Hi everyone.
I have made some interviews of Reiza team. Enjoy ;-)
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Part 1 :
1 - Hi Niels. Poeple see sometimes your name in some videos, like the recent one for the Corvette C6. If we know that you are in charge of car physics, can you tell us more about you? Is it a simple hobby for you or a full time work?
I'm really lucky that I can do simulator work full time now. Of course I work for Reiza Studios, but I also have some professional clients, both race teams and driver training simulators. I optimize the physics for them so the car handles better while using real data. This part of my business is still small but the potential is great and things are constantly improving. On my website http://www.h-engineering.nl you can view some brochures I made for my software.
2 - Can you describe your cursus in the real life (studies, professional works) and in the sim world? Did you work for other sim companies?
I studied mechanical engineering and technology management. I spent my first few working years in more social environments, as a job coach for people with ADHD or autism. Trying to help them find and more importantly keep a job. I had simpler jobs before that, mainly administrative work in fun and social places. That meant I could focus on vehicle dynamics and simulation in my spare time, as these jobs were not stressfull and I was always home at 17:30.
In 2010 I went all simracing. A company nearby ( http://www.gpsim.eu ) makes F1 entertainment simulators but also planned to do simulators for police / ambulance. For this the physics engine was lacking and I work with the main programmer to fix bugs and implement better models for tires, suspension etc. This went very well and it paid off in the F1 simulator too. Also in 2010, Game StockCar development started. Finally I made GP2 and GP3 car models for Arden in the UK which really transformed their simulator into a useful tool, which made me positive about doing 'pro' physics work in the future. Now it is 2012, and much of the same is still happening and I have plenty of ideas to make sure I can continue doing these things for years to come.
3 - You did a great job with GSC. What was appealing you in this project? How did you meet Renato? Did he come to you or did you come to him?
Thank you, I'm glad you and a lot of simracers like GSC. I first met Renato after he did the 1979 mod for rFactor. I emailed him saying it was all wrong! At that time I had no physics knowledge whatsoever. When Renato contacted me with Reiza Studios in mind, perhaps he forgot about that email I sent some years earlier...
What appealed to me was that I had a lot of freedom and that full on simulation was the target. I also liked the idea of working with Alex as a sim is only as good as the circuits you drive on, and with GSC I'd be part of a team of good folks where the end result could be greater than the sum of its parts.
4 - You make videos, write some articles, do some technical pdf, etc. You immerse us into the world of physics (and I don't know other poeple who do this). Sure it is a passion but can you explain us what is so fascinating for you in this special world?
Great question, very long answer! As a kid I somehow wanted to play race games, but I don't recall why that was. Then I saw and taped the RUF Faszination video on the Discovery Channel, I think around 1995. I was completely amazed by Stefan Roser and his ability to slide the overpowered car around the Nurburgring. This affirmed what I always believed; cars are drivable at and beyond the limit and it seemed fun and challenging. Then, true story, my mum taped over the recording so the next time I wanted to view it I was greeted with Oprah! Now we have youtube and this is probably the best quality available:
So back then I thought games and simulators would get better and in a few years I would be a virtual Stefan Roser.
They didn't get better though. I loved Grand Prix Legends but after that nothing made the next step. I got quite angry as my hobby was at stake here! So I started to complain to Renato and his 1979 mod, complain to ISI about their bad physics engine. Then I realized this wasn't going to make things better so I started to look at the physics files and tweaking them in search of better handling. This was mightily frustrating as I was changing a few numbers in Notepad, but had little idea what actually got calculated with these numbers. I also didn't have the overview of the entire car. Perhaps the suspension had the tires on sideways, at which point its not too important trying to feel what 1% more grip does. I had basic Excel skills and figured it could be used to calculate useful things and even write text (physics) files. This was 2007, the start of my physics work. I began learning about Excel, vehicle dynamics and the rfactor physics engine.
It is fascinating that after 5 years I still learn something every week and when I make a car now, like the Corvette, it is better than the one I did 2 years ago. There is so much going on in tires, chassis, suspension, aero, and it all affects eachother. A system with so many variables is a huge challenge to control, and it is very easy to make the wrong decisions or forget about something important. I try to be very methodic and objective, as physics is not an art but a science. Everybody blamed the physics engine when something didn't work and used that as an excuse to use random numbers. I stuck with my methodic and scientific aproach and now I can make a 1:8 scale remote control car or a 600.000kg mining truck. This shows that the physics engine ISI made is very good and it is also a triumph of my method against the usual "Notepadding". I always love it when science and method wins from subjective 'feel'.
Most importantly though, nowadays I can actually play "Virtual Stefan Roser" at the Nurburgring, and there is no sign of ever reaching the end; things can always improve as I am only just at a basic level of knowledge about vehicle dynamics and physics. I wouldn't want to do anything else in my lifetime!
I have made some interviews of Reiza team. Enjoy ;-)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Part 1 :
1 - Hi Niels. Poeple see sometimes your name in some videos, like the recent one for the Corvette C6. If we know that you are in charge of car physics, can you tell us more about you? Is it a simple hobby for you or a full time work?
I'm really lucky that I can do simulator work full time now. Of course I work for Reiza Studios, but I also have some professional clients, both race teams and driver training simulators. I optimize the physics for them so the car handles better while using real data. This part of my business is still small but the potential is great and things are constantly improving. On my website http://www.h-engineering.nl you can view some brochures I made for my software.
2 - Can you describe your cursus in the real life (studies, professional works) and in the sim world? Did you work for other sim companies?
I studied mechanical engineering and technology management. I spent my first few working years in more social environments, as a job coach for people with ADHD or autism. Trying to help them find and more importantly keep a job. I had simpler jobs before that, mainly administrative work in fun and social places. That meant I could focus on vehicle dynamics and simulation in my spare time, as these jobs were not stressfull and I was always home at 17:30.
In 2010 I went all simracing. A company nearby ( http://www.gpsim.eu ) makes F1 entertainment simulators but also planned to do simulators for police / ambulance. For this the physics engine was lacking and I work with the main programmer to fix bugs and implement better models for tires, suspension etc. This went very well and it paid off in the F1 simulator too. Also in 2010, Game StockCar development started. Finally I made GP2 and GP3 car models for Arden in the UK which really transformed their simulator into a useful tool, which made me positive about doing 'pro' physics work in the future. Now it is 2012, and much of the same is still happening and I have plenty of ideas to make sure I can continue doing these things for years to come.
3 - You did a great job with GSC. What was appealing you in this project? How did you meet Renato? Did he come to you or did you come to him?
Thank you, I'm glad you and a lot of simracers like GSC. I first met Renato after he did the 1979 mod for rFactor. I emailed him saying it was all wrong! At that time I had no physics knowledge whatsoever. When Renato contacted me with Reiza Studios in mind, perhaps he forgot about that email I sent some years earlier...
What appealed to me was that I had a lot of freedom and that full on simulation was the target. I also liked the idea of working with Alex as a sim is only as good as the circuits you drive on, and with GSC I'd be part of a team of good folks where the end result could be greater than the sum of its parts.
4 - You make videos, write some articles, do some technical pdf, etc. You immerse us into the world of physics (and I don't know other poeple who do this). Sure it is a passion but can you explain us what is so fascinating for you in this special world?
Great question, very long answer! As a kid I somehow wanted to play race games, but I don't recall why that was. Then I saw and taped the RUF Faszination video on the Discovery Channel, I think around 1995. I was completely amazed by Stefan Roser and his ability to slide the overpowered car around the Nurburgring. This affirmed what I always believed; cars are drivable at and beyond the limit and it seemed fun and challenging. Then, true story, my mum taped over the recording so the next time I wanted to view it I was greeted with Oprah! Now we have youtube and this is probably the best quality available:
So back then I thought games and simulators would get better and in a few years I would be a virtual Stefan Roser.
They didn't get better though. I loved Grand Prix Legends but after that nothing made the next step. I got quite angry as my hobby was at stake here! So I started to complain to Renato and his 1979 mod, complain to ISI about their bad physics engine. Then I realized this wasn't going to make things better so I started to look at the physics files and tweaking them in search of better handling. This was mightily frustrating as I was changing a few numbers in Notepad, but had little idea what actually got calculated with these numbers. I also didn't have the overview of the entire car. Perhaps the suspension had the tires on sideways, at which point its not too important trying to feel what 1% more grip does. I had basic Excel skills and figured it could be used to calculate useful things and even write text (physics) files. This was 2007, the start of my physics work. I began learning about Excel, vehicle dynamics and the rfactor physics engine.
It is fascinating that after 5 years I still learn something every week and when I make a car now, like the Corvette, it is better than the one I did 2 years ago. There is so much going on in tires, chassis, suspension, aero, and it all affects eachother. A system with so many variables is a huge challenge to control, and it is very easy to make the wrong decisions or forget about something important. I try to be very methodic and objective, as physics is not an art but a science. Everybody blamed the physics engine when something didn't work and used that as an excuse to use random numbers. I stuck with my methodic and scientific aproach and now I can make a 1:8 scale remote control car or a 600.000kg mining truck. This shows that the physics engine ISI made is very good and it is also a triumph of my method against the usual "Notepadding". I always love it when science and method wins from subjective 'feel'.
Most importantly though, nowadays I can actually play "Virtual Stefan Roser" at the Nurburgring, and there is no sign of ever reaching the end; things can always improve as I am only just at a basic level of knowledge about vehicle dynamics and physics. I wouldn't want to do anything else in my lifetime!