Motion Racing Rig - 3-Axis HERO (H3) with SFU - DOF Reality

The DOF motion platform can be used with any VR headset. There are some subtleties to be considered when combining VR with a motion platform. The motion platform will move the player’s head, which will move the VR headset, which will automatically affect the amount of movement you see in the VR image. Most of the time, the degree of motion is not enough to impact gameplay and can be ignored like in this example video https://youtu.be/oi8yvWzZXVw. If the additional motion of the VR image is too extreme, you might need to turn down the motion of the platform to a lower setting. This will minimize the “hopping/swimming” type of effects in the image and will give you a smoother experience with VR.

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Software Solution for Motion Compensation

If the amount of movement in the VR image is too much and you do not want to turn down the motion, you can utilize motion compensation software which removes the platform movement from the VR image. OpenVR Motion Compensation is the current software to be utilized for motion compensation which can be downloaded here: https://ovrmc.dschadu.de/. OpenVR Motion Compensation will track the movement of a tracker mounted on the platform and remove the motion of the platform from the movement of the VR headset. OpenVR Motion Compensation can work with both types of VR headsets (base stations and inside-out tracking).

• OpenVR Motion Compensation Tutorial Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MqGO46xdtI&t
• OpenVR Motion Compensation Install and Setup: https://ovrmc.dschadu.de/en/setup

There are primarily two types of VR headsets and they require the tracker to be mounted differently. Ones that utilize base stations (outside-in) for tracking of the VR headset movements such as the Valve Index, HTC Vive Cosmos, Pimax 5k/8k* and the original Oculus Rift (CV1). The other type utilizes cameras in the headsets that provide inside-out tracking which include the HP Reverb/G2, Oculus Quest/Quest 2/Rift S**, Samsung HMD Odyssey+ and other Windows Mix Reality (WMR) type headsets.

For VR headsets that utilize base stations, a tracker or controller (Valve Index Controller, HTC Vive Controller, HTC Vive Tracker) must be mounted on the motion platform and be in-line of sight by all the base stations. It does not matter where the tracker is mounted as long as its visible to all the base stations, though typically they are mounted near the head at the top of the chair.

For VR headsets that utilize inside-out tracking via the cameras on the headset, a controller (Oculus Touch Controller or WMR Controller) must be mounted on the front of the motion platform so it is in-line of sight of the cameras on the headset.

In either case, the tracker must be 1) firmly mounted to the platform and 2) must utilize some type of vibration mitigation. Vibration mitigation can be achieved by 1) adding additional mass/weight to the mount so it absorbs vibration energy and 2) using a vibration absorption material like soft rubber or Sorbothane.

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Another potential software solution is the older version of motion cancellation called OpenVR Input Emulator. Though it is no longer being developed, there is still limited support from the community via its download page here: https://github.com/matzman666/OpenVR-InputEmulator/releases.

• HTC Vive/Vive Pro: https://dofreality.com/HTCMotionCancellation.pdf
• Oculus Rift setup: https://dofreality.com/OpenVR.pdf

* For Pimax users, the PiTool can potentially be utilized for VR Motion Compensation: https://www.pimax.com/pages/pitool. In PiTool, turn on a Valve Index controller, select it as the sensor in PiTool “Motion Cancellation’ and open the game. However, support is not guaranteed and may not work properly.

** The Oculus driver for SteamVR is made by Valve and not by Oculus as they only support their own closed eco-system. This causes issues with 1) big motions on Oculus devices might see a black border on the edge of your view and 2) rotation is not always compensated correctly.

Hardware/Non-Software Based Solutions for Motion Compensation

1. For VR headsets with inside-out tracking, consider covering one of the cameras with tape. It will prevent the headset movements from being tracked in the environment and provide some VR motion compensation without significant side effects and the need to use motion compensation software: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksy7AxjbcD0
2. For the Oculus Rift, attach the sensor the platform using the DOF Oculus mount and cover the cameras on the VR headset. This disables the 3D tracking, which prevents the camera from jumping around in the game. However, this method also disables the rotation tracking, so if the motion platform turns on its yaw axis, you will have to turn your head to look forward in game. It’s suggested to limit the Yaw movement in your motion platform software in order to make the rotation just enough for you to feel but you will not have to turn your head to look forward in the game. This of course is not ideal, but doesn’t require motion compensation software.
3. For original Oculus Rift (CV1) users, the Oculus Rift sensor could be mounted directly to your DOF Reality platform to provide simulated motion compensation without the need to use motion compensation software; however, due to recent Oculus update this solution may or may not work. DOF Reality includes a mount for the Oculus Rift sensor in your DOF hardware shipment which should be placed at the front of the platform looking back at the VR headset. Mount the bracket to the two holes at the back of the wheel deck plate so it extends up and out to the front of the platform.

Additional VR Motion Compensation Resources

"I've been using my D-BOX rig for a few years now and I can say that it really does create the feeling of being in a real race car. The subtle cues provided by the haptic system are extremely similar to what I feel behind the wheel, and practicing with D-BOX has become an invaluable part of my training regimen."

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