The sweet spot where their open-source 3D printers began to truly make business sense is sim racing: 3DRap is now a manufacturer of custom 3D printed mods for sim racing peripherals, hitching a ride on one of today’s key technology trends to reach people all over the world. The goal will be to be able to transfer this know-how, acquired during the real races, in the virtual one giving a further boost to what will be the next developments of the sim racing sector. While 3DRap now offers several lines of professional sim racing products and mods for the top peripheral brands, perhaps no product better exemplifies the benefits of 3D printing and the 3DRap team’s ingenuity for sim racing than 3DRap’s Hand Controller for disabled simmers who cannot use their legs for the pedals. Sim racing is the collective term for computer software that attempts to accurately simulate auto racing, complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tire wear and grip, and suspension settings. To be competitive in sim racing, a driver must understand all aspects of car handling that make real-world racing so difficult, such as threshold braking, how to maintain control of a car as the tires lose traction, and how properly to enter and exit a turn without sacrificing speed. In general, sim racing applications, such as rFactor, Grand Prix Legends, NASCAR Racing, Race 07, F1 Challenge ’99-’02, F1 ’18, Assetto Corsa, GTR 2, Project CARS, iRacing and Richard Burns Rally are less popular than arcade-style games, mainly because much more skill and practice is required to master them. Thank you to my neighbor and friend Nico for showing me the level that consumer sim racing has achieved and the possibilities offered by 3D printed mods.

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