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| Airbus A300 cockpit at Airbus Museum, Tolouse |
Being a pilot in an 'real' aircraft may be a desirable job, many would like to reach, but for most of us, this is not possible.
But flying a virtual aircraft is much more easily achievable.
From the humble Microsoft Flight simulator to highly advanced simulation systems, there is a wide scope available.
Real enthusiasts, build their own cockpits and advanced displays.
While
the development and set-up of such sophisticated display system may be
part of the satisfaction for some, for others this may just be a
necessary evil.
So why not combine your flight
simulation processor with image processing systems, which can make the
whole display job so much easier.
Take
the GeoBox M800 series for example. Take the output of your computer
system and distribute it to the various monitors or projectors.
With
8K1K input at 30 fps, high quality content can easily be distributed.
The dual output allows content to be send as duplicate to a second set
of projectors/ displays.
To create a correct
perspective and field on vision, the image can be freely rotated on some
of the GeoBox systems and allows angled displays to provide a correct
horizon.
True
flight simulators use projection, since the eyepoint can be better
adjusted. To facilitate easy projection lineup and blending, the VIOSO
Anyblend system is ideal for this task.
Anyblend
allows Windows desktop blending and uses a camera-based auto
calibration to achieve perfect blending. Each and every time.
There
are myriads of projectors available. One unit recently released is the
Fijifilm Z5000. This projector has a unique lens rotation, making set-up
easy, even in cramped spaces. a 6m wide image can be achieved from just
2.5m distance. Fujifilm is renown as one of the best lens manufacturer
for broadcast with experience in 8K lenses. This projector will be ideal
for the home and commercial simulation projection, albeit at a price.
But then, some people spend hundred of thousands on their sport or
racing cars, so why not on a simulation system where the viewer spends
hours looking at the screen.
But
other brand short and Ultra short throw projectors are equally suited.
An important aspect using all of these type of projectors is the careful
image adjustment, since distortions can make long term viewing very
stressful for the eyes. Both GeoBox and VIOSO allow corrections, with
VIOSO right down to pixel level.
Connecting your simulator?
There are three approaches.
If
you use GeoBox, you connect your computer graphic output to the GeoBox
input via HDMI or DP (depends on the model). The GeoBox does the image
splitting. Using the processors control, blending, warping, corrections,
gamma can be adjusted via the on-board menu or via free-PC software. In
this case your simulation processor is totally independent.
If you use VIOSO, you have two options.
A
- You install Anyblend on to your simulation computer. You use the
supplied VIOSO Core calibration engine, connect a camera and let the
auto calibration run its course. This takes just a few minutes. You need
a multi-header graphics card from NVIDIA or AMD. Once the calibration
is done, you save it and start Anyblend. Anyblend now takes the
calibration, embeds it into Windows and makes Windows to understand the
size of the complete screen and the devices attached. Anyblend then
stays in the background. You start your simulator as usual the the
output is now blended over the full screen/ projectors.
B
- You install Anyblend into a separate PC, which is fitted with a
capture card. Your Simulation PC is separate, just as with the GeoBox.
You run the calibration as under point A. Once all set-up and the image
is correctly displayed, just start the capture facility and your
simulation data is displayed correctly.
Separation of cockpit display and outside imagery.
While
may lower end flight simulators have everything on just one display,
sophisticated set-up would separate this. So you have an instrument
display, which may appear on a separate monitor and a scenery
projection. This can be achieved by assigning the output display
display of your computer accordingly. In this case the blending and
warping is only done on the scenery output with either GeoBox or VIOSO.
What is the better option:
Ultimately
it depends on budget and what you want to achieve, plus your technical
expertise. VIOSO is very convenient with the camera based calibration,
in particular if curved screens or domes are being used.
The screen:
Ideally
a curved surface should be used, because this is how we see the world.
If you have the budget, a curved screen from Screenline would be ideal.
It really wraps the image around. Screenline Arena are custom made for
your environment.
Of
course lower cost options could be a plywood base which is painted with
projection paint. Black is ideal, because it increases the contrast and
reduces cross reflections. The same applies for the Arena screen, which
should have a high contrast grey surface.
By the way, front or rear projection is possible.
Projector mounting:
Best
would be to mount the projectors on the ceiling. Most projector mounts
have very crude adjustments. Add the EUROMET Arakno mount, makes
adjustments easy.
This is of course only a summary. For details and consultation contact us.
itiav.info@iti-imagegroup.com.au
All products mentioned here are available though ITI-Image Group and our partner companies.
