The CP-1 : A DIY Command seat (build log - formally C-Pod))
The time has come to start a new project; a command chair/pod. Rather than make a full blown cockpit (for which I don't have sufficient space), I will be building a seat with the HOTAS built into it. I'm intending to buy a Rift at some point so I simply want to sit somewhere where I can fully immerse myself. It must look the part as well. I generally post a build log for my projects to kick me into action and help me to stay focused. It's also useful to get community feedback and, if I'm honest, words of encouragement also. The latter helps to motivate so feel free to post comments!
This opening post is just a brain dump of ideas at present.
In terms of hardware, I already have the TM Warthog and Saitek Combat rudder pedals. The HOTAS will be incorporated into 2 mini pods either side of the chair, the pedals will be built into front of the seat and be suspended rather than lie flat on the floor. The design will take some inspiration from the in-game chairs, specifically the seat shape and the upholstery, but also from some of my other project builds.
From kicking a few ideas around, I can see that the seat shape, in terms of the contours, will present the most challenges. Upholstering can be very difficult as I've had some previous experience with that previously. Getting the shape correct, whilst making things comfortable and seamless will no doubt prove a little problematic but I do like a design challenge.
A bit more of a breakdown on my current thinking:
The overall design of the chair will follow the design of the one in-game:
The chair panels will broadly follow the in-game seat:
I'm not kidding myself that this is going to be easy and will take some time. My last project took around 350 hours to complete so I am prepared to invest the necessary effort needed to achieve the desired result. One change I will be making is to have less of an extension at the front where the leg rests are. This is due to space issues. I will be considering a centre partition in the base of the seat for a movable control panel (moveable for easy access) where a control device can sit.
The material I've selected for the seat is a flint gray leather fabric which is 2 way stretchable:
It's very important to get the stretchable vinyl to work around difficult shapes. An example from a previous build is here (dashboard top panel):
The further challenge will be presented due to the foam I will be using for the seat; a hard rather than pliable surface is much easier to work with.
The seat mini pods located to the sides will be shaped and have various inserts for materials. They will need to be wider than those presented in-game but the basic design principles will likely follow those I adopted for my racing simulator shifter pod:
The inlays here use automotive mesh, a fine ribbed rubber material and cast acrylic sheet with artwork placed underneath. I used an accent colour underneath the mesh for a bit of interest and will likely go for orange to keep in line with the ED colour scheme. The materials I'm intending to use can be seen better in this picture:
The vinyl accent, ribbed rubber and the mesh can be seen more clearly here:
This also shows some aluminium inserts which I may use on the seat sides.
The main difference from previous projects will be due to more shallow bevels I intend to use around the edges. This is again to keep space to a minimum but also to streamline the design more.
Just for a bit of self indulgence and to give a better view on the design aesthetics I'm targeting, here are a few picture of previous projects:
Sim Racing Simulator:
Console cabinet for my son:
Acade machine:
So, lots of sharp angles involved which I feel would be appropriate for this design.
If you would like to see how the techniques were executed with a video tour of the racing sim build, I have a full breakdown with 100's of posts and pictures here:
http://www.isrtv.com/forums/topic/12145-r-pod-mkii-main-project-complete-brief-video-tour-added/
As mentioned earlier, please do provide comments and feedback to kick me into action
Edit: Initial concept sketch:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Current state of the build:
Artwork:
Centre console mechanism:
HOTAS Cases:
The time has come to start a new project; a command chair/pod. Rather than make a full blown cockpit (for which I don't have sufficient space), I will be building a seat with the HOTAS built into it. I'm intending to buy a Rift at some point so I simply want to sit somewhere where I can fully immerse myself. It must look the part as well. I generally post a build log for my projects to kick me into action and help me to stay focused. It's also useful to get community feedback and, if I'm honest, words of encouragement also. The latter helps to motivate so feel free to post comments!
This opening post is just a brain dump of ideas at present.
In terms of hardware, I already have the TM Warthog and Saitek Combat rudder pedals. The HOTAS will be incorporated into 2 mini pods either side of the chair, the pedals will be built into front of the seat and be suspended rather than lie flat on the floor. The design will take some inspiration from the in-game chairs, specifically the seat shape and the upholstery, but also from some of my other project builds.
From kicking a few ideas around, I can see that the seat shape, in terms of the contours, will present the most challenges. Upholstering can be very difficult as I've had some previous experience with that previously. Getting the shape correct, whilst making things comfortable and seamless will no doubt prove a little problematic but I do like a design challenge.
A bit more of a breakdown on my current thinking:
The overall design of the chair will follow the design of the one in-game:
The chair panels will broadly follow the in-game seat:
I'm not kidding myself that this is going to be easy and will take some time. My last project took around 350 hours to complete so I am prepared to invest the necessary effort needed to achieve the desired result. One change I will be making is to have less of an extension at the front where the leg rests are. This is due to space issues. I will be considering a centre partition in the base of the seat for a movable control panel (moveable for easy access) where a control device can sit.
The material I've selected for the seat is a flint gray leather fabric which is 2 way stretchable:
It's very important to get the stretchable vinyl to work around difficult shapes. An example from a previous build is here (dashboard top panel):
The further challenge will be presented due to the foam I will be using for the seat; a hard rather than pliable surface is much easier to work with.
The seat mini pods located to the sides will be shaped and have various inserts for materials. They will need to be wider than those presented in-game but the basic design principles will likely follow those I adopted for my racing simulator shifter pod:
The inlays here use automotive mesh, a fine ribbed rubber material and cast acrylic sheet with artwork placed underneath. I used an accent colour underneath the mesh for a bit of interest and will likely go for orange to keep in line with the ED colour scheme. The materials I'm intending to use can be seen better in this picture:
The vinyl accent, ribbed rubber and the mesh can be seen more clearly here:
This also shows some aluminium inserts which I may use on the seat sides.
The main difference from previous projects will be due to more shallow bevels I intend to use around the edges. This is again to keep space to a minimum but also to streamline the design more.
Just for a bit of self indulgence and to give a better view on the design aesthetics I'm targeting, here are a few picture of previous projects:
Sim Racing Simulator:
Console cabinet for my son:
Acade machine:
So, lots of sharp angles involved which I feel would be appropriate for this design.
If you would like to see how the techniques were executed with a video tour of the racing sim build, I have a full breakdown with 100's of posts and pictures here:
http://www.isrtv.com/forums/topic/12145-r-pod-mkii-main-project-complete-brief-video-tour-added/
As mentioned earlier, please do provide comments and feedback to kick me into action
Edit: Initial concept sketch:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Current state of the build:
Artwork:
Centre console mechanism:
HOTAS Cases:
Last edited:
