Simcraft Racing Simulator | Page 5 | FerrariChat

Simcraft Racing Simulator

Discussion in 'Tracking & Driver Education' started by Thecadster, Dec 23, 2018.

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  1. J. Salmon

    J. Salmon F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Aug 27, 2005
    4,363
    VA
    I actually started working with my coach (yes, iRacing coach) because of the technical bits. It is tricky to get the software all working in sync, but that's become much more standardized now. The biggest problem you would have right now is just finding components, because the fastest motherboards and video cards are being scooped up literally the second they are released (my IT guy built a bot that watches the websites...).
    Happy to pass on contact info, Wyatt can help you with that. Totally worth the money for the sim rig - that thing looks killer - but the computer bits and software will be continual things and if you use it a lot you will either have to learn it yourself or need to have someone who is keeping up with it all. Whatever components you are looking at now will be obsolete in 6 months.

    I do a 1.5 hour training session every week, no different than working with a golf or tennis pro. Getting ready to replace my PC and monitors, and this will be the 4th build for me!
     
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  2. Scudmsl

    Scudmsl Formula Junior
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    Aug 12, 2014
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    You hit on another issue I faced with trying to do my own build...lack of availability of key components. Many of the lead times were months and computer parts were borderline impossible to get.
     
  3. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
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    Nov 25, 2012
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    Basically its easier to just buy a premade rig and be done with it...
     
  4. Scudmsl

    Scudmsl Formula Junior
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    I think that’s what we are saying based on our experiences...would make for a great thread though if you decide to try and build your own!
     
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  5. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
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    Our house starts construction in next 45 days or so. Right now Im leaning Cool Performance mainly because of recommendations from family and friends- and they have a very cool esthetic. But I have time and if I decide to do my own build- ill certainly start a thread. Right now- lots of researching going on
     
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  6. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
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    Nov 25, 2012
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    Making progress- Just got this back from the architect after I asked him to create a dedicated spot for the racing sim. The width of the space is 9 feet wide. If I go with the 3 curved 32 inch monitors- I need a little over 6 feet in width. This gives me about 18 inches on each side of the sim for access and such. The plan is to paint the alcove black- maybe have some cool lights, graphics etc in there. But this should be the perfect size to put whatever simulator I end up going with. If anyone sees any glaring issues- please let me know as I have time to make adjustments. The loft is above my garage (we are calling the garage a rec room) and will house my Trackman golf simulator, office and racing sim. Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
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  7. Baracus250GT

    Baracus250GT Karting

    Sep 14, 2004
    108
    UK
    Full Name:
    Mark
    Hey! Just thought I would try and contribute here :)

    In conjunction with the renders a couple of pages back, the plan looks amazing for sure.

    A few things I would comment:

    1. Are you not worried about rogue golf balls rebounding and flying down into your open garage area - dinking roofs/panels on the cars there?! (Excuse my ignorance on that system if there isn’t actually real balls you hit into a net as I’m imagining!).

    2. Race sim, looks a bit tight on space really. What if you want to upgrade to larger / different screens or any other changes you decide in future mean it takes up more width than you are planning. I know you don’t want motion “now” but what if you decide to in future.

    3. If you are inviting clients to the office, do you really want them squeezing past your screens/other gear to use the loo? Looks a bit squashed in there in that corner. Maybe move loo back to previous location (other side of office) and have more room for the rig there.

    4. Maybe not important but any spectating area for the race rig? Guess you can just move those chairs from the office and make a row like in cinema!

    Do t suppose you have the renders of the new layout? A bit hard to visualise but thought my rambling might help :)

    Looks fantastic either way. Love the overlooking garage concept. Wish I could do that!!


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     
  8. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
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    Thx for the kind words. My answers below.

    1- Not worried about rogue golf balls. There is 24 feet to the glass railing. The screen absorbes the impact and the balls usually just fly back 5-10 feet. The glass railing will keep anything from falling down. Hasn’t been in issue in my current home where I have had the sim for year and a half.

    2-Racing sim space is specifically designed for the sim in mind. If I end up doing more of a DYI I can see myself swapping by components. Right now leaning to the premade cool performance rig and really 3x32 in curved monitors is plenty. If I end up needing more space or go with motion in the future- the rig will have to go downstairs in the garage next to the cars. This works for my needs just fine.

    3- This is my personal office. No clients. I’m transitioning out of day to day work regardless. Only people that will be up there are me and some friends.


    4- No real spectating planned. I guess I could run a second cable to the golf screen and have anyone interested watch the race on the screen there. But like I said- this is my personal office so I don’t expect anyone up there I that don’t know. If this was my office office different story. I’d design the space differently. But this is my home. My escape.
     
  9. Baracus250GT

    Baracus250GT Karting

    Sep 14, 2004
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    UK
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    Mark
    No worries. Good luck with it!

    Only mentioned point 1 coz with my (zero) golfing skills I’d miss the screen, hit a wall full force and it would bounce back with perfect trajectory to go downstairs :D

    Don’t think I’d be your friend for much after that!


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     
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  10. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
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    Which is why you will never be invited to my house! Lol. Just kidding. Yeah- flying golf balls are no issue. Won’t be a problem.
     
  11. Baracus250GT

    Baracus250GT Karting

    Sep 14, 2004
    108
    UK
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    Haha no offence taken - trust me, it would be painful to watch :)

    I’d be safe on your rig though!!

    On a slightly lesser scale, I received this (F-GT Lite cockpit) for Xmas for my small office space. It can fold up out of the way when I need to!

    https://nextlevelracing.com/products/f-gt-lite/


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     
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  12. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
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    I’ll tell you- racing sims are the wild Wild West right now. There are so many choices which is great. Everything for every budget.
     
  13. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
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    Got the cool performance quote. 40k. Not sure its worth it. Going to look at other options as well. Maybe custom build my own rig like in the article above about the mini. Get a Senna seat or a Ferrari Gold Rake seat instead of a simulator seat. This will be a fun project.
     
  14. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
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  15. Baracus250GT

    Baracus250GT Karting

    Sep 14, 2004
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    Why not just get what I got for 250.00 and you can have both-in-one :p :)

    But really depends what you will be driving in the sim mostly though I would say. F1 is less comfortable for longer periods so I would go with GT (even for F1 sims) if you will be driving all kinds of cars anyway) :)


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  16. Thecadster

    Thecadster F1 Veteran
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    Apr 27, 2017
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    SoCal, have you ever had significant seat time in a legit high-end motion unit? Personally, I think you are stepping over dollars to pick up dimes. Once you go full motion, you could never go back. The level of immersion simply changes the entire dynamic. Listen to me now, and believe me later, you will have the sim for 10+ years, and the enjoyment you receive will dwarf the dollar delta between motion and non-motion.

    Last bonus point, I would NEVER build my own, unless I were a tech guy. The last thing you want is for the unit not to work as intended. I have had nearly zero glitches with my sim, and when I have experienced a minor failure, I text my guy at Simcraft, he then patches into my unit remotely and I am immediately back up and running.
     
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  17. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
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    hey thanks for the reply. For me it’s not necessarily a dollar thing with the motion. I’m just trying to avoid things breaking. And anytime you have moving parts things will eventually break. However given your passion about the motion I will definitely check out the Sim craft simulators and look more deeply into it. I’m in the planning phase is right now and this is what I tend to do when I’m planning just look at all the different options. We just sold our house were in escrow we close in a couple of weeks and I’ll be in an apartment for about 12 months while we build our new home. So I have plenty of time to research ask questions and figure it out. I don’t mind spending the money to get it done right, but I also want something that’s gonna look amazing in my new house. It’s not just about function it’s about how the space looks when I’m up there. I tend to like clean lines less clutter minimalistic look. I guess this is why I was going after the cool performance simulators, I think they just look really cool. But again I will definitely give a full motion simulator a try based on your recommendation
     
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  18. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
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    Which version of Simcraft do you have?
     
  19. Scudmsl

    Scudmsl Formula Junior
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    I agree with @Thecadster’s perspective on this FWIW.
     
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  20. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
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    Which version of Simcraft? They have a ton of different ones.
     
  21. Thecadster

    Thecadster F1 Veteran
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    APEX5

    https://www.simcraft.com/professional-racing-simulator-apex5-pro-5dof-yaw-pitch-roll-sway-surge-motion-simulator-racing-sim-full-service/

    As far as bullet proof, the motion actuators these sims employ are seriously overbuilt for the given application. Physically, I will likely give out long before the unit will. Should you go motion, make sure you dig into the details. Not all motion is equal. The physics are very different amongst the different approaches. Carefully study the direct points of comparison. The SimCraft website is a little wonky, but it has a ton of resources. They also have an impressive pedigree of pro racers that believe in their gear. You might recall that my good friend is good friends with a certain recent Daytona 500 NASCAR winner and he uses his system for 2 hours a day at his house. He even sent me a short video of him using it. He’s not a paid spokesperson, he’s simply a fan of the tool.

    Here’s a quick comparison chart:

    https://www.simcraft.com/comparison-simcraft-cruden-vrx-simxperience-cxc-vesaro-dbox-hexapod-motion-simulators/

    Lastly, if you have an interest, I am happy to connect you with the owner. He’s a former pro-racer who lives eats, sleeps, and drinks motorsports. Super cool guy, and very easy to do business with.
     
  22. Scudmsl

    Scudmsl Formula Junior
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    Chris Considine at CXC is also worth talking to to get a perspective on their technology solution. Very helpful and I learned a lot. I have had a very similar experience in terms of professionalism, product support, etc. They along with simcraft (and several others) make rock-solid turnkey products.
     
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  23. RedRacer

    RedRacer Formula Junior
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    Nov 20, 2006
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    I own a Simcraft fixed simulator. It worked well for me during my 3 years running the Ferrari Challenge. Still great to use to shake the rust off. CXC also is excellent.
     

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