Simulator Visuals: Let your eyes SELL it to your brain

[Angus Wighton]

Henry recently wrote about his visit to my simulator, one of many local sim pilots to drop by such as Maurice, Dave, Steve, Bruce ….. and even Peter & Steve Cos  â€" all of whom leave with the same response that “photos do not do it justice” and the wrap-around visuals & sound system give it a real “immersive experience”.  A couple of times Henry asked that I refrain from pointing out things around the cockpit while we were taxing … because he was getting motion sickness every time he looked back up!!

Here is my simulator making a landing in Innsbruck Austria … do your eyes SELL it to your brain?

Approaching Innsbruck fs2004




As much as I appreciate all the compliments directed my way I firmly believe that each of you will garner the same compliments from your sim pit by following some simple suggestions :

1.  DARKNESS SELLS:  When I have visited other builder’s projects I am always introduced to their simulator (and in most cases fly their simulator) with normal room lighting on.  When visitors first see my simulator it is in total darkness …. big difference! 

If while flying an ILS approach into JFK on a really crappy night I see by my PFD that I am really fighting a gusting crosswind … that exhilaration is lost when I see the family washing machine in my peripheral vision!  Immediately my eyes tell the brain that I’m really not flying at all, but simply in sim pit in the laundry room. 

If while taxiing, perhaps a little too fast, I look to my right to make sure I have room for the turn and I see the blue wall paper sitting stationary through the far right cockpit window … my eyes again immediately tell the brain that I’m not even moving!

So, do this simple test.  Remove ALL natural lighting from your sim room.  The ONLY lights you should see are cockpit backlighting, map lighting and your visual screen/screens/monitors.  There should not even be a crack of light visible anywhere in the cockpit.  If your cockpit shell is not fully built-in yet, many guys have purchased black sheets/curtains and shrouded anywhere outside the cockpit where ANY beam of outside light might get in.

Now the ONLY thing that your eyes should see when the aircraft is moving is your “visuals”.  If your eyes have ABSOLUTELY NO outside or peripheral reference to confirm the fact that you are truly stationary â€" your eyes will SELL the brain on the “visuals” movement … hook, line & sinker.



2.  SOUND SELLS:  None of the sims that I have visited have cared much about the sound system, until after visiting mine.  They suddenly realize how much sound also sells!  Cockpits are not quiet places, so neither should a simulator be.  Ensure speakers are installed inside your cockpit and then by have a backing to your cockpit enclosure it will ensure that those sounds will bounce around WITHIN the cockpit for full affect.  If your eyes see that you are flying and your ears hear all those sounds of flight â€" your brain has not alternative but to tell all your senses that you are truly flying.  Thus the “immersive” factor.



3.  WRAP-AROUND SELLS:  True my simulator is a little unique with its 7 PC monitors wrapping around for a full 180 degree visual system however the most common visuals provided by projectors can enjoy the same affect with well-proven techniques outlined already by other builders. 

The key is to have both the all important forward movement for your eyes to sell the brain on real flight â€" but that peripheral view really helps selling “flight” to the brain.  So, even if  you put a single monitor on each side of your cockpit, make sure it is entirely BLACK everywhere around that screen/monitor so that your peripheral vision can ONLY see the movement presented â€" once again “selling the brain” on real flight.

[Trevor Hale]

Angus..  You sold me..  I am hoping to make a trip down south before the Spring..  If I can, I would love to be rude and invite myself to see that first hand.

Just watching that video over and over blows my mind.

I can't thank you enough. 

Well done, and by the way, I am going to take into consideration everything you just told me in the thread.  You are 100% right.  If your brain see's anything stationary, your finished.

Best regards,

Trev

[Boeing Skunk Works]

Me too. I have to get rid of the rest of the room.

Long live WidevieW!

[ivar hestnes]

WOW, nothing beats a wrap around visual for sure. This was very nice to see. Help us other to keep the motivation up. Thanks for sharing this

[FLY737]

Nothing beats this visual  :

LOC EAST 26 circle to land RWY08 Innsbruck LOWI, HD Cockpitview

[Trevor Hale]

Beautiful.  One of the most incredible approaches I have ever seen.  I love it.  Makes me wish Flightsim visuals could look that good.

Stunning, I love it!

[ivar hestnes]

I have even better flightsim visuals when I sit in my cardboard box and making flap sounds and terrain warnings

(Wish I was a kid again)

[Angus Wighton]

Truly has to be one of the most beautiful approaches in the world and I hope to fly the approach in my Gulfstream one of these days.  I have been to many of the airports around it - Vienna, Zurich, Geneva and Milan - but not into Innsbruck yet.  About 10 years ago we rented a car while in Milan and drove up through the Italian Alps just to see this stunning approach in real life for the first time.  When we entered the valley from the south, off to the west was a Boeing 757 flying this exact approach in a tight right turn to final down just above the valley floor - it is a sight that I will never forget!!  Awesome ...

As soon as the fs2004 "Approaching Innsbruck" scenery came out I purchased it and enjoy flying in there from the other surrounding add-on airport sceneries I have for Vienna, Zurich and Geneva ..... flying around the Alps offers some of the most wonderful scenery in the world. 

[Boeing Skunk Works]

You should check out LSGS, Sion. Loads of fun on that approach. Like flying down a ditch. I haven't been in awhile, but I think the valley is narrower than Innsbruck. No circling approaches there!

[Trevor Hale]

Mike, I think they just released a new Sion Scenery package for FS as well.  In case you wana go look for it.

Trev

[andarlite]

You should check out LSGS, Sion. Loads of fun on that approach. Like flying down a ditch. I haven't been in awhile, but I think the valley is narrower than Innsbruck. No circling approaches there!

Get the best of both ..... LOWI to LSGS:

LOWI-LSGS (Innsbruck to Sion)
Flight Plan: KPT UL856 TRA Z69 OLBEN UN869 BENOT DCT - Even FL's
Expect IGS Approach RWY25 at LSGS
Sion Charts are here; http://www.vacc-sag.org/airport/LSGS

then do the return trip. 

2.  SOUND SELLS:  None of the sims that I have visited have cared much about the sound system, until after visiting mine.  They suddenly realize how much sound also sells!  Cockpits are not quiet places, so neither should a simulator be.  Ensure speakers are installed inside your cockpit and then by have a backing to your cockpit enclosure it will ensure that those sounds will bounce around WITHIN the cockpit for full affect.  If your eyes see that you are flying and your ears hear all those sounds of flight â€" your brain has not alternative but to tell all your senses that you are truly flying.  Thus the “immersive” factor.

This is very true. In addition to the the stunning visuals, Angus simulator also has fantastic sounds. It was one of the more easy things that I could address on my cockpit .... added a sound card last weekend and a good set of speakers ..... really make a difference. Interesting thing was the sound card appeared to make a difference in the performance of FSX also ..... less micro-stutters during turns in big cities .... and more importantly, sometimes in a big city/airport, the ATC would become completely garbled and static, haven't noticed that anymore.


Regards,
Henry

[ChrisKLAS]

2.  SOUND SELLS

Couldn't agree more.

Like most, I was just running a basic low-end 2 speaker set of computer speakers in my sim during construction. Now that I have interior liners in place, in the past couple of weeks I've really enhanced the sound system, and the increase in "immersion factor" can't be put into words.

I'm currently running one computer with FS/PM Sounds and two more with PM sounds:

- Bose speakers w/ 300w sub for the rear channel (all FS sounds [engines 'n such] + PM Sounds gear, flap/speedbrake rumble, ground sounds)

- Front channel, behind the MIP (PM Sounds avionics "whine", windscreen air noise, ground sounds, nose gear brake, scrubber, bus click)

- Top channel, speakers mounted behind the speaker grills in the overhead liners (PM Sounds aural warnings [alt callouts, GPWS, TCAS, etc.], chimes/dings, pack sounds, recirc fans + audio from the interfone system [ATC, sidewall mounted microphones if selected on the audio panel])

In my opinion, hearing various sounds coming from where they should be coming from, when you expect them to, adds as much to the immersion factor as a good visual system. Amazing how the brain works, and can be "tricked!"

[Radar]

  Your cockpit looks and sounds GREAT Angus Wighton.
I had a nice full size pit in my garage and loved it, but  I had to sell my house and moved into a Mobile home with no garage. Seeing your video brought me to tears of joy. I have my sim in storage waiting for the day I can make a video like yours. Your video has made my day.

Thanks you Angus Wighton

Cheers Mike

[Boeing Skunk Works]

not using the PM sounds, but I'm using a 500 watt home theatre receiver with four speakers and a 100W powered subwoofer.

I have a couple of hi-frequency deficient drivers for the front such as wind noise, gear rumble, flap, and speedbrake (along with the sub) and a couple of very good speakers for the whine, engine noise and annunciators and such. None of it is really separated as you can do with PM, but the way they are balanced and spread and EQ'ed, makes you think they are.

[jackpilot]

Pretty sure that it "rocks", knowing your sound skills!!!
PMsounds is really handy, you can use it without PM soft and split the sound files (and sound sources) between computers.
I do not have a butt kicker but an AUra cushion in the back (where it is max spine effect) good good too!!
Cheers

[ETomlin]

not using the PM sounds, but I'm using a 500 watt home theatre receiver with four speakers and a 100W powered subwoofer.

PM Sounds is FREE, so do yourself a favor and go get it! You have several PCs running now for WideView and just install it a few times on those machines and you can have directional sound (avionics from the front, wind from your eyebrows, gear from below) very quickly ;-) I love PM sounds.

[Boeing Skunk Works]

Cool. I didn't know it was free or could be used as a stand alone. I'll look into it.

Will it work with a 727 or does it have to be Boeing's little darling?

[Trevor Hale]

Cool. I didn't know it was free or could be used as a stand alone. I'll look into it.

Will it work with a 727 or does it have to be Boeing's little darling?

Mike it will work with any aircraft you like.  (Cessna 172 if you want) LOL.  (Altitude callouts in a Cessna 172 sounds neat ROFL)

[Boeing Skunk Works]

Thanks Trevor. Will check it out.

[ETomlin]

Mike, dont forget that I have a very unsupported aircraft too, the little Learjet 45 ;-)

Works like a charm! GPWS too! I even have a custom made 'Stall...Stall...Stall' sound made for us LJ45 drivers that works in it, so you can make your own sounds with a little tinkering and get a buddy to help you make it work on certain conditions. Between Trevor, Bob, and the other guys that know a bit about bits and bytes, it's a sure win-win for your 727.