Takes a while to get my head around Simtools philiosphy and it’s …. UI
2 Programs:
- Game manager
- On PC running games
- Manages patching of games (why patching is necessary when Simexperience doesn’t do it?)
- Extracts game data and sends to the game engine:
- Game engine
- Drives your motion platform
- Receives raw data from Game manager
- Mixes raw force data and sends it to your motion platform
- Multiple settings & tools
- Motion platform communication ports, speed, rate
- Define motion platform axis
- Map named forces to each axis
- up to 6 named forces can be mixed for each actuator (Axis)
- each force by %
- has optional filters as well
- can be by game (and ‘default’)
- Load (Preset) & Save options
- Set min max for scaling (where min is the ‘largest’ -ve input, e.g.min = -50, max = 50)
- Also the launcher (Hold down Shift key when starting to configure options)
Simtools extracts game data as DOF 1-9
Simtools extracts data as named forces:
http://www.xsimulator.net/co-ordinate-system/
Motion platform is Axis 1-6 (has a & b sets)
Our (pre?) configured Game Engine
- Initial Output Testing, Output Type: ( a ) Axis Output
- Axis 1a = Left Actuator +Up, -Down
- Axis 2a = Right Actuator -Up, +Down
- Axis 3a = Rear Actuator +Up, -Down
- Axis 4a = Yaw +Clockwise
2 Com ports
- Interface 1
- Com3
- Interface output [A<Axis1a>][B<Axis2a>]
- Interface 2
- Com4
- Interface output [A<Axis3a>][B<Axis4a>]
Axis Assignments
From what I can glean, the axis assignments below is where we assign forces to act on each of our motion platforms available axis, DOF1, 2 etc are just arbitrary columns to allow up to 6 forces to be set to act on each physical axis
Initial setup (Default) as supplied
Axis 4 filter settings for return to zero:
my changes to default:
Axis assignment changes:
- Turned off Axis 4 (Yaw) as:
- My cabling is in the way as is very temporary for now
- For Sim racing I feel it is too slow to be effective for rear breakaway simulation so is not useful for now
- Output testing for Sway had both front actuators going up and down together so toggled Axis 2a dir off
- Turned down Pitch and Roll from orig 80% to 40% as is less important than Accel/braking & cornering forces
Then ran Assetto Corsa:
- Game manager -> Selected Game = Assetto Corsa
- But still no Sway.. Check Game Engine and it has loaded Assetto Corsa specific Axis assignments
- Game Engine -> Axis Assignments -> Presets: Create Preset ‘Assetto Corsa Lindsay’
- Remove all inputs to Axis 4a (Yaw)
So Assetto Corsa has too much vibration when just starting rolling
- Time to use the same approach as Simexperience’s SimCommander, and set each force in turn/isolation before combining
- Game Engine Axis Assignments:
- Sway
- Will try 110% force with 10% smoothing
- Axis 1 & 2 reversed Dir
- Surge
- Will try 80% force with 10% smoothing
- Heave
- Will try 80% force with 10% smoothing
- Axis 1 reversed Dir
- Axis 3 reversed Dir
- Pitch
- Will try 20% force with 10% smoothing
- Roll
- Will try 20% force with 10% smoothing
- Axis limiting Axis 1-3 = 80%
- Sway
Project Cars
- Game Manager profile for PCars has non zero settings in Profile Editor
- Copied default and created my own zeroed copy
- Game Engine Axis Assignments:
- Heave
- Will try 80% force with 10% smoothing
- Axis 1 reversed Dir
- Axis 3 reversed Dir
- Surge
- Will try 80% force with 10% smoothing
- Sway
- Will try 110% force with 10% smoothing
- Axis 1 & 2 reversed Dir
- Pitch
- Will try 20% force with 10% smoothing
- Roll
- Will try 20% force with 10% smoothing
- Axis limiting Axis 1-3 = 80%
- Heave