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Question Newbie trying to understand the basics

Discussion in 'New users start here - FAQ' started by Alexander Asner, Jul 7, 2018.

  1. Alexander Asner

    Alexander Asner New Member

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    I am absolutely new to this but an avid simracer. I have bought a used DIY rig based on Pro-Simu and I will pick it up next weekend. In the meantime, I am trying to prepare myself. I have installed the software, assigned the axis and I have the virtual seat up and running. I have bought the 3DOF version or better 2DOF with traction loss.
    I try to wrap my head around this. As I see it a unit like that is not supposed to mimic the car movement but rather the forces imposed on the body. I am driving VR exclusively. With my limited knowledge, I have come to the conclusion that it does not make sense to use inputs like heave and roll as they cannot be mimicked realistically. I would rather stick to sway, surge and traction loss exclusively. I understand that the forces that are imposed by a roll e.g., should already be included in these. Does this make sense or is there a fundamental flaw in my rationale?
  2. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    I think what you are missing is that you are thinking of the Axis/force as independent and discreet, when the beauty of SimTools is that it takes all the settings it has and mixes them together on the fly.

    For example you could be doing a high speed right curve where the sway tilts the rig left, but as you are exiting you clip the outside curb so on the left side the rig pitches slightly up and then down while also rolling the rig to the right. And that feels like hitting a curb, particularly in VR where motion compliments the visual and auditory cues.

    In some ways VR and motion simulation are similar in approach, they don't fully recreate the real world, they just approximate it enough with the right cues so that your brain fills in the gaps and treats the experience as though it is real, even though you know intellectually it is not. That is what is meant by the sense of presence, that felling of being there.
  3. Alexander Asner

    Alexander Asner New Member

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    I am not trying to be a smartass here just trying to wrap my head around this. Motion induces forces meaning the forces are already the result of all motions of the car. They are the sum of all force vectors induced by the motions. So if you have all forces your rig is capable of recreating it should include all those motions to the degree the rig is capable of reproducing.
    I have no idea about the algorithms simtools is using to mix forces and motion. But I believe that mixing motion with forces is counterproductive. Let us take a simple roll to the right. The force induced by that roll is a sway to the left. The roll however, the motion goes to the right. So in this simple example wouldn't mixing force and motion cancel each other out to some degree?
  4. noorbeast

    noorbeast VR Tassie Devil Staff Member Moderator Race Director

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    My Motion Simulator:
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    What SimTools does is let you simulate more than 2DOF forces on a 2DOF rig, so on a 2DOF rig you can have sway, surge, roll pitch and heave set on a 2DOF rig without needed specific axis for each of those. I hope that helps getting your head around what I am trying to convey.

    While there is a bit of cancellation that is not the way your brain interprets it, it takes the left side pitch and roll from sway in my example but your brain experiences that as natural and expected when hitting the outside curb used in my hypothetical, particularly in VR. If anything you actually tone down the motion cues a little when using VR with a motion rig.