GearVR to Vive Lens Adapter by GrodenVR

Last crawled date: 3 years, 1 month ago

This is an adapter to fit Samsung GearVR (2016 and 2017) 42 mm lenses onto an HTC Vive or Vive Pro (may work with Cosmos). It's for people that hate the Fresnel lenses of the Vive, which can produce "god-rays" in high contrast areas.Note: don't order a GearVR with a white body - it is a 2015 model with smaller lenses that don't fit.
UPDATES
2020-05-13 V4 Redesigned to be better for the Vive-PRO (mixed results on Cosmos, should try v3.3). Lens distance to screen adjusted to reduce distortion. Works well now on the vive-pro without editing the distortion file. Lighter design. Lenses are now easier to install and also more secure.You don't need to slide the lens under the nubs anymore, just line it up, push down along the edges to press it into place.
V3.3 For regular Vive (slight comfort improvements over v3.2). [print 1 for each eye]
Added a version for the prescription inserts from VR Lens Lab (also fits VR Optician) There are separate files for left and right eye. May need to print with supports enabled.**
Added -2 mm low ipd (version V3.31_-2mm_low_IPD_pair or ViveProAdapterV4_ipd-2mm_pair.stl). This is or people like myself with lower ipd than the vive can go; otherwise you should use the regular V4 or V3.3. scottmuecke did a remix for low ipd, but the offset was not working for me. I've been using my own version for awhile that shifts the lenses towards the nose by 1 mm each side. I've been happy with it, so I decided to include it here. This brings the vive minimum down to 58 mm from 60. The screen image also needs to be shifted to account for this, so edit:C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config\steamvr.vrsettings
and add the ipd offset line under the section that starts with
"steamvr" : {
"background" : "#FF000000",
"ipdOffset" : -0.002,
(note that the ipdOffset value is in metres, so 0.002 = 2 mm)
Installation Notes
Great detailed installation video here by cbutters tech. Installation is similar for the vive pro.
Version 3.3 installation. The tolerance on the fit of the GearVR lens in the adapter is pretty tight. You may have difficulty getting it in depending on your print. With the flat part of the lens facing you, slide the top end under the 2 little nubs near the top of the adapter (only for v3.3). You need to have the flat part of the lens perfectly parallel with the flat part of the adapter, then push in at the bottom and it should just snap in place without too much force. Note that the bulgy side of the lens faces the screen. Its really distorted if you have it upside down!
Version 4 installation. The lens just presses into place with a bit of force. It is easier if you line up the flat edge first then press the sides in with your thumbs. Bulgy side of the lens will face the screen.
Clarity is much better than the stock Fresnel lenses. Bigger sweet spot, no reflections from the ridges, no god rays.
There is some barrel distortion. The pre-lens distortion parameters, which are stored in a json file, need to be adjusted to account for the different lens shape. slikk66 has posted a fix with instructions here to account for the barrel distortion. There are separate versions for the Vive Pro (may not be needed with adapter V4, try without first). ProV12 or ProV14. NEW ProV24 and ProV25 are created with the new distortion tool. This is a work in progress.
Judging from reports, it's important to note that there appears to be some significant variance between lens batches and also lens alignment within the Vive. That unfortunately means the pre-lens distortion file does not work as well for some users and in some cases could be uncomfortable and even cause eyestrain. If that happens you will have to revert to stock or else modify the distortion file yourself.
A new distortion adjustment tool is available by sensercoltu on Github which can be used to fine tune the distortion parameters. It can produce good results and also removes chromatic aberration if you take your time and are methodical (it took me 2 hours the first time I used it). It is worth doing if you want to tweak it for your setup.
Thanks slikk66 and wescotte for working on the distortion parameters.
Thanks to ACkellySlater for posting about the lens swap he did, which inspired the need for lens adapters.