For years I have had blind faith in online FOV calculators but to try and get everything to align meant endless adjustments of seating position and rig components. But when I recently gave myself a long break from sim racing when I came back to it I immediately realised that the FOV was simply wrong. It seems our brains are very capable of adjusting to what we see or want to see and accept it as normal i.e. 2D as 3D. Above all the scale of geometry was clearly off.
So basically I’ve come to the conclusion that FOV calculators would be spot on if we were cyclopes. Since we are not and have two eyes it obviously explains why 3D and especially VR which use double imaging technology, one for each eye, are far more immersive. However for now at least I stand by the superior resolution of 2D.
So having now made every effort to match wheel diameter, reach and tilt angle to the real world car I have discovered that by reducing the FOV calculator results by 8 clicks (so 5° vertical or 8° horizontal) almost every car in AC (and PC2) lines up perfectly with my wheel using the default cockpit cam, I’ve only had to adjust the seat height and view angle to match eye level to the horizon (I believe the developers have compromised the default view by simply lowering and/or tilting the camera for optimal instrument panel visibility) and thats it ! Its not perfect, its still a 2D compromise but its a game changer nonetheless. If you try this immediately without a break like I had of course its going to seem a little odd at first but everything then starts to make better sense:
Everything is to scale including the wheel
A-pillars are in the right place
Track scenery has real presence
Apexes are clearly visible
Circuit elevation is obvious
There is a clear line of sight through other vehicles
Wing mirrors are visible
And incedibly even the FFB is improved being more tight and precise
------------------------
Of course you unfortunately need a fully adjustable rig with the right size steering wheels at the right tilt angle and distance from you as your eye to screen distance needs to be fixed. For example my screen is 65.5" or 144cm across (16:9 1080p) with a 130cm viewing distance which if any closer will have pixelation issues so its basically the smallest screen size you can use as AC is at 30° vertical FOV but thats life…
Anyway hope you managed to get through this and that its interesting to some of you and might help if you were having the same doubts as I was. If you aren't convinced by VR and want a more immersive 2D experience and are willing to compromise then give it a try !
So basically I’ve come to the conclusion that FOV calculators would be spot on if we were cyclopes. Since we are not and have two eyes it obviously explains why 3D and especially VR which use double imaging technology, one for each eye, are far more immersive. However for now at least I stand by the superior resolution of 2D.
------------------------
So having now made every effort to match wheel diameter, reach and tilt angle to the real world car I have discovered that by reducing the FOV calculator results by 8 clicks (so 5° vertical or 8° horizontal) almost every car in AC (and PC2) lines up perfectly with my wheel using the default cockpit cam, I’ve only had to adjust the seat height and view angle to match eye level to the horizon (I believe the developers have compromised the default view by simply lowering and/or tilting the camera for optimal instrument panel visibility) and thats it ! Its not perfect, its still a 2D compromise but its a game changer nonetheless. If you try this immediately without a break like I had of course its going to seem a little odd at first but everything then starts to make better sense:
Everything is to scale including the wheel
A-pillars are in the right place
Track scenery has real presence
Apexes are clearly visible
Circuit elevation is obvious
There is a clear line of sight through other vehicles
Wing mirrors are visible
And incedibly even the FFB is improved being more tight and precise
------------------------
Of course you unfortunately need a fully adjustable rig with the right size steering wheels at the right tilt angle and distance from you as your eye to screen distance needs to be fixed. For example my screen is 65.5" or 144cm across (16:9 1080p) with a 130cm viewing distance which if any closer will have pixelation issues so its basically the smallest screen size you can use as AC is at 30° vertical FOV but thats life…
Anyway hope you managed to get through this and that its interesting to some of you and might help if you were having the same doubts as I was. If you aren't convinced by VR and want a more immersive 2D experience and are willing to compromise then give it a try !
Last edited: