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Applications · For simulator OEMs and system integrators
Motion Simulator Platform for OEMs & Integrators
We design and manufacture custom electric 3DOF and 6DOF motion-platform subsystems for professional simulator OEMs and system integrators. Our scope can include the platform, controller and agreed platform-side interfaces for integration beneath an integrator-owned cockpit, cabin or research rig.
Supply boundary: our standard overseas scope stops at the motion-platform subsystem. The simulator host, flight or vehicle model, visual system, training content and complete-system qualification remain within the integrator’s scope unless separately agreed in writing.
Platform subsystem
3DOF or 6DOF
Integrator interface
Platform-level FAT
One accountable platform subsystem
What the Motion Platform Supply Package Can Include
This page is for teams that already own—or are engineering—the surrounding simulator and need a manufacturer to design and supply the motion-platform layer.
We start with the moving assembly, motion objective, host architecture and acceptance boundary. A model number or nominal payload alone is not enough to approve a configuration.
A strong fit
Start a Platform Review If You Are…
- A simulator OEM or system integrator
- A research or engineering team building a professional simulator
- Defining a flight, driving, DIL, HIL or special-purpose project
- Prepared to provide moving-load and interface information
Outside this page
This Is Not a Consumer Simulator Store
- No standard gaming-rig compatibility list
- No complete cockpit, visual or PC package by default
- No universal plug-and-play software promise
- No complete simulator certification claim
CSCMotion typically supplies
The Motion-Platform Layer
- Project-specific 3DOF or 6DOF mechanical platform
- Electric actuation, servo drives and motion controller
- Electrical cabinet and platform-side safety functions
- Agreed command, status and feedback interface
- Platform documentation and factory acceptance records
- Contracted remote or on-site interface support
The integrator typically supplies
The Complete Simulator System
- Cockpit, cabin, vehicle buck, seats and moving equipment
- Flight, vehicle or equipment model and host computer
- Visual, audio, controls, training and instructor functions
- Motion cueing unless included as a separate work package
- Site layout, overall guarding and system risk assessment
- Complete-system SAT, qualification and certification
Choose by What the Platform Must Do
The same mechanism can serve different engineering purposes. Start with the required physical outcome and use the application page that owns that workflow.
Integrator-owned
Flight, Vehicle or Equipment Model
Apply a controlled trajectory to a component, fixture or complete test article.
Contract-defined
Motion Cueing or Command Layer
Ownership and tuning responsibility must be agreed.
Jointly defined
Interface Control Contract
Commands, coordinates, rates, states, faults and feedback.
CSCMotion scope
Motion Controller
Processes the approved platform command and operating state.
CSCMotion scope
Drives, Actuators and Platform
Creates motion within the approved load and workspace.
Integrator-owned
Moving Simulator Assembly
Cockpit, cabin, buck, users, displays, controls and cables.
- Integrator-owned
- Jointly defined
- CSCMotion-supplied
Status, position feedback, readiness and safety signals return through the agreed interface. Complete-system behavior depends on every layer—not the motion platform alone.
Flight and Driving Simulator Platform Applications
The general integration framework is shared, but the moving assembly, motion objective, host architecture and validation method differ. Use the specialist page when the application is already known.
Flight simulator integrators
Flight Simulator Motion Platforms
Define the moving cockpit, mass properties, required cues, control-loading interaction, command source, safety chain and platform-level acceptance.
Explore Flight Simulator Platforms →
DIL and vehicle research
Driving Simulator Motion Platforms
Define the vehicle buck, driver task, vehicle model or HIL architecture, cue set, display arrangement, interface timing and platform acceptance.
Explore Driving Simulator Platforms →
Conditional application review
Other Professional Simulator Programs
Rail, heavy-equipment, special training and non-standard research simulators may use the same platform engineering principles, but each requires a defined moving load, motion source and system boundary.
Discuss a Special-Purpose Project →
Define the Simulator Before Selecting the Platform
These inputs allow us to review whether a motion platform is appropriate, which axes matter and what mechanical and control architecture deserves further calculation.
01 Simulator Purpose
Training, engineering development, DIL/HIL, research, demonstration or another defined task.
02 Complete Moving Assembly
Cockpit, cabin, seats, controls, displays, occupants, fixtures, cables and the full moving envelope.
03 Mass Properties
Gross moving mass, center of gravity, offsets, distribution and estimated inertia where available.
04 Motion Source & Objective
Model, cueing layer or trajectory source, plus the physical cues or motion result the platform must support.
05 Reference & Workspace
Axes, coordinate frame, reference point, combined translations and rotations, trajectory and duty cycle.
06 Host Interface
Command format, units, sign convention, update rate, state logic, feedback and fault handling.
07 Acceptance Method
Approved test load, representative trajectory, measurement point, independent instrument, tolerance, platform FAT, site SAT and documentation ownership.
A useful first submission: send the application objective, moving-assembly drawing, estimated total moving mass, known center of gravity, required axes and one representative command or motion profile. Unknown fields can be marked for engineering review.
3DOF or 6DOF for a Professional Simulator?
Do not select a motion simulator platform from the industry label alone. The appropriate architecture follows the cue objective, moving load, mass properties, usable combined workspace and acceptance method.
| Decision factor | 3DOF motion platform | 6DOF motion platform |
|---|---|---|
| Motion axes | Three project-defined axes. The exact combination must be stated; not every 3DOF platform uses the same axes. | Coordinated surge, sway, heave, roll, pitch and yaw within the approved combined workspace. |
| When to review it | The cue objective is limited to a defined axis set, and space or system complexity is constrained. | The application requires coupled translation and rotation or more complete control of the payload pose. |
| Engineering focus | Confirm that the selected axes cover the real task and that tilt coordination or direct motion is acceptable. | Review CG, inertia, actuator loads, kinematic limits, combined workspace and collision envelope together. |
| Integration | Potentially lower complexity, but still requires a defined host, state model and safety boundary. | Greater mechanical and control integration effort; six axes do not remove workspace limits. |
| Selection rule | Choose the lowest-complexity architecture that satisfies the approved motion objective and validation criteria. Six degrees of freedom are not automatically better for every simulator. | |
Related product information: review our 3DOF motion platforms and 6DOF motion platforms after the application inputs have been defined.
Rated payload alone does not approve a platform
Payload, Center of Gravity and Motion Envelope
The platform moves the complete assembly, not a single catalog payload value. Two assemblies with the same mass can create very different actuator and structural demands.
- Include people, seats, controls, moving displays, frames, fixtures and cables.
- Locate the center of gravity relative to the platform mounting plane in X, Y and Z.
- Provide mass distribution or estimated inertia for large or high-CG assemblies.
- Evaluate off-center loads and changes between occupied and unoccupied conditions.
- Check the combined motion envelope, not only separate single-axis maxima.
- Include steps, guards, cable loops and surrounding equipment in collision review.
Interface support is project-specific
Controller, Motion Cueing and Host-System Interfaces
We support the agreed platform-side interface. Compatibility with a specific simulator host, cueing package or third-party application must be reviewed and documented rather than assumed.
The project must also identify who owns motion cueing. An integrator may send approved target platform poses, or cueing may be treated as a separate contracted work package. The input, output, tuning responsibility and acceptance method must be clear before interface freeze.
Command type
Coordinate system
Units and signs
Update rate
Time handling
Operating states
Fault and reset logic
Status and feedback
Watchdog behavior
Interface control document
Freeze the Contract Between the Host and Platform
A useful interface specification states what enters the platform controller, what the controller returns and what each system must do during normal operation and faults.
Command payload
Reference definition
Timing
State model
Feedback
Safety response
A useful interface specification states what enters the platform controller, what the controller returns and what each system must do during normal operation and faults.
What CSCMotion Supplies—and What the Integrator Supplies
This working matrix should be adapted to the project and attached to the technical agreement. It prevents gaps between platform delivery and complete simulator integration.
| Work package | CSCMotion role | Integrator / customer role | Joint decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform mechanics, actuators and drives | Design and supply the contracted platform subsystem. | Provide approved application requirements. | Mounting interface and load cases. |
| Motion controller and electrical cabinet | Supply and configure the contracted platform controls. | Provide host, power and site requirements. | Signals, interlocks and safety boundary. |
| Cockpit, cabin or vehicle buck | Not normally supplied. | Design and own the complete moving assembly. | Mass, CG, inertia and attachment points. |
| Host model and simulation content | Not normally supplied. | Own the model, scenario and training content. | Data delivered to the platform boundary. |
| Motion cueing | Only within the contracted scope. | Own it when implemented in the host architecture. | Algorithm ownership, tuning and acceptance. |
| Visual, audio and instructor functions | Not normally supplied. | Own and integrate surrounding simulator systems. | Confirm which equipment moves with the platform. |
| Host-to-platform interface | Platform side | Host side | Protocol, rate, coordinates, states and faults. |
| Platform FAT | Execute the agreed platform-level checks. | Provide requirements, test load or witness as agreed. | Trajectory, instruments and pass criteria. |
| Site SAT and complete-system qualification | Support only within the contract. | System lead | Integration schedule and evidence handover. |
Platform Safety, FAT and Simulator-Level Acceptance
The motion platform must be verified within its agreed boundary. That evidence supports—but does not replace—the integrator’s complete-system validation.
01 Platform Safety Functions
Review limits, emergency stop, drive states, controlled stopping, communication loss and mechanical or electrical boundaries for the contracted configuration.
02 Platform Factory Acceptance
Verify assembly, motion, signals, approved load, representative trajectory, measurement points and required records against the agreed FAT plan.
03 Complete Simulator Acceptance
Validate the host, cockpit, visual system, software, training functions, site environment and all cross-system behavior under the integrator’s authority.
From application review to supplied subsystem
A Defined Path to Platform Delivery
We keep the application, interface and acceptance boundary visible as the project moves from early review into detailed engineering and manufacture.
Step 01
Application Review
Confirm simulator purpose, customer role, moving assembly and required supply boundary.
Step 02
Motion & Geometry Review
Evaluate axes, mass properties, reference point, workspace, trajectory and site envelope.
Step 03
Interface Freeze
Approve mechanical, electrical, command, state, safety and documentation responsibilities.
Step 04
Manufacture & FAT
Build the contracted platform and verify it against the approved platform-level test plan.
Step 05
Delivery & Support
Hand over the platform, records and agreed remote or on-site integration support.
For detailed work-package definitions, interface deliverables and integration responsibilities, review our dedicated solution page.
Motion Platform Project Evidence
Replace these placeholders with permission-cleared CSCMotion material. Every image or video should identify the platform configuration, what was being built or tested and which result the evidence can actually support.
Mechanical integration
Platform Beneath the Moving Assembly
Caption the complete moving load, attachment interface, CSCMotion supply and project stage.
Application-specific 3DOF
Defined Axes for a Defined Task
Explain why the selected three-axis set covered the approved application requirement.
Control interface
Host-to-Platform Commissioning
Identify the command boundary, test stage and interface items verified without exposing customer-confidential data.
Related Motion Platforms and Integration Support
Use these pages after the simulator application has defined the load, motion objective, interface and acceptance boundary.
Three defined axes
3DOF Motion Platform
Review when a project-specific three-axis set covers the required simulator task.
Review 3DOF Platforms →
Six-axis motion
6DOF Motion Platform
Review for coordinated translation and rotation in a defined combined workspace.
Review 6DOF Platforms →
Parallel kinematics
Stewart Platform
Understand the configurable mechanism behind many six-axis simulator platforms.
Review Stewart Platforms →
Platform controls
Motion Control System
Review controller, states, commands, feedback and project-specific interface support.
Review Control Systems →
OEM work package
Integration Support
Define mechanical, electrical, controller and host-side responsibilities for an approved platform project.
Review Integration Support →
Commercial and engineering questions
Motion Simulator Platform Questions
These answers define the normal project boundary. The approved specification and interface documents control the final configuration.
What does CSCMotion supply for a professional simulator project?
Our normal scope is the engineered motion-platform subsystem: the mechanical platform, electric actuation, drives, controller, electrical cabinet, agreed platform-side interfaces, documentation and platform-level factory acceptance testing. The exact supply boundary is defined in the project specification.
Does CSCMotion supply a complete flight or driving simulator?
Our standard overseas scope does not include a complete simulator. The simulator OEM or system integrator normally owns the cockpit or vehicle buck, host model, visual and audio systems, training content, instructor functions and complete-system qualification.
Is a Stewart platform the same as a 6DOF motion platform?
Not exactly. Six degrees of freedom describes the available motion. Stewart platform describes a parallel-kinematic architecture commonly used to create six-axis motion. A Stewart mechanism can be configured differently according to load, workspace and geometry. For deeper engineering context, read Stewart Platform Design.
Are CSCMotion motion platforms electrically actuated?
CSCMotion focuses on electric motion platforms. The actuator, drive, power, duty-cycle and thermal configuration are reviewed for each project rather than assumed from a single catalogue rating.
How is motion platform payload capacity determined?
Payload selection uses the complete moving assembly, center of gravity, inertia, offset loads, mounting geometry and required dynamic acceleration. A kilogram value alone is not enough to size the structure and actuators. High-load projects should begin with the High-Payload Motion Platform page.
Start with the simulator requirement
Define the Motion Platform Around Your Simulator
Send the simulator purpose, moving-assembly drawing, estimated total moving mass, known center of gravity, required axes or cue objective and host-interface information. We will identify the missing inputs and the platform architecture worth reviewing.
Company, project role and simulator purpose
Moving-assembly drawing or 3D model
Gross moving mass, CG and known inertia
Required axes, cues or representative trajectory
Reference point and usable motion envelope
Host, command source and update rate
Safety, FAT and documentation expectations
Destination, site conditions and schedule