Simulators 101
Here's a quick overview of what simulators are, how they operate, and
some technical terms used to describe them - which should help the rest
of these pages make a lot more sense.
These are not standard terms (there's no standardization in the
simulator world) - they're just the terms I use. I don't want
any engineers throwing rocks at my house for using the wrong terms, is
my point.
Entertainment
simulators are the mutant children of the military and commercial
simulators that came before them, but with two major differences. "Real"
simulators are meant to emulate reality as closely as possible, and they
respond to a pilot's commands in real time. Entertainment simulators are
just the opposite - they don't move in a realistic way, but instead in a
way that only seems realistic. (Reality's awfully dull -
check it out sometime if you don't believe me.) And they don't respond
in real time, but rather to prerecorded visuals and hence a prerecorded
motion profile.
And it's because of those two differences that there's such a thing as a "motion ride programmer", which is me. I freelance all over the world doing this stuff. Hey, it's a living.
Technical stuff
"Motion bases" or "motion platforms" come in all shapes, sizes, and DOFS. DOF is an acronym for "degrees of freedom" which is tech-speak for how many directions the base can move, of a possible total of six.
Put out your hand, palm down, as we run through the DOF's. Oh come on, nobody's watching.
- Heave (move up/down)
- Pitch (tilt forward and back)
- Roll (tilt side to side)
- Surge (move forward and back)
- Sway (move side to side)
- Yaw (do the twist)
Wasn't that fun?
Most
entertainment bases are "three-DOF" - that is, they can pitch,
heave, and roll. Some also have surge and hence are four-DOF's . A very
few are six-DOF's, or have a different combination of fewer than six
DOF's. (Some bases can turn upside-down, but that's just one of the
DOF's getting out of hand.)
Bases also vary widely in how far and how fast they can move, and in the angles to which they can tilt. Most are hydraulic powered - however, electric and pneumatic bases are starting to appear as well.
Several companies manufacture motion bases for the entertainment market. Some are military contractors who needed a new source of income - Thomson CSF, Aura Systems, Moog, and Reflectone, for example. Another manufacturer, Intamin, builds roller-coasters as well as simulators. DDL, a new British company, recently patented a linear electric base.
In my experience, there's no such thing as a "perfect" base. They all have their particular strengths and weaknesses. Part of my job is to play to the strengths of the base and steer clear of the weaknesses.
Finally, there are a variety of types of simulator venues. The terms I use to describe them are:
- Cabin - The visual display is mounted inside an enclosed cabin (as in a "real" simulator) and everything moves together. Star Tours and Thomson's "Venturer" are cabin simulators.
- Theatre-style - essentially a regular movie theatre except the seats move. The Iwerks "TurboTour" attractions and most Showscan venues are theatre-style.
- Dome - something in between the other two styles. The bases are not enclosed, but the dome screen fills the audience's field of view (i.e. Back To the Future, StarQuest, The Star Trek Experience).
Again,
each of these has its good and bad points. Cabins tend to be smaller and
more transportable, but have a limit to number of passengers they can
carry at one time. Theatre-styles can fill more seats per show, but the
illusion of movement is not nearly as convincing. Domes give a great
sense of movement and can cycle many passengers per show...but are
generally huge and therefore terribly expensive.