Motion Base
What the actor feels matches what the camera sees.
Our motion base is a large electric platform that physically moves a car, a set piece, or talent in six directions at once. Tilt, rise, slide, and rotate, all driven in sync with the virtual scene on the LED wall.
The system
When the background moves, the platform moves with it, so what the actor feels matches what the camera sees. That is what sells a drive, a flight, or a crash in camera, without leaving the stage.
It is a six degrees of freedom electric motion system with 650mm stroke actuators. It is smooth, quiet, repeatable, and rated for heavy loads, so a full vehicle can sit on it and still move convincingly.
On top of it, MergeXR has built a proprietary framework that runs the platform from Unreal. The virtual scene and the physical motion are driven together, so the move on the wall and the move under the actor are one and the same, controlled from a single system we own and can tailor to a shot.
The same framework gives us frame sync. The motion base, the Bolt X camera robot, and the lighting can all be locked to one clock, so movement, camera, and light fire together on the exact same frame, take after take. That is what lets a complex moving shot repeat perfectly for VFX.
How it moves
- Slides forward and back, side to side, and up and down (surge, sway, heave).
- Tilts and turns on all three axes (roll, pitch, yaw).
- Repeats the exact same move take after take.
- Motion profiles tuned per shot, from a gentle sway to a hard impact.
One clock for motion, camera and light
Our own framework locks the platform, the Bolt X and the grid to the same frame.
Specifications
Capacity and build
- Maximum payload
- 2700 kg
- Gross moving load, including base pads
- 2767 kg
- System weight
- approx. 1200 kg
- Footprint
- 2680 × 2560 mm
- Settled height
- 1256 mm
- Actuator stroke, including cushioning zones
- 650 mm
- Power
- 3-phase 380–480 VAC, 50/60 Hz
Electric actuators with integrated static load compensation, which cuts energy use by up to 80 percent and needs no pneumatics.
Motion envelope, per axis
Excursion, velocity, acceleration.
- Surge, forward and back
- 0.63 m · 0.79 m/s · 6 m/s²
- Sway, side to side
- 0.51 m · 0.81 m/s · 6 m/s²
- Heave, up and down
- 0.38 m · 0.55 m/s · 9 m/s²
- Roll
- 24° · 34.3 °/s · 200 °/s²
- Pitch
- 28° · 37.4 °/s · 200 °/s²
- Yaw
- 27° · 41.3 °/s · 400 °/s²
Control
- HyPCoS real-time control software with motion cueing.
- Low-latency Ethernet command and control.
- A special effects library for turbulence, terrain, and other canned moves.
- Data logging and diagnostics for safe, repeatable runs.
Built for
- Car and vehicle rigs.
- Flight and turbulence.
- Crashes and impacts.
- Any dynamic move that needs to repeat.
- Face replacement, so a double can perform the move and the lead is placed in after.
Recent work
- We have used the motion base on recent productions, including work for Netflix.
- See the full breakdown on the dedicated case study.
Next step
Describe the move you need.
