Jump to content

My next cockpit


MarkH

Recommended Posts

If ever I needed a reason to go P3D 2.5, this may be it. It's just a screen, but all the work's been done and you just need to add the projectors (two of them). The last few seconds of this video show the projector mounting. This opens up a whole new set of possibilities - VC without TrackIR, VC with 3dof TrackIR (x/y/z only), VC with 6dof TrackIR but limiting pitch/roll/yaw to the extremes so you get the best of both worlds. All the above combined with input-only panels, or a full-on single-place cockpit. My spine is tingling!


 


(P.S. The Titan HD+ looks nice, but $35K is a bit outside my budget! Don't forget - this guy is flying a VC wearing a GoPro, he's not using TrackIR!)


 


I'm off to look at projectors...


Link to comment
Share on other sites

are the icarus-avenger a projector ?  or an actual tv, monitor  type screen?? 

 

It's a cylindrical screen and the supporting frame. You can buy it as a full kit or a DIY kit. In either case you also need to buy two HD projectors and warping software. The DIY version is just the screen but comes with files and instructions to allow you to have the frame fabricated locally.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

would this be better than multiple screens (if you can afford it and have enough room!)??

It's a compromise. Most significantly (I think) it has a much better FOV than a typical multi-screen setup (180 degrees by 90 degrees) but the resolution is relatively low (approximately 3800 x 1080). They claim their 'black pearl' screen gives TV-like contrast. There are other compromises to consider, such as where to put the yoke and the impracticality of overhead panels (cos reaching up interrupts the projector beams). On the other hand, relatively low resolution means better performance. (I'm not sure if there is a performance implication of running warping software.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

could you run this at a high resolution? like you would normally with a monitor?

You can buy 4K projectors, but they would be phenomenally expensive. I think it's unlikely most PCs would cope with two 4K displays running at full resolution so you would need to find a resolution in between that your system could realistically generate.

http://www.komodosimulations.co.uk/display.html is the UK dealer, you might get a better price there.

I doubt that this is an official dealer. Simpit don't mention having a dealer and this site doesn't actually offer anything (Simpit-related) for sale. I note the structure is also not the Simpit one, it looks like a home-made support structure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a further look into this, other than postage to the UK being somewhat expensive lol, the cost of two short throw 1080p projectors wasn't too bad at stores like ebuyer or scan.

 

I am still wavering on this. Another issue is that the screen aspect does not match the projector aspect and I am wondering what implications this has for the resolution of the display. I notice in some of the Simpit publicity pics you can see part of the image projected below the screen, which suggests the image is clipped at the top and/or bottom. A two-projector HD display has an aspect ratio of about 3:1 (3840 x 1080 but allowing some overlap for blending). From the Icarus specs, I calculate the aspect ratio of their screen as 2.25:1. For best horizontal resolution you will need to keep the image overlap to a minimum but you will get clipping at the top and bottom. The alternative will be to make the overlap of the two images greater, but this means your horizontal resolution will be substantially less than 3840 pixels. It looks like thay have (probably sensibly) opted for clipping as the best compromise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I doubt that this is an official dealer. Simpit don't mention having a dealer and this site doesn't actually offer anything (Simpit-related) for sale. I note the structure is also not the Simpit one, it looks like a home-made support structure.

Ah, this explains it better:

 

 

Komodo Simulations is now the UK dealer for Simpit Techonologies and brings you the VBS Icarus Cured Display System. The Black Pearl display material is a front projection surface designed to provide a high contrast image with excellent detail for your projects that won't ruin your budget. The material allows for unprecedented level of customisation and ease of installation even for complete beginners. This screen paired with Komodo's frame gives you a self supporting curved display screen. With this you get a 180º x 60º FOV for total immersion and realism. Contact me for more details and pricing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am still wavering on this. Another issue is that the screen aspect does not match the projector aspect and I am wondering what implications this has for the resolution of the display. I notice in some of the Simpit publicity pics you can see part of the image projected below the screen, which suggests the image is clipped at the top and/or bottom. A two-projector HD display has an aspect ratio of about 3:1 (3840 x 1080 but allowing some overlap for blending). From the Icarus specs, I calculate the aspect ratio of their screen as 2.25:1. For best horizontal resolution you will need to keep the image overlap to a minimum but you will get clipping at the top and bottom. The alternative will be to make the overlap of the two images greater, but this means your horizontal resolution will be substantially less than 3840 pixels. It looks like thay have (probably sensibly) opted for clipping as the best compromise.

 

The only thing really stopping me other than the overall price, which can be over come, is due to living in an apartment I only have a small spare room.  Its a case of can I fit it in without loosing too much furniture in that room.  Granted the desk would go to be replaced by this but I'm not sure it will fit in with the spare bed still in there.  Which I'd ideally like to keep.  First world problems hey.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...