Full motion racing simulator

A full motion racing simulator, sometimes called a full motion sim rig, is a motion simulator that is purposed for racing, and must provide motion simulation in all six degrees of freedom, as defined by the aviation simulator industry many decades ago. The six degrees of freedom coincide with Earth physics, and are commonly referred to (in both aircraft, watercraft and other vehicles) as: The three translational movements: Surge, sway and heave (front/back motion, side-to-side motion and up/down motion, respectively) The three rotational movements: Roll, pitch, and yaw (rotation around the normal, transverse and longitudinal axes, respectively) Simulations of these six degrees of freedom are achieved by 2 fundamentally different approaches.

1. Historically by tilting of a motion base (also called a Stewart platform) which also changes the driver's position relative to the Earth's gravity, giving the sensation of acceleration.
2. More recently, a "physics based" methodology achieved through a series of gimbals and linear bearing systems that allow for independent degrees of freedom that work around the center of mass. In motion simulators, the cockpit or the occupant's seat is moved in coordination with a graphical output. Different examples of racing simulators with motion exist, some of which provide motion only to the driver's seat, and others that move the entire simulator cockpit including all car controls. Further differentiation exists regarding visual display technology and whether the simulators graphical output moves with, and stays relative to the sim, or is static and motionless. The DOF Reality H6/P6 and SimCraft APEX6 PRO and Cruden are examples of full motion racing simulators implemented in different ways, but both offer motion simulation on all 6 of the degrees of freedom. The DOF Reality and Cruden system utilizes a Stewart platform while SimCraft utilizes a proprietary physics approach with independent degrees of freedom.