[Sticky] RacingCUBE setup and SimTools guide for Dummies, like me ;)

Quick intro- I got my RC4 in October, and it had an issue with the rotation module which Steffen flew out to South Africa, for 1 unit, and repaired it. Well done FaseTech for product support !!! I’ve also followed Joseph @jmb-3d quite a bit (And raced, but he beat me) who’s info was fantastic to get set up. Thanks Joseph, catch you soon 🙂

I had some time this week so eventually got stuck in to getting everything working

Adding on to Steffen’s Guide, for those of us who haven’t used SimTools before:

Don’t assume the default settings or plugin for a game are working on your Simulator

My default settings were NOT correct as Axis2a was already reversed, which isn’t on the plugin.

Spending a couple of hours setting up, and understanding each Force/Axis will save you days

Download and read the SimTools User Manual v1.2

https://www.xsimulator.net/community/attachments/simtoolsusermanual-v1-2-pdf.55007/

(Credit to @yobuddy at xsimulator for a good user guide.)

The first part is about installing and registering, which is already done by FaseTech

Read from page 26 – 39 Conventions and Axis Assignments, so you understand what and why you are changing.

Now jump to pages 59 – 64 Output Testing, so you understand what you are testing. Be careful if you test as it’s using the full Axis (Especially on YAW) so move the sliders carefully

Now read pages 65 -68 Directions of Movement in SimTools,  so you understand the forces you should be seeing.

Now read pages 73 – 78 Tuning Centre. This is where you make the DOF (Degrees of Force) react faster or slower in the game.

Now that you’re completely bored of reading, go to this page:

https://www.xsimulator.net/community/faq/steps-to-create-a-motion-profile.228/

Follow the steps, carefully and do 1 Axis at a time. This was the best hour I spent using my Sim

I run on iRacing, and following the advice using a mid-range car, I used the RUF Track at Monza

(It should be the same irrespective of PCars, Assetto, rF2 etc)

Test each DOF on its own, disable all the others so you can feel what each DOF is actually doing

You can’t change the Axis assignments in-game, but you can adjust Tuning Centre in-game

NOTE: As stated in SimTools manual your total forces on an Axis should not exceed 100%, however I’ve run quite a few tests over a couple of days and found that you can easily go to 150% Total, without causing clipping.

Also, I added some filters on each Axis, and found it worked well to get rid of “jerky” motions. This worked well especially on Sway and Roll, as it almost allows for Suspension movement.

Once you’ve done each one go try them together and see how it feels. This where I brought the filters in, and started fine tuning in Tuning Centre

I found that I got a better feeling WITHOUT using Axis4a,the rotation module, at this stage. I’m using VR, Oculus Rift, with 2 sensors mounted in front of the Sim about 1m higher. (I’ve also gone through the motion cancelling, but I’ll post some info on that later.) As mentioned by @mecha4makers the SWAY and SURGE are really the first ones to get right, then ROLL, PITCH. I’ll carry on and add in YAW later.

You can add YAW on Axis4a on the same DOF as Sway and then fine tune it, for yourself. I found with SWAY turned up at 50% and 4-5 in Tuning Centre, the feeling was really good.

If you are using Axis4a, then go into the filter settings and fine tune the Washout, which re-centres the Axis4a after its moved. https://www.xsimulator.net/community/faq/washout-gain-and-return.303/

NOTE: on iRacing the Extra1 – Traction Loss, is for ANY loss of traction, not only the Rear, so it doesn’t work assigning this to Axis4a Rotation

Once you got all that right, go to a track like Laguna Seca, which has a lot of ups and downs, and a lot more SWAY, and try it out.

If you want to see how the forces are reacting to the game, do a few CLEAN laps on a track, and SAVE the Reply. Then Run the replay with the Sim ON. Go to Game Engine/Output Testing/Virtual Axis. Turn On and play back the replay. (Learned this from Joseph @jmb-3d Thanks) Now you can see the Game Output and what the Sim is actually doing

This is where GAME MANAGER comes in, by setting up PROFILES

The Profiles can be fine-tuned on each force for a specific car or track. You can create a profile for a Bumpy Track, or a High Movement car. Before you start the Game, just select the Profile you want for the Track or Car.

Hope this makes sense, happy racing.

Andrew