VR/XR tips and tricks

• Content Manager

  Any number of YouTube videos eloquently laud Content Manager:

  • Chris Haye Content Manager for Assetto Corsa - The Best Assetto Corsa Mod
  • GamerMuscleVideos
  • 2Old4Forza How to Assetto Corsa 2020: Content Manager tips + modding 16:48
    settings (good) 2:37 Single 6:10 apps HeliCorsa 8:00 modding 11:24 Content Mgr mod install 15:00
    [ 2Old4Forz is too busy talking about how old school he is @ 14:54 to explain Content Manager mod install ]
  • Davy Jones Assetto Corsa PC Getting Started Guide
    including Content Manager, Sim Racing System & the Crew Chief 1:11:52
  • HelixxvrThis one simple VR trick you didn't know in Assetto Corsa 8:26
    use Assetto Corsa UI in VR HMD.
  • Alex Nelson Assetto Corsa VR (Oculus) Settings Tutorial [ skip 2:25 ] 23:27
    95% 90fps with full grid
  • mvs36 ASSETTO CORSA - How to use Content Manager! 16:12
  • Highness Beginners guide to presets in Content Manager Assetto Corsa 12:03
  • Highness Voice Control Assetto Corsa and Content Manager - no keyboard or mouse 23:30
  • Highness Content Manager videos
  • Kame Trick Assetto Corsa Drifting - How to Set up Hardware and Wheel in Content Manager (Tutorial Playlist)
  • SingleRacer Sim Racing Tutorials | A Content Manager Unbiased Review | for Beginners & Newbies
  • ONE37Works The Definitive Assetto Corsa Drifting Guide & Logitech G920 Settings! 1:11
    2018 Drifting Guide for Assetto Corsa on PC, using Content Manager!
  • SimRacing604 Assetto Corsa PC Graphics Starter Guide - 5 Things You Need 14:46
    find the best graphics settings for Assetto Corsa
  • HokiHoshi Assetto Corsa Mod Install Guide | Content Manager, CSP, Sol, Tracks & Cars (Shutoko Revival Project)
    good for installing Content Manager, but then manually installs Sol and other mods
  • VIRTUAL DRIVER Assetto Corsa - Content Manager - Sol + Shaders MODs
    - SRS Tutorial Espanol 2020 (cc translates to English) 21:12
  • Davy Jones Minor bugs & confusion with Sol 1.1.1 & Content Manager for Assetto Corsa Apr 2019 6:18
    upgrading the Sol mod for Assetto Corsa to version 1.1.1 using Content Manager.
    Some inconsistencies in instructions and a bug with the latest recommended Custom Shaders Patch,
    or at least it appeared as a bug in my installation
  • Carlos Panades How to install Mods Sol 1.3.2 + CSP Custom Shaders Patch preview.198 in Assetto Corsa Aug 2019 8:44
  • Assetto Corsa Content Manager Content Manager Episode 1 - How to get started with CM 2018 5:22
  • Mauro Ciacchi Assetto Corsa how to install mods, cars and tracks with Content Manager (no audio)
  • Unleashed Drivers How to extract .acd files and repack them with Assetto Corsa Content Manager 1:23
    useful for editing Assetto Corsa car data
  • Crazy Cat Guy Assetto Corsa and Content Manager Horizon Lock option comparison 2:16
    I use Horizon Lock to stop the ground from shaking.
    Unfortunately this brings the issue of the car moving too much to the sides,
    especially at very steep corners (like the one at the video here: https://youtu.be/JcM0_QWqvuk?t=2m12s)
    and also not aligning with the level of the floor of the car (the awesome drawing at the end of my video).
  • Mamiya Motors How To Get Drift Cars On Assetto Corsa | Content Manager Guide | PC 14:34
  • Humblegeorge Why use the Content Manager Aug 2017 [ skip first 2:30 ] 42:40
  • random callsign 9 ESSENTIAL Assetto Corsa mods for 2019 9:19

  Content Manager ** bought and installed 4 Jul 2020
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5aoe8RLvXU
  https://assettocorsa.club/content-manager.html
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U2REMdpP9E - Chris Haye
  "Some Alternate launchers such as Content Manager, run AC as administrator,
  please run SimHub as administrator in this case."
  Content manager is only supported by SimHub when using "Official" or "AppId" start modes,
  any other involve Content Manager modifying games files, preventing proper detection by SimHub.
  Content Manager may have already modified the games files
  and only a proper game repair using steam will restore the original files.
  
  Assetto Corsa club's Content Manager page proclaims "Easy and intuitive",
  which generally translates to poorly documented and idiosynchratic.
  Much sim driving software seems overly influenced by video gaming,
  which traditionally delights in making things harder and less efficient.
  
  Custom Shaders - clicked install from Content Manager; it went gray.....
  finally went active: "Updated successfully
• CM Neck FX

• BigScreen

  Free BigScreen Beta includes virtual desktops, compared here (Jan 2018):
  
  
  BigScreen works with WMR, should allow
  launching Assetto Corsa (or Content Manager or SimHub) UI in a virtual desktop
  
• CrewChief
• DDU for clean graphics driver installation
• Driver4VR
• OVRdrop also works by mouse.
  Unlike BigScreen, OVRdrop desktop displays during AC OpenVR,
  but does not work in OpenXR.   purchased 4 Jul 2018
• SteamID
  to display, in a web browser tab, enter:  steam://open/console
  .. then, in that console window, enter:  user_info

• "super pucks" Low Frequency Bass Speaker Transducer 3.75"
• SRS ShakeSeat     padding
• 4 years later:  ShakeSeat cushion -> PuckSeat modifications
• SimHub ShakeIt Bass Shakers

  (confusingly, one less K than SRS product) is/was free software,
  since integrated into SimHub, and somewhat comparable to SRS' licensed app.
  Without "Bass Shakers", "ShakeIt" is about rumble motors.
  Based on game telemetry, SimHub ShakeIt Bass Shakers generates audio signals
  which are amplified to power haptic pucks, exciters and shakers.
  A SimHub license enables more support..
  SimHub ShakeIt used to be distributed and supported from RaceDepartment, but no more..
  Downloaded SimHub from http://www.simhubdash.com/ and installed per 2Old4Forza's video.
  ShakeIt GitHub:   https://github.com/SHWotever/SimHub
  
  Support is most active on discord...     Invitation
  
  SimHubWPF.exe is neither Steam nor Assetto Corsa app;
  it needs launching separately and optionally starts with Windows..
  It can be (and has been) configured to launch Content Manager instead of Assetto Corsa
  
  Installed on Aurora @ E:\my\SimHub
  PayPal'ed license was received promptly and also stored there.
  ShakeIt Bass Shakers Output selection required Custom channel map,
  moving all [ON] settings from channels 3,4 to 5,6 respectively.
  Cannot show all settings at once; cannot drag box height
  There are 2 "Advanced output settings", which at least need some context..
  Looking at Effects Profile, first selecting a game seems appropriate,
  since some say "not supported on the current game",
  but effects ideally should be configured for Any Game.
  Assetto Corsa configured automatically;
  "Game config" seemingly has nothing to do with ShakeIt effect settings..
  ... except that SimHub remembers what profile was last used for each game
  and will switch to that last-used profile when reselecting a game.
  New profile starts empty; can only add one at a time; cannot tell if supported until after adding
  "Add group" is another minor mystery;  here is an example.
  Existing effects can be dragged into a group,
  which can be a convenience for copying effects from one profile to others.
  SimHub appears to save settings automagically..
  
  Tactile Immersion - General Discussion - Hardware & Software
  Every effect has various controls to manipulate the output: amplitude, frequency, etc.
  Both amplitude and frequency can be changed based on the incoming telemetry.
  Sadly, amplitude cannot be changed independently of frequency, e.g. wheel load vs slip.
  This motivates a SimHub MIDI plugin to send MIDI based on
  e.g. wheel load to change amplitude of SimHub-generated wheel slip haptic effect.
  Effects can be configured as mono, divided front-rear, left-right, or 4-corners.
  
  

  • ShakeIt's wheelslip effects were updated
  • ShakeIt 2-4Hz effect to simulate lateral Gs
  • Some tuning hints
  • HOLY Shamolee - The Long Requested / Buttkicker Gamer 2 / Simhub Tactile Effects Thread
    
  • ShakeIt V3 Wiki
  • license:

    ---------- Forwarded message ---------
    From: SimHub 
    Date: Thu, Jul 16, 2020 at 6:13 AM
    Subject: Your SimHub license
    To: 
    
    Hi !
    
    Thanks for your support ! You will find your Personal SimHub License Key attached to this mail.
    Please keep it preciously.
    
    To activate your license simply download the attached file
    and click on "LOAD MY LICENSE FILE" inside simhub, then pick your license file.
    
    If you encounter any problem concerning your license,
    do not hesitate to contact me at https://www.simhubdash.com/simhub-contact/
    
    Sincerly,
    Nicolas, SimHub
    

  • isolation:
      When tactile transducers are NOT directly stimulating a sim racer,
      then energy is unavoidably wasted on whatever that transducer is attached.
      So much as possible, such mass should be minimized.
      That typically involves isolating shaken masses from others,
      ideally using underdamped springs, which may be simple elastomer bushings
      or more elaborate spring and damper assemblies, e.g.:
     
      ... but in instances where isolated mass (e.g. seat) must also resist forces in some direction,
      then e.g. suspension arms are wanted to resist those forces while isolating tactile energy in other directions.
  for ShakeSeat: 
  G-force modulated 4 corner tire slip

  Background and disclaimers
  My sim driving experience is with an office chair, wheel stand and mostly Assetto Corsa.
  I have no experience with the full SRS ShakeKit, which may offer a superior experience.
  Without a harness to keep one's back contacting them,
  back transducers in ShakeKit Plus seem of debatable benefit.
  
  Already using SimHub with available motherboard 7.1 sound
  and obsolete Denon surround receiver,
  a ShakeSeat pad was ordered because:
  * Sim Racing Garage review
  * Dayton TT25-16 pucks were, at the time, in short supply elsewhere
  An equivalent can be made using Dayton pucks with e.g.
  40cm square zippered cushion covers and EVA foam floor tiles
  Standard SimHub ShakeIt tire slip does not consider tire loading.
  For example, an inside tire may be fully unloaded during cornering,
  so very high slippage, but no perceived sensation in actual driving.
  
  This attempts to approximate track sensations from street tires,
  when securely harnessed in a fitted racing seat.
  Usefulness of such haptic feedback may vary widely among users
  * e.g. Niels Heusinkveld indicated that seat feel is overrated
    .. and he cued more visually off horizon movement.
  IMO, this feedback is less compelling than that from 2DOF harness tensioners,
  but reduces a sense of "something missing".
  
  Unambiguously directional haptic cues seemingly involve substantially direct stimulation of
  body parts, e.g. left and right thighs, lumbars and/or sit bones.
  
  Sensations to be simulated here:
  squeal for small slippage, transitioning to moaning with more slippage,
  then shuddering near breakaway,
  with much less feeling from lightly loaded tires (rear when braking, inside when cornering).
  
  Implementation embellishes SimHub Wheels slip effect using Custom Effects
  1. latitudinal and longitudinal acceleration properties
  2. loaded tire slips, products of tire slip properties times accelerations
  
  Recent SimHub versions provide Acceleration properties
  that had been estimated from changes in speed and yaw samples to proxy G force.
  Earlier SimHub versions sampled speed and yaw slower than Assetto Corsa sample updates,
  resulting in some changes 2x others, which code here detects and mitigates.
  
  Left channel Lateral G-force proxy:

  // lateral acceleration proxy
  var y = $prop('OrientationYaw');
  const tc = 3;  // IIR smoothing factor
  const noise = 0.01 // non-linear filter threshold
  
  // initialize IIR filter history
  if(null==root["yaw"]) {
     root["yaw"] = $prop('OrientationYaw');
     root["delta_y"] = 0.2;
  }
  if (null==root["Gyb4"])
    root["Gyb4"] = 0.5;
  
  var dy = y - root["yaw"];       // change between sample intervals
  
  // yaw flips at +/- 180
  if (Math.abs(dy) > 180) {  // yaw went +/- 180
    if (Math.abs(root["yaw"]) > 150)
      dy = -(y + root["yaw"]);
  }
  
  root["yaw"] = y;
  y = root["delta_y"];    // previous sample change
  
  // mitigate delta spikes from missed samples
  var my = 1;     // sample interval
  if ((Math.abs(dy * y) > noise)  // missed sample?
   && (Math.abs(dy) > Math.abs(1.8 * y)))
    dy /= (my = 2);
  
  root["delta_y"] = dy;
  
  // IIR low-pass filter
  var Gyb4 = root["Gyb4"];        // IIR output
  Gyb4 += my * (dy - Gyb4) / tc;  // low-pass IIR
  root["Gyb4"] = Gyb4;
  return 50 + (50 * Gyb4);  // range 0-100
  // 50 corresponds to no G force

  Longitudinal acceleration (right channel) is similar, substituting speed for yaw
  
  Loaded tire slip corner effects use products of tire slips and G force proxies:

  return .01*$prop('GameRawData.Physics.WheelSlip01')
      *($prop('ShakeITBSV3Plugin.Export.proxy_G.Left'))*(90-$prop('ShakeITBSV3Plugin.Export.proxy_G.Right'))
  // since this multiplies two properties with 0-100 ranges,
  // results must be reduced by 100 to return the same range
  // left vs right G-force distributions are applied to wheel slips
  //  by (proxy_G.Left) and (100-proxy_G.Left),
  // while front-to-rear G-force distributions are by
  //  ( proxy_G.Right-10) vs (90- proxy_G.Right)
  // to reflect that, while inner wheels may become fully unloaded in corners,
  // track cars are expected to fully unload neither nor rear wheels
  

  These two CUSTOM EFFECTS could be combined,
  except that G-force proxy properties are also used by
  a Custom serial device for 2DOF harness tensioning.
  The complete SimHub profile is available here along with a revised version
  After awhile, SimHub can accumulate too many profiles; here are mine.

• SimHub Acceleration properties
• SimHub 2DOF harness tensioning

  One expedient for simulating sustained G forces is a G Harness.
  SimXperience is a pioneer for that, with a US$1K G-Belt,
  typically sold as an accessory for their US$3K GS-5 G-Seat.
  
  For members of Wotever's SimHub Discord (see Live Support)
  he has developed an #experimental-belt-tensioner.
  
  .. for which he recently added a dedicated SimHub plugin:
  
  Issues with it:

  • gear-drive stepper motors are both noisy and dangerously torquey
  • suboptimal physics linearly adds lateral and longitudinal acceleration,
    instead of square root of sum of squares
  • however, adequate range of motion to allow slackening e.g. for acceleration

  Lebois built a direct-drive tensioner using PWM drive of a (too powerful?) DC motor.
  
  Here is another direct-drive tensioner for braking only on shoulder and lap belts.
  
  50mm diameter spools on 8.5Nm motors should provide adequate but safe tension and belt travel.
  

  Torque (N.m) = 9.5488 x Power (kW) / Speed (RPM)

  For electric scooter motors, stall torque is approximately watts / unloaded RPS.
  For example, a 350W 2750rpm motor might have about 7 N.m stall torque.
  
  RacingMat developed a 2DOF harness tensioning using a pair of 35kg.cm hobby servos.
  
  Parts budget (US$):

  41.40

  RSD3235 servo pair

  17.25

  6x 100F super capacitors

  10.00

  12VDC 5A power supply

  6.95

  5A constant current DC-DC buck regulator

  7.26

  wide bed casters

  3.03

  STM32F103C8T6 Blue Pill
  to flash STM32 modules, a ST-Link V2 clone is wanted.
  Beware of similar USB-TTL dongles wrongly listed as ST-LINK;
  they are for more generic, but less convenient serial programming.

  18.86

  2-inch 4 point harness

  Modifications of RacingMat's design include:

  • suspending those servos between harness belt segments, reducing noise:
    
  • repurposing wide bed casters as harness pulleys:
    
  • (optionally) adding super capacitors to the power supply for faster servo response:
    • +8VDC from regulator (and super caps) to servo red wires
    • -8VDC to servo black wires
    • Blue Pill is powered and controlled by USB.
    • Blue Pill ground pin to -8VDC
    • Blue Pill PWM pins to servo white wires
    • super capacitors in series require balance circuitry;
      a commodity 16V super capacitor bank with balancing is cheap;  cut it in half:
      
    • super capacitors effectively short-circuit supplies at power on, requiring current limiting.
      Using an automotive headlamp bulb as a "dummy load",
      the buck regulator was adjusted for maximum 8V and 4.5A:
      
      • Button left of LED digits turns LEDs (but not power) off/on.
      • Right pushbutton controls display mode: Vin, Vout, Aout, Pout, cycle.
      • Pots were received set fully clockwise, turning counterclockwise reduces values.
      • Left pot controls Vout, right pot controls Aout.
      • Upper blue LED chip illuminates while powered.
      • Another LED chip just left of that illuminates when current limited.
      • LED chip right of digits illuminates when displaying Vout;
      • LED chip left of digits illuminates when displaying Vin.
  • PWM servo control by Arduino code running in an STM32 "Blue Pill".
    Here is the Arduino STM32 servo driver for this solution.
  • harness tensioning signals from SimHub drive the USB-attached "Blue Pill":
    
    Here is the SimHub Custom serial device harness tensioning control description.
    Here is the SimHub Custom serial device profile.