This Realistic Trophy Truck Simulator Looks Like Loads of Fun
It’s a virtual reality off-road racing sim for Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Racing simulation rigs are becoming increasingly popular, as they become more affordable and more widely accessible. Some of them are pretty intense, featuring full cockpit-like setups and hydraulic motion simulations. But this trophy truck racing sim from CXC Simulations is quite possibly the most fun looking sim rig I've ever seen.
This new rig from CXC and was developed for Norwegian Cruise Line. Each year, for the past few years, Norwegian Cruise Line asks CXC for a new racing sim for their passengers to experience and each year they ask for something more exciting. This time, CXC pushed it further than they ever have. Not only is it the first trophy truck rig from CXC but it also features their most advanced motion simulator yet, with almost three feet of vertical travel. At its highest point, the truck's tires actually lift off the base of the platform and it can simulate the truck catching air.
The rig is made from an actual trophy truck racer, just with its powertrain and drivetrain removed. Both the tubular steel frame and body of the truck remain, though CXC had to modify them to fit a door, as trophy truck drivers usually get in Dukes of Hazard style, through the window. The sim driver sits in a racing seat, using the same pedals as the actual trophy truck, and wears VR goggles that simulate racing on an off-road circuit. And because a real trophy truck lacks a windshield, there's a big fan inside the rig that blows air onto the driver's face, to simulate that open air experience.
Getting the VR headset to capture the motion of the driver but not the motion of the rig was actually a bit tricky. Because the rig has such a far range of motion, the VR headset would actually pick up both the motion of the platform and the driver inside of it. So, to make it more realistic, CXC had to create a motion cancelling algorithm to track the motion of the platform and then cancel it out. It looks incredibly realistic and, if CXC's simulation is as impressive as it seems, it should feel realistic as well.
A racing simulator on hydraulics, to provide real physical motion, isn't anything new. However, I don't think I've ever seen a sim rig that can move around to the extent that this trophy truck rig can. It seems to capture the violence of trophy truck racing incredibly well and it looks like so much fun. I'm not much of a cruise person, as I much prefer terra firma, however I kind of want to book a Norwegian cruise just to drive this simulator.
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