Would you be interested in a Laser Scanned Isle of Man TT?

[Storris]

UPDATE - 10th May

And we're off - >>> https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1669324602/snaefell-mountain-course-3d-laser-scan

I thought I'd add some interesting info for you all, the number of backers, and where they came from an % of total pledged so far. I'll update this daily/at % milestones.

forum.projectcarsgame.com - 5 - 46.43%
assettocorsa.net - 2 - 22.32%
forum.piboso.com - 1 - 8.93%
members.iracing.com - 1 - 8.93%

External - 1 - 8.93%
Kickstarter - 1 - 4.46%

OP
The sim racing community is pretty deep and widespread and full of talented people who build & mod content for their sims/games on a regular basis.

But there is, so far, one thing that no-one has managed to build, and that is a replica of the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course. There is an abridged version whose developer is in the process of building a full version, but the chances of that being completed seem scarce and are growing scarcer every year.

So I've created a Kickstarter that will be going live at the end of the week.

I've been in contact with a couple of Laser Scanning companies about getting the TT Mountain Course laser scanned and currently have an unofficial cost of £10,000. The scanner will be providing a formal quote in short order.

The resultant data will be distributed via the many Sim Racing forums, free of charge to everyone who wants it in the hopes that we can finally get the racetrack that many of us 2 & 4 wheel sim racers have been longing for.

Would the members here be willing to contribute to a Kickstarter to get this done?

 

[Andy_J]

I would love a laser scanned full TT course in a fully developed Road Racing Motorcycle game. And I would contribute a good sum to have this. But I am not interested in a scanned TT course just for a car sim nor am I willing to contribute to just the laser scanning costs.

Good luck.

 

[Storris]

Thanks for the reply Andy.

The plan is that the data will be open-source so that it's available for everyone who wants it, from GP500 & GPBikes for the hard-core 2-wheelers, to all of the car sims from GPL (if it fits) onwards. The project will also have stretch goals to hire professionals to make complete tracks, if enough funds are raised. I'm currently emailing almost everyone who has ever been involved in building virtual racetracks so I have no further information on this aspect as yet.

I appreciate that you'd prefer a fully stocked & dedicated RR game, but is there anything I've written, or not written yet, that might sway you to support this project?

 

[Andy_J]

Hi Storris.
How could I contribute with no cast iron guarantees that a bike road race sim with the full TT course ever be made? That is my only interest. I like what you are attempting to do though and I wish you good luck.

 

[Storris]

I'm currently talking with someone who might be able to give you as cast iron a guarantee on that score as you're likely to get. I'll be back with info as and when it's available.

 

[Andy_J]

I'm currently talking with someone who might be able to give you as cast iron a guarantee on that score as you're likely to get. I'll be back with info as and when it's available.

See this: http://www.iomtt.com/News/2016/Apri...e-confirms-new-Isle-of-Man-TT-video-game.aspx

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

@Storris you should speak to @Jay Ekkel I think http://www.racedepartment.com/threa...nce-tt-isle-of-man-–-ride-on-the-edge.120655/

 

[Storris]

Andy - I can't decide whether Kylotonn involvement is good or bad, I just tried WRC5 but it wouldn't recognise my wheel!

To update you somewhat; the people I mention above have stated that they wont be supporting my project, unfortunately. That might change in light of the recent TT announcement though, but I doubt there will be anything official from them. They (PiBoSo.com, developer of GP-Bikes.com) had been planning their own licensed TT project, which is obviously a non-starter now. However, the community is still trying to piece together a DIY IoM track. Check their forum out.

Bram - If Kylotonn offer to share their track data with the public that would be great, we (talented devs & modders at least) could hack a version for car sims, without falling foul of studio & forum rules. I seriously doubt that will happen. Jester Interactive haven't even bothered to respond to my request for assistance, their data is over 12 years old and has no commercial value.

Aside from Kylotton & Ride on the Edge, the project received some good news yesterday evening. I've updated the OP, so have a read if you're interested.

 

[Lily Starfox]

EVERYBODY wants a laserscanned Isle of Man!

 

[Storris]

Good to hear Lily. Check the OP for new info.

 

[xnorb]

Wait a second .... it costs 12.500€ to scan 37.7 miles?
The Nordschleife is only 13 miles long.
And your regular F1 track is about 3-4 miles long

So without track fee (or whatever needed) it only costs about 2.000€ to get a track scanned?
Man, that's way cheaper than i thought *g*

 

[Storris]

The costs might not workout that simply xnorb.

The equipment needed can be purchased outright for ~£50,000, and hired on a daily basis for ~£1,500. Survey Grade equipment btw, not DIY gear from Maplins or Radio Spares.
So it's not that expensive, relatively speaking of course, to do laser scanning.

But if you choose to do 'static' scans, then it's going to be a much longer process, with at least 2 people employed full-time. The cost will then depend on the length of the track, and you can expect to be paying at least £100/day for each technician as a minimum.

Our scan will be MLS, basically mobile, the same way the Nurburgring was scanned. In total, data collection, laser-scan and visual image capture, will last approximately approximately 2-3 hours.