The latest creation of the CXC Simulations Special Projects Division pushed the limits of simulation.
This project began with a brief from longtime customer Norwegian Cruise Lines who stated that they
wanted something “new and amazing” for a new cruise ship. The Special Projects team developed the
idea of a simulator based on a full-size off-road truck, which would be unlike any other racing simulator ever
created.
As with all simulators created by CXC, realism and accuracy were the biggest goals for the Truck
simulator. Featuring up to 900 horsepower, tackling large jumps and sliding on the dirt surface are key
elements for the driving dynamics but there were other considerations for the driver. Off-Road Trucks
don’t have a windshield, so the drivers are exposed are exposed to the wind. As well, because the trucks
spend so much time sliding, the drivers need to be able to see out of the side windows almost as much
as they look out the front.
While we have built simulators based on full-size race cars, the amount of motion that would be needed
to make an accurate Off-Road Truck simulator would far exceed those that we’ve done in the past. To do
this, we created a motion system that mounted under the chassis which had three feet of
motion and would move the truck up and down, side to side, and had a degree of rotation built into it.
Being truly full-motion allowed our team to deploy every tool at our disposal to create an immersive and
accurate simulator.
Much of the truck chassis and body was retained, including the hydraulic braking system, with
some modifications to the door bars of the chassis to allow easier entry and exit for the drivers. A large
speed-dependent fan was added, blowing air at the driver as the speeds increased in the game.
Space requirements means that the simulator exclusively uses a Virtual Reality headset,
which enabled a highly realistic visual solution of the real-world truck. The driver sees an exact replica of
this truck, with the Virtual Reality headset tuned for accuracy between the motion of the driver as well s
the truck as it moves through three feet of motion.
The success of this simulator comes in the reaction of everyone who gets in the cockpit. The truck itself
is visually striking, but the seat-of-the-pants feeling is like nothing else – unless you’ve been lucky
enough to drive one in real life. The motion system creates the sensation of the truck flying
through the air, landing hard, sliding across the dirt and ferociously accelerating thanks to the big, 900-
horsepower V8 engine.
A full-motion simulator packaged into a full-size Off-Road Truck is a simulator experience like none other.
If you have a project that needs to be “new and amazing”, get in touch with our Special Projects team to
make it happen.