Apps SimCycling for Assetto Corsa v0.4

Damien Wintz · Apr 29, 2020

Damien Wintz submitted a new resource:

SimCycling for Assetto Corsa - Train with your bicycle home trainer in Assetto Corsa

Full description on GitHub :

dmwnz/SimCycling

Use your bike and your home trainer as a controller in racing simulation games. - dmwnz/SimCycling

github.com

Read more about this resource...

Scarystuff · Apr 29, 2020

at the beginning of the video when you start pedalling, the 'bike' doesn't move at all until a few seconds later and it seems the speed you are pedalling is not related to the speed of the 'bike' on the track. Is it possible to get it to match? Is it possible to get the resistance to match the elevation on the track? Do wind settings in the game affect the resistance when pedalling? Is any of the settings in the apps and elsewhere dependent on what car you choose? I would assume a very low powered slow car would suit the app better and maybe make for more precise speed control?

Damien Wintz · Apr 29, 2020

Hi, thank you for your interest in this app.

The speed in game is representative of the pedalling strength.
The current pedalling power (in watts) is used to compute a speed that is then replicated ingame. So the ingame speed depends on how fast you are pedalling

(maybe with a couple of seconds of delay)

If your home trainer has smart capabilities (ANT+ FE-C protocol), then the trainer resistance varies on the shape of the road (i.e. steep hills are simulated so it's harder to pedal) - that is, unless you are in "workout mode"... In that mode, the resistance is controlled to keep you at a steady power target.

What car you choose doesn't change the behavior. The app controls the throttle in order to replicate a certain target speed regardless of the power of the car.

Scarystuff · Apr 29, 2020

Thanks for a quick reponse

Additional question: If not using a smartphone to control steering, how does it then steer? Does it just follow the AI line around the track?

Ruttman98 · Apr 29, 2020

When I started rebuilding my rig, I told myself I needed to exercise an hour before doing any racing. I was exploring different virtual cycling apps not long ago. Any ideas on a good, absolutely enty level smart cycle trainer?

This is intriguing--we can do a "track (cycle) walk" to know the circuit AND get exercise!

Need to get a sim fan project going for added immersion . . .

Gives a whole new meaning to pedal inquiries.

Damien Wintz · Apr 29, 2020

Scarystuff said:
Thanks for a quick reponse Additional question: If not using a smartphone to control steering, how does it then steer? Does it just follow the AI line around the track?

Yep ! and supposedly the steering algorithm supports overtaking the slowpokes in case of multiplayer, but that feature hasn't been extensively tested yet.

Damien Wintz · Apr 29, 2020

Ruttman98 said:
When I started rebuilding my rig, I told myself I needed to exercise an hour before doing any racing. I was exploring different virtual cycling apps not long ago. Any ideas on a good, absolutely enty level smart cycle trainer?

The trainer market (much like a lot of the cycling market) is flooded with rubbish hyped by marketing. Mine's a Bkool Smart Pro from a few years ago (450€+ new) and I wouldn't recommend it. It's very loud and poorly designed overall.

If I were to try a new one at this time I think I would consider the Fliiiight (seems like a very clever design) or maybe one of the (chinese) Thinkrider ones if you want to go the direct drive way.

4iiii Shop - USA/World: Fliiiight Smart Trainer

Silent. Portable. Zero Contact. Introducing the 4iiii Fliiiight Smart Trainer. With near silent operation and ease of setup, the Fliiiight Smart Trainer raises the bar for your next sweat-inducing session on your favourite training app. Learn more about Fliiiight and join the standby list for...

shop.4iiii.com

Ruttman98 · Apr 29, 2020

Damien Wintz said:
The trainer market (much like a lot of the cycling market) is flooded with rubbish hyped by marketing. Mine's a Bkool Smart Pro from a few years ago (450€+ new) and I wouldn't recommend it. It's very loud and poorly designed overall.

If I were to try a new one at this time I think I would consider the Fliiiight (seems like a very clever design) or maybe one of the (chinese) Thinkrider ones if you want to go the direct drive way.

4iiii Shop - USA/World: Fliiiight Smart Trainer

Silent. Portable. Zero Contact. Introducing the 4iiii Fliiiight Smart Trainer. With near silent operation and ease of setup, the Fliiiight Smart Trainer raises the bar for your next sweat-inducing session on your favourite training app. Learn more about Fliiiight and join the standby list for...

shop.4iiii.com

Thank you for posting; I think direct drive makes sense--more initial cost but no tires to wear out.

JaapWgt22 · Apr 30, 2020

Hello Damien!

This is a fantastic project. I'm an avid cyclist (also indoor) and simracer, so this is great for me. I have a Tacx Neo and tried to set it. It all works, also shows my HR and power ingame, but the car doesn't move forward. I set the Throttle axis in the 'direction + gaz vjoy.ini' controller preset to the value below, but the car doesn't move.

[THROTTLE]
JOY=0
AXLE=1

Any idea how to fix it?

JaapWgt22 · Apr 30, 2020

in the CMD window it says 'Failed getting vjoy attributes'. That may be the problem. Any ideas?

Damien Wintz · Apr 30, 2020

Have you installed Vjoy as per the software requirements state in the readme on GitHub ?

Also check that [num] in JOY=[num] matches CON[num]="vJoy Device" in Assetto Corsa ini file, that would ensure the axis is bound to the correct controller (i.e. vjoy that is used to "programmatically" control the throttle)

[CONTROLLERS]
CON0=vJoy Device
CON1=Controller (XBOX 360 For Windows)

JaapWgt22 · Apr 30, 2020

Sorry! I missed that instruction

I installed Vjoy and set up the ini file like this (and of course selected this preset in the AC control options in the menu):

[CONTROLLERS]
CON0=vJoy Device
CON1=Controller (XBOX 360 For Windows)

[STEER]
JOY=0
AXLE=3
SCALE=1
LOCK=900
FF_GAIN=1
FILTER_FF=0
STEER_GAMMA=1
STEER_FILTER=0
SPEED_SENSITIVITY=0
DEBOUNCING_MS=50

[THROTTLE]
JOY=0
AXLE=1
MIN=0.0001
MAX=1

However, still the same in-game. The power is recognized, but the car doesn't move forward.

I made a video which shows the issue:

Do you have a clue? Do I need to configure anything in the vJoy application?

PS: Huge respect for pulling this off

Damien Wintz · Apr 30, 2020

Hmm still seems like a Vjoy binding issue to me.

You can try going in the controller options, and use "Vjoy feeder" (demo app available after you install vjoy) to see if the steering and gas are properly mapped.

Also make sure you have automatic gears enabled otherwise the car might stay in Neutral no matter the throttle

Damien Wintz · Apr 30, 2020

Damien Wintz updated SimCycling for Assetto Corsa with a new update entry:

Version 0.3

Various fixes and improvements

fix behavior when link with ANT equipment is poor

fix workout cooldown segments in improper order

fix workout warmup segments staying constant

fix UI when workout finishes

fix repeated interval workout segments

improve python UI behavior when starting and loading a workout

improve FIT file output

improve app stop behavior

add configurable incline bounds to save your knees or your neighbours' ears

add dedicated workout timer...

Read the rest of this update entry...

JaapWgt22 · Apr 30, 2020

Oof. It's was the 'Automatic gears'. That was off :O Did I miss that in the instructions as well?

Enabled it and it works. Autosteering as well. Excellent. Going to install v0.3 and will do some testing

Thanks a lot!

Blamer · Apr 30, 2020

Fantastic app, really great idea.
I don't have bike rollers, but should I ever get ones I'd use this app for sure.

Thanks for sharing it

Reddvers · Apr 30, 2020

This is awesome. As someone who has used Zwift far too much during the UK lockdown (I would rather be riding around London but trying to be a good citizen in my isolation), the biggest thing Zwift is missing is having the ability to race a ghost.

Now with this mod I can race myself around tracks.....................Tour De Nordschleife to win the Green Hell Jersey ?

Thanks so much this mod.

Jim

zehazoltan · Apr 30, 2020

this is genious

Paintboxer · Apr 30, 2020

I don't really have the biggest interest in cycling or any bike rollers to try out this app. But I just wanted to take the time to say I think this is great idea, showcasing the amazing flexibility and capabilities of AC. Keep up the good work!