and it's possible I'm doing something wrong.

I'm using Unity 2019.3.0a5 and a Package generated from the "develop" branch of the GIT Repo https://github.com/Unity-Technologies/InputSystem.git.

I've tried most of the obvious Option Binding options available, which are somewhat nebulous.

In the Input Debugger, it lists the HTC Vive in the "Unsupported" category, but with several Device IDs with the "HTC" Prefix.





I can get mouse and keyboard input, but I haven't been able to register an event for anything generated from the Vive or the Vive Controllers.

Is this worth pursuing, or should I check back in a few months from now?

 

I have started using this and so far it seems to be a much better way to do things. The only thing i've always had in update is input which always caused problems for me. Now that this is possible I will have NOTHING in updates. This is just amazing.

I would like to know how to do conditionals though. It seems like i have to make a separate interaction for every single possible thing which starts to create a ton of callbacks.

How do you do this for example:

Code (CSharp):

1.     int minX = -120;
2.     public static int maxX = 120;
3.     int minZ = -200;
4.     int maxZ = 110;
5.     int multiplier = 100;
6.     Vector3 v3Cam;
7.  
8.     void InitWASD()
9.     {
10.         v3Cam = Camera.main.transform.position;
11.     }
12.  
13.     float CalculateDirection(float value, float min, float max)
14.     {
15.         if (Input.GetKey(KeyCode.LeftShift))
16.             return Mathf.Clamp(value + (multiplier * 2 * Time.deltaTime), min, max);
17.         else
18.             return Mathf.Clamp(value + (multiplier * Time.deltaTime), min, max);
19.     }
20.  
21.     float CalculateDirectionReverse(float value, float min, float max)
22.     {
23.         if (Input.GetKey(KeyCode.LeftShift))
24.             return Mathf.Clamp(value - (multiplier * 2 * Time.deltaTime), min, max);
25.         else
26.             return Mathf.Clamp(value - (multiplier * Time.deltaTime), min, max);
27.     }
28.  
29.     void WASDUpdate()
30.     {
31.         if (!BC_Singleton.Instance.SceneGlobals.InUpgrading)
32.         {
33.             if (Input.GetKey(KeyCode.D))
34.             {
35.                 var tempMaxX = maxX;
36.                 if (BC_Singleton.Instance.SceneGlobals.IsBuildingMenuOpen)
37.                     tempMaxX = maxX + 35;
38.                 v3Cam.x = CalculateDirection(v3Cam.x, minX, tempMaxX);
39.                 Camera.main.transform.position = v3Cam;
40.             }
41.             if (Input.GetKey(KeyCode.A))
42.             {
43.                 v3Cam.x = CalculateDirectionReverse(v3Cam.x, minX, maxX);
44.                 Camera.main.transform.position = v3Cam;
45.             }
46.             if (Input.GetKey(KeyCode.W))
47.             {
48.                 v3Cam.z = CalculateDirection(v3Cam.z, minZ, maxZ);
49.                 Camera.main.transform.position = v3Cam;
50.             }
51.             if (Input.GetKey(KeyCode.S))
52.             {
53.                 v3Cam.z = CalculateDirectionReverse(v3Cam.z, minZ, maxZ);
54.                 Camera.main.transform.position = v3Cam;
55.             }
56.         }
57.     }

To be more specific, how would you handle shift?
Also, how many callbacks do you think can be handled before a system starts to eat bricks?

 

I have successfully done this. Wow this is a better structure. Less methods + faster?

Code (CSharp):

1.     void InitWASD()
2.     {
3.         v3Cam = Camera.main.transform.position;
4.     }
5.  
6.     float CalculateDirection(float value, float min, float max, float multiplier, Keyboard keyboard)
7.     {
8.         if (keyboard.leftShiftKey.isPressed)// Input.GetKey(KeyCode.LeftShift))
9.             return Mathf.Clamp(value + (multiplier * 2 * Time.deltaTime), min, max);
10.         else
11.             return Mathf.Clamp(value + (multiplier * Time.deltaTime), min, max);
12.     }
13.  
14.     private void OnWASD_performed(InputAction.CallbackContext obj)
15.     {
16.         var values = obj.ReadValue<Vector2>();
17.         var keyboard = Keyboard.current;
18.  
19.         var tempMaxX = maxX;
20.         if (BC_Singleton.Instance.SceneGlobals.IsBuildingMenuOpen)
21.             tempMaxX = maxX + 35;
22.  
23.         v3Cam.x = CalculateDirection(v3Cam.x, minX, tempMaxX, values.x * 100, keyboard);
24.         v3Cam.z = CalculateDirection(v3Cam.z, minZ, maxZ, values.y * 100, keyboard);
25.  
26.         Camera.main.transform.position = v3Cam;
27.     }
28.  

 

I've been testing recent development branch on 2019.3 now but I'm having issues with Logitech G25 wheel. My Thrustmaster TX servo works fine as HID device on new input system but logitech wheel gives me these errors when I try to use "listen" and use the G25 wheel:


I also tested this on Input System's 0.2.10 preview using 2019.1.8 and there Logitech G25 didn't throw these errors but it didn't recognize any input I put to the wheel (despite it showing the controller on input debugger and recognizing if it was plugged in or out, altho need to mention I couldn't open the input debuggers device view for it).

edit: I don't really need built-in DirectInput handling from new input system as I'm going to replace it with FFB wheel input lib anyway but I'd love to use the new input systems binding API for it. So this brings me to a new question:

What is the easiest entry point for 3rd party/custom input? Is there some specific class that would be a good example when implementing this on your own (modifying input system itself for this is not an issue).

 

I would be interested in this as well. For instance, how would I start to add support for Magic Leap controller bindings?

 

Does the input system have a way to distinguish between different gamepads/joysticks

In the old system when setting the buttons you would specify which joystick to listen to

 

@Rene-Damm Is there any way to setup control schemes based on XInput Device SubType's i need to setup a seperate control scheme for an xinput guitar controller. I've made a github issue for this as well. https://github.com/Unity-Technologies/InputSystem/issues/738

 

Yeah I also need to be able to do this. So that would be useful to know.

 

Totally can do. The editor allows you to specify specific devices (if you so choose), and more directly, the PlayerInputManager and PlayerInput components let you establish the link of player controls at runtime (so supporting Xbox or PS4 style 'joining'). I set mine up to join on any button press, and then set up a behaviour that I put on the PlayerInput's prefab. From there, using UnityEvents, it's pretty straightforward to set up control.

That said, I did have to modify the unity gui module to support working with multiple controllers, but it was a relatively simple mod for my needs.

 

Will, and when, this be implemented? I love TRINE 2 and other games that allows for multiple keyboard/mice

https://github.com/Unity-Technologies/InputSystem/issues/166

 

Is it possible to bind with modifier keys? Like SHIFT + key, or CTRL + key.

 

Awesome, thanks!

Any idea about when chained bindings are to be released? I hope it's not a rude question.

 

Alright!
The new Input System is very pleasant to work with. Thanks for putting your time into this, I appreciate it!

 

@Rene-Damm any chance of getting more info about this:

 

I'm loving how easy it is to setup local multiplayer using the Player Input Manager. I created a top down tank game for my kids and I to play together in no time at all.

I think I noticed a small bug though, which only seems to happen (so far) when 4 controllers are connected. I'm using Unity 2019.2.0f1, Input System 0.9.2.

When we first start the play, we all instantiate just fine (see screenshot) using Join Players When Button Is Pressed. But after a few rounds of getting destroyed, eventually, one of the controllers will no longer work. Instead what happens is, the Player Input Manager creates a clone of one of the active players.

I wrote a Game Manager script to make sure we can't create a clone if we're active in the scene by passing around the player's Gamepad.current.id value, which works great, but now what happens is, well, nothing. The 'dead' controller is no longer being polled by the Player Input Manager until we restart, and everything is fine again for another few rounds.

I tested in both the Editor and a Windows build version.

Any clue what might be causing this?

Thanks!

 

Oh, that looks nice. Thank you!

I noticed that "Device Commands" are not quite there yet, is this going to happen for 1.0 or after? My use case for this is force feedback wheel support.

 

Input Debugger goes blank when I press a button on a controller, but I did take some screenshots before, during, and after just in case that helps.

First Startup:


During game play - as soon as I press a button, the Input Debug goes blank, and I am noticing a bunch of errors now with NameAndParameters.cs:

Then, when the problem is happening, I exiting play mode and took another screenshot:


Is there a way for the Input Debug tab stay on while I'm playing? I tried playing with the options but nothing seemed to help.

I do have some additional information which may be helpful.

1. This doesn't happen to the same controller, it does appear to be random. This happened to more than 1 controller during a single play session - once I figured out #2 below.

2. I can 'reactivate' the dead controller by destroying the gameObject that would've originally been cloned. Meaning, when a controller is no longer working, it means one of the other players is seemingly being seen as 2 controllers. To fix the issue, I simply have to destroy that player, and then all is well for a round or two and then it may happen to the same controllers, or different controllers.

I don't know what that means, but I hope this helps somewhat!

Thanks,
Tim

 

Another quick note. I pulled up a debug for each controller and then started the game. When I ran into the problem, I was able to see that the 'dead' controller was still accepting input. I uploaded an animated gif below.

Thanks!

 

This might be a dumb issue, but I have the input system working in the editor, but when I build it no longer works. Should it? Or are preview packages striped out?

 

See this thread: https://forum.unity.com/threads/bug-report-not-workign-so-posting-webgl-stripping-error-here.727001/
Stripping does indeed stop platforms (at least WebGL) from working. Turn it off or set it to low.

 

I'm building Windows PC, and using a PS4 controller, The Input debugger shows the controller sending Input. It works in the editor I can move my sprite around no issue. I build the scene and I get no response from the stand alone build

 

I don't know what fixed it, but I switched from x86 to x86_64 and went in to project settings and changed input system package to only look for the game pad. I also asked me to generate a file on that page. Any way one of those three things fixed it.

 

Hopefully this verbose question has a relatively simple answer.
TLDR version: I'm looking for a way to read a float from any given 2D axis on my gamepad, in a way that'll allow me to use a single generic script on multiple UI game objects — but I need to be able to point to custom HID inputs.

---

I have a very simple script that takes the value of a 2D axis (eg: Left/Right Trigger) as a float, and uses it to display input values through a graphical UI. Thing is, I originally wrote this for Rewired, but I'm currently working with a 3rd-party controller, and a custom HID override which Rewired doesn't currently support. So, I'm trying to re-adapt this script for the new Input System instead.

For reference, the relevant parts of my original script for Rewired:

Code (CSharp):

1.  
2.     private string button;
3.     private float axis;
4.     private float axisNormal;
5.  
6.     void Awake() {
7.         // Get the Rewired Player object for this player and keep it for the duration of the character's lifetime
8.         player = ReInput.players.GetPlayer(playerId);
9.  
10.         // Get the name of the GameObject, use it as the name of the button in GetInput() and ProcessInput()
11.         button = name;
12.     }
13.  
14.     private void GetInput() {
15.         axis = player.GetAxis(button); // get input by name or action id
16.         axisNormal = Mathf.InverseLerp(0f, 1f, axis); // scale axis range to 0f - 1f
17.     }
18.  

My problem lays in GetInput(). This script is made to be generic, so that I can apply it to single button elements (eg: Left Trigger) for multiple controller types, and tweak values as needed. Rewired allows me to use "GetAxis()" to grab the value of any axis OR button as a float — in this case, I've been using the game object's name as a string, and matching it to whatever joystick mapping or action that I've set up. I can technically pass a face button as an axis if I wanted to, and it'll give me constant 0f and 1f values just fine.

The issue I've been running into here is that (as far as I can tell from the WIP documentation) the new Input System seems to expect specific names before it'll allow you to grab a value. Instead of being able to use a generic value like "button", Input System seems to expect specific names for every element, something along the lines of "Gamepad.current.leftTrigger.ReadValue()". My controller has twelve 2D axes in total (it's a PS2 DualShock with pressure sensitivity in every button), so I want to avoid making separate scripts for every single button.

What do I need to change in order to make this work with the new Input System?

 

I believe that you can access InputMap actions by string name rather than API name. eg:

master[button].ReadValue<float>()

This is in the docs, unless I'm misinterpreting the problem.

 

Is that in the WIP docs on Github, or somewhere else? I'm having trouble finding it.

Either way, I must be missing something. Unity Console throws me this error:

'InputControl' does not contain a definition for 'ReadValue' and no accessible extension method 'ReadValue' accepting a first argument of type 'InputControl' could be found

For what it's worth, my script is using "UnityEngine.InputSystem" and "UnityEngine.InputSystem.Controls".

 

Maybe it's been posted here but I didn't find anybody asking it.
With the new InputSystemManager, how can I check for controller axis runtime?
My simulation will be handling 100+ different radio system controls, InputSystemManager, offers me in the inspector to link my own ("Taranis") radio and it probably wont work for other radios of different brand, so I would like to give users to setup their controllers on runtime.

Is it possible to achieve that? To use the "Listen" function from the inspector when assigning axis or buttons to a map?

Best regards,
Mario

 

My device is listed under "unsupported". Is there any way to add it to make it supported, or am I just out of luck?

 

This did exactly what I needed, thank you!

Unfortunately I've run into another issue - I think I'm failing to initialize my HID controller correctly? I can see the controller (and my custom HID override) in the Input Debugger, and I can use the "Listen" function to bind it to Input Actions. But when I'm in Play mode, Unity won't pair this specific controller to User #0. Other controllers pair up just fine - I've tried unplugging them just in case, but no luck.

I've followed the HID documentation, although I haven't added the "[RuntimeInitializeOnLoad]" lines from Step #3 to anything.

Code (csharp):

1. using UnityEngine;
2. using UnityEditor;
3. using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
4. using UnityEngine.InputSystem.Layouts;
5. using UnityEngine.InputSystem.LowLevel;
6. using UnityEngine.InputSystem.Utilities;
7.  
8. namespace UnityEngine.InputSystem.LowLevel
9. {
10.     [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Explicit, Size = 20)]
11.  
12.     [...] // 83 lines of definitions that don't need to be quoted here
13.     // Picking it back up at Line #95
14.  
15.     [InputControlLayout(stateType = typeof(DualShock2HIDInputReport))]
16.     #if UNITY_EDITOR
17.     [InitializeOnLoad] // Make sure static constructor is called during startup.
18.     #endif
19.     public class DualShock2GamepadHID : Gamepad
20.     {
21.     static DualShock2GamepadHID()
22.         {
23.         InputSystem.RegisterLayout<DualShock2GamepadHID>(
24.             matches: new InputDeviceMatcher()
25.                 .WithInterface("HID")
26.                 .WithProduct("MUSIA PS2 controller"));
27.         }
28.     }
29. }

 

Just sent, thank you for checking it out!

I forgot to mention, Unity does pick up the HID controller when I'm not using a custom HID override. It feels like user error on my part, I just can't see where that error is.

 

This still happens on 0.9.3-preview, it appears that the HID structure is hitting some not implemented exception, is this something I could try to solve with custom HID setup or is it more structural issue on Unity's new input system?

 

What you mean by couple frames up in this context? like just the callstack to that point? You can see the same callstack on the screenshot below which lists some controls.

I can't even open the Input Debuggers device dialog, if I double click the Logitech G25's device, I get this:

 

I grabbed the PR to get the device description for Logitech G25.

 

This was the thing! God, of course it'd be a simple "gotcha", lol. Thank you so much.

One last quick question: Do I need to add anything to the HID override to get it working in a build? It's working in editor, but doesn't appear to be doing anything in a stand-alone player.