Club sim - optimum display setups

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philster57
Posts: 19
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2019 3:43 pm
Location: Ottawa, Canada

Club sim - optimum display setups

Post by philster57 » Wed Nov 27, 2019 7:13 pm

I will be building a setup for our gliding club. I'm looking for advice on the optimum display setup for the club sim. I'll post questions on other topics such as controls in other threads. I will also share my results in this post/thread.

I used the word optimum in the title of this thread to mean most cost effective and training effective using today's technology and does not require very difficult setup.

I've been doing lots of research and some trials for both my setup and the one I will set for the clubs. My setup and clubs will probably differ due to different requirements and constraints. For example, VR might be best for me but not the club.

Please take a look at my analysis below then share any additional pros and cons and ideally experience you've had with club rig displays.


VR
I am ruling out VR for the club for 2 reasons.
1) Some people experience nausea using it. Most people can get used to it but some never will - so this option is out for the club. I've used it on someone's car racing sim and it took 4 sessions before I could get used to it. As an aside, I am also setting up an car racing sim for myself (since I race karts). I will probably be using VR for both Condor and my car racing sim.
2) Can't see the real world controls. I know an individual can get used to the placement of controls and keys on keyboard or keypad but this is far from ideal for a club.


Single monitor, no head tracking
A single monitor without head tracking is not very good for circuit training even using the snap left button (left hand circuits). It also takes a bit of time to become proficient using the hat switch or buttons or keyboard to change the view. Assigning the snap left and snap right buttons to joystick buttons is helpful but still not ideal as I had to move my fingers back and forth from the snap left buttons to the airbrake control (assigned to the slider on the joystick).
If we use the sim for training scenarios that do not require lots of looking around then a single monitor is a workable solution. But for a bit more $ we can have a more optimum solution.

Single monitor, head tracking with Track IR 5
Pros
- Much easier and more natural for looking around. Hands are free from changing view. As such it reduces the gap between the sim and real world.
- Inexpensive
- The instructor can see where the student is looking. This, imho, is a big benefit of this type of sim setup. In the real world the instructor does not directly know if the student is using their vision properly.
Cons
- It takes some time to get Track IR 5 configured and working "properly" but I've got it 90% sorted out. So that's not an issue.
- It might take a bit of setup for each use but I think this is a small issue. I will be testing out with a few people soon to determine this.

Above testing was done with a single 23" 16:9 1920x1080 60 Hz monitor. Ideal placement is about 24 to 27" inches away from eyes.

Ultra wide monitor with and without head tracking
Tests to be conducted soon.
I will be trying same with an ultrawide 21:9 34" 3440 x 1440 curved monitor.


Triple monitors or 3 TVs
This seems to be the most common setup for club rigs. I'll start with the cons since that is easier to follow the reasoning to the optimum version of this option.
Cons
- Need a powerful graphics card and/or limit resolution and/or limit fps. Based on my experience and what I've researched, 1080 p and 60 Hz (i,.e 60 fps) is good enough. So a GPU like GTX 1660 Ti should drive this fine.
- Condor triple monitor support does not account for bezels. Not a big issue.
- Condor does not render perspective very well and you can't get full desired FOV (left wing to right wing) unless you use large displays.
(ref: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=18998#p164300)
- Can be expensive, especially for large screens.
Pros
Easiest for students to use.

I'm currently thinking that 3 40" monitors or TV' place close enough is the near optimum setup. 3 TVs are much more affordable than 3 monitors, especially at 40" or above, and seem good enough (1080p and 60hz). One concern I have is the pixel density. Will the instruments be easy enough to read?

Triple monitors or 3 TVs With head tracking
This has advantages noted for head tracking with a single monitor AND I could probably turn down the sensitivity of the head tracker which will make setup less critical and reduces any chance of nausea.

So …. I'm currently thinking this is the optimum setup.


Triple projectors and screens

Pros
- Eliminates the bezel problem
- With curved screens the view optimized. An example can be seen here.
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17757#p157521

Cons
- Need lots of room. We might have enough room in our clubhouse. To be determined.
- Does not work well in bright rooms. Our clubhouse has windows. I suppose we can put shades on most of the windows and close them when the sim is being uses.
- Cost of difficulty of getting/making the screens ??
- More/too difficult to setup ??

Allen
Posts: 42
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2018 10:42 pm

Re: Club sim - optimum display setups

Post by Allen » Thu Nov 28, 2019 11:11 am

We are completing our 5 screen projector simulator which has several novel features (No keyboard or mouse being one!), all built into a very small area.

Send me a PM if you want more details.

Allen Cherry

echofive
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:23 am

Re: Club sim - optimum display setups

Post by echofive » Wed Feb 19, 2020 5:55 am

Do you want the club to have game style entertainment?
Or do want the simulator to be utilitarian?
I suggest that a set of three 23 inch monitors is fully adequate for training purposes even though it may not be acceptable to a game enthusiast.
likewise, sluggish video update rate is not hampering to a utilitarian simulation. Real gliders don't respond that fast anyway. And what the heck if the picture of the stick does not instantly follow the pilot's movements.

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