Motion Platforms and Projector Setup options

[adighob]

I am thinking what would be the best setup for the visuals of a planned motion base simulator using Flight Simulator. Could someone please shed some light on the advantages and disadvantages of the following cases for the visual setup:

Case 1:
Both the projector and the screen are static.

Case 2:
The projector is mounted on the motion platform and the screen is static.

Case 3:
Both the projector and the screen are mounted on the motion platform.

Which of the above three cases would provide results closest to real visuals? I understand that most commercial simulators use Case 3 but why is that? Is it because that is the best solution for visuals or that they are designed to be moved from place to place over the lifetime of the machine so better to have an all in one solution?

Thanks

[petersm99]

Hello adighob,

I am no expert but I will try to explain what I know:

Case 1: If both are static and the simulator is moving your view will not match the movement that you are experiencing, look at your PC simulator screen and let the plane make a sharp left turn, e.g. 45 degrees, if you now also turn your head 45 degrees to the left (as if you were on a motion platform) then suddenly the turn will seem to be 90 degrees.

Case 2: No problem but the screen will have to be big enough to capture the view when you are moving to the extreme positions of the motion platform.

Case 3: Probably the best solution since it is a good compromise of what you may want in a motion simulator. This option would also give the best results as far as I know. However, this has nothing to do with being close to real visuals!! In order to get near real visuals you would need a collimated display with projectors and mirrors (read up on wikipedia) which is the system used in high level commercial motion systems and which will provide a feeling of an unlimited viewing distance and will also eliminate any parallax errors as they may occur when using regular projection methods. Since those visual systems are very expensive it is almost not feasible for the homebuilder. There are also some good posts on collimated displays, check them out!
Another feasible option for the homebuilder can be the use of multiple LCD-screens.

I hope this helps,

Best regards,
Marc

[Geremy Britton]

I think Marc summarises those options very well there, and I could only agree,

[super2277]

Case 3: Probably the best solution since it is a good compromise of what you may want in a motion simulator. This option would also give the best results as far as I know. However, this has nothing to do with being close to real visuals!! In order to get near real visuals you would need a collimated display with projectors and mirrors (read up on wikipedia) which is the system used in high level commercial motion systems and which will provide a feeling of an unlimited viewing distance and will also eliminate any parallax errors as they may occur when using regular projection methods. Since those visual systems are very expensive it is almost not feasible for the homebuilder. There are also some good posts on collimated displays, check them out!
Another feasible option for the homebuilder can be the use of multiple LCD-screens.

I hope this helps,

Best regards,
Marc

Sooo, how are we saying for building the colimated display? with a decent/cheap projectors? and how much space does it take in widgh, heigh and lenght? including the cockpit itself

[kermit]

Hi, for exsample ,
just look at X-sim.de and search for R22 ,
or (X)simulator .net
greetz