MotionCab

Dynamic Head-Motion for ETS2/ATS

Overview • Features • Installation • Game Settings • Controls • Configuration
Building • Project Structure • Contributing • License

Overview

MotionCab is a plugin for Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator that adds realistic dynamic head-motion camera effects for a next-level driving experience.

It's built on the SPF Framework, which handles telemetry, camera control, keybind rebinding, and the in-game settings UI.

Features

• Head Motion — inertial head sway/tilt under acceleration, braking, and cornering
• Steering Camera — smoothed camera yaw following the steering wheel
• Idle Breathing — subtle breathing motion that fades out with speed
• Suspension — seat bounce and head tilt over bumps, plus grade follow
• Engine Vibration — RPM-scaled engine buzz
• Mirror Check — looks toward the mirror on turn signal
• Manual Look — smooth look-left/look-right and mirror glances
• Road Irregularity — ground chatter, plus rocking off-road
• Speed Shake — body sway growing with speed and rough ground
• Body Dynamics — head leans outward in corners and nods forward when braking
• Engine Start/Stop — mechanical shudder when the engine catches or dies
• Natural Head Movement — TrackIR-like head movement, without a tracker
• Manual Zoom — smooth zoom effect
• Blindspot Viewer — leans forward to see traffic lights hidden by the cab
• Cabin Walk — walks around the parked cabin and sits in the passenger seat or on the bunk
• Profiles — create, save, and switch between named presets
• Localized — available in 15 languages

Every effect above is independently customizable and toggleable, and only active while in the interior (cabin) camera view.

Installation

1. Install SPF Framework in your game's bin/win_x64/plugins/ folder.
2. Install MotionCab in your game's bin/win_x64/plugins/spfPlugins/ folder.
3. Start your game and enable MotionCab in SPF's plugin manager.

Game Settings

For both ETS2 and ATS, disable the following camera options in Options > Gameplay:

Setting	Value
Uneven surfaces simulation	0%
Steering camera rotation factor	0%
Steering camera rotation on reverse	Off
Physical camera movement	Off
Physical camera factor	0%
Interior camera horizon locking factor	Off

Disabling these settings ensures that MotionCab has full control over the camera.

Controls

Action	Default key	Behavior
Toggle Settings Window	F9	Shows/hides the MotionCab Quick Settings window
Look Left	Numpad /	Manual Look — hold or toggle to look left
Look Right	Numpad *	Manual Look — hold or toggle to look right
Glance at Left Mirror	Numpad 7	Manual Look — hold or toggle to glance at the left mirror
Glance at Right Mirror	Numpad 9	Manual Look — hold or toggle to glance at the right mirror
Zoom	Numpad -	Manual Zoom — hold to zoom in, release to return to normal
Blindspot Viewer	F10	Blindspot Viewer — Toggle or hold to lean forward and look up
Stand Up / Sit Down	Page Up	Cabin Walk — get up; tap to sit at the seat you look at, hold to go back to the wheel
Walk	W/S/A/D	Cabin Walk — walk forward, back and sideways while standing
Crouch	C	Cabin Walk — crouch while standing

Configuration

All parameters are tuned live in MotionCab's own Quick Settings window: right-click any slider to reset it to default, and the Settings tab has a button to reset every effect at once. Values are persisted by the framework to plugins/spfPlugins/MotionCab/config/settings.json.

Setting	Default	Description
Head Motion
sway_strength	0.2	How much your head gets pushed around when you speed up, brake, or take a turn.
tilt_strength	0.15	How much your head tilts when the cab leans or rocks.
smoothing_time	0.2	How quickly your head settles into place. Higher = slower and smoother, lower = snappier.
Steering Camera
rotation_left_deg	30.0	How far the camera turns when you crank the wheel all the way to the left.
rotation_right_deg	30.0	How far the camera turns when you crank the wheel all the way to the right.
center_zone_pct	15.0	How much of the wheel's turn keeps the camera turning alike both ways. Past it, each side turns at its own rotation amount.
smoothing_time	0.5	How smooth the camera turn feels once it gets going. Higher = smoother and slower.
delay_seconds	0.2	How long the camera waits after you turn the wheel before it starts moving.
disable_in_reverse	true	Keep the camera centered while the truck is in reverse gear.
Idle Breathing
vertical_amplitude	0.002	How far the camera rises and falls with each breath.
pitch_amplitude_deg	0.15	How much your head tips forward/back with each breath.
breathing_rate_bpm	15.0	How fast the breathing happens.
fade_start_kmh	30.0	The speed at which this effect starts fading away as you speed up.
fade_end_kmh	50.0	The speed at which this effect has completely faded away.
Suspension
vertical_strength	1.0	How much bumps in the road bounce and tilt the camera.
reactivity	0.25	How quickly the seat settles after a bump. Lower = firmer and snappier.
grade_strength	0.5	Raises your head on downhill stretches and lowers it on uphill ones.
Engine Vibration
intensity	1.0	How strong the engine rumble feels.
Mirror Check
left_angle_deg	28.0	How far your head turns to check the left mirror.
left_pitch_deg	0.0	How much your head tilts while checking the left mirror.
left_fov_deg	0.0	How much the field of view widens while checking the left mirror.
right_angle_deg	28.0	How far your head turns to check the right mirror.
right_pitch_deg	0.0	How much your head tilts while checking the right mirror.
right_fov_deg	0.0	How much the field of view widens while checking the right mirror.
smoothing_time	0.35	How smooth the look-and-return motion is.
require_stationary	true	Only check the mirror when the truck is stopped.
ignore_after_moving_signal	true	Don't check the mirror for a turn signal you switched on while already driving, even after you stop.
Manual Look
look_left_deg	45.0	How far your head turns when you look left.
look_right_deg	45.0	How far your head turns when you look right.
glance_left_deg	20.0	How far your head turns when you glance at the left mirror.
glance_left_pitch_deg	0.0	How much your head tilts while glancing at the left mirror.
glance_left_fov_deg	0.0	How much the field of view widens while glancing at the left mirror. Negative = narrower (zoom in).
glance_right_deg	30.0	How far your head turns when you glance at the right mirror.
glance_right_pitch_deg	0.0	How much your head tilts while glancing at the right mirror.
glance_right_fov_deg	0.0	How much the field of view widens while glancing at the right mirror. Negative = narrower (zoom in).
smoothing_time	0.35	How smooth the look-and-return motion is.
toggle_mode	false	On: press once to look, press again to look back. Off: look while held, let go to look back.
Road Irregularity
intensity	1.0	How strong the road-texture shake and off-road rocking feel.
reactivity	0.05	How sharp and buzzy the road-texture shake feels. Lower = sharper.
Speed Shake
intensity	1.0	Overall strength of the shake you feel from driving fast.
smoothing_time	0.3	How the shake feels over time. Higher = slower and smoother, lower = jumpier and more nervous.
rotation	1.0	How much your view tilts/turns as part of the shake, versus just moving side to side. Set to 0 to keep only the side-to-side motion.
vertical	1.0	How much up-and-down bounce is mixed into the shake.
roughness	0.5	How uneven the shake feels over time. 0 keeps it constant; higher gives bursts of calm and rough stretches.
Body Dynamics
lean_strength	1.0	How much your head leans toward the outside of a turn.
nod_strength	1.0	How much your head dips forward when braking and pulls back when accelerating.
smoothing_time	0.25	How quickly the lean and nod settle. Lower = snappier.
Engine Start/Stop
intensity	0.1	How strong the shudder feels when the engine starts or stops.
duration	1.0	How long the start-up shudder lasts. The stop shudder is shorter and gentler than this.
Natural Head Movement
tremor_intensity	5.0	How much your head trembles slightly, all the time.
micro_intensity	2.5	How far your head moves when it makes a small adjustment.
posture_intensity	1.3	How far your head shifts when it settles into a new position: tilted, leaning forward or to one side.
posture_interval	15.0	About how long your head holds a position before settling into a new one.
steering_tilt	1.5	How much your head tilts into the turn as you turn the steering wheel.
Manual Zoom
zoom_fov_deg	40.0	How zoomed in the view gets while holding the zoom key. Lower = more zoomed in.
smoothing_time	0.25	How smooth the zoom in/out feels.
Blindspot Viewer
pos_x	-0.06	How far your head moves left or right while peeking.
pos_y	-0.1	How far your head moves up or down while peeking.
pos_z	-0.88	How far your head moves forward while peeking. Negative = forward.
yaw_deg	-1.7	How far your head turns left or right while peeking.
pitch_deg	33.0	How far your head tilts up or down while peeking.
roll_deg	3.0	How far your head tilts to the side while peeking.
fov_offset_deg	10.0	How much the field of view widens while peeking. Negative = narrower.
smoothing_time	0.6	How smooth the lean-and-return motion is.
toggle_mode	true	On: press once to peek, press again to sit back. Off: peek while held, let go to sit back.
Cabin Walk
require_parking_brake	true	On: needs the parking brake, releasing it sends you back. Off: stopping is enough.

Every effect also has its own enabled toggle, defaulting to on.

Building

Requires CMake 4.4+, Ninja and MinGW-w64 (x86_64-w64-mingw32-g++/windres).

1. Rename CMakeUserPresets.json.example to CMakeUserPresets.json and fill in your ETS2_PLUGINS_DIR/ATS_PLUGINS_DIR paths. Make sure the plugins folder exists in your game directory. If it doesn’t, create it.

2. Run the workflow preset:

   cmake --workflow --preset user-mingw-release

This configures, builds, and deploys motioncab.dll straight into your game's plugins/spfPlugins/MotionCab/.

Project Structure

├── src/
│   ├── Plugin.cpp                    Lifecycle callbacks, telemetry wiring, per-frame driver
│   ├── core/
│   │   ├── Manifest.cpp / .hpp       Plugin identity, settings defaults, keybinds, window
│   │   ├── CameraRig.cpp / .hpp      Writes the effects' offset into the interior camera
│   │   ├── PluginContext.cpp / .hpp  Shared plugin state
│   │   ├── Profiles.cpp / .hpp       Create/save/switch named presets
│   │   ├── Settings.cpp / .hpp       Every setting: key, default, slider range
│   │   ├── Conflicts.hpp             Which effects pause which while enabled
│   │   ├── Loc.cpp / .hpp            Translated string lookup (loc::Tr)
│   │   ├── Keybinds.hpp              Keybind action names and key polling helpers
│   │   ├── Strings.hpp               Case-insensitive string helpers
│   │   └── Links.hpp                 Plugin URLs
│   ├── math/
│   │   ├── SpringDamper.hpp          Critically-damped spring, the core smoothing primitive
│   │   ├── Noise.hpp                 Deterministic gradient noise
│   │   ├── Oscillator.hpp            Damped spring that can overshoot and ring
│   │   └── Units.hpp                 Unit conversions, easing, Lerp, phase wrapping
│   ├── effects/
│   │   ├── Effect.hpp                Base effect interface + HeadOffset struct
│   │   ├── ConfigurableEffect.hpp    Base for effects: enabled toggle + settings access
│   │   ├── EffectManager.cpp / .hpp  Owns/drives all HeadOffset-based effects
│   │   ├── Telemetry.hpp             Telemetry readings shared by effects
│   │   ├── driving/                  HeadMotion, BodyDynamics, SteeringCamera
│   │   ├── road/                     Suspension, RoadIrregularity, SpeedShake,
│   │   │                             Surface (ground classification)
│   │   ├── cabin/                    IdleBreathing, EngineVibration, EngineStartStop,
│   │   │                             NaturalHeadMovement
│   │   └── manual/                   MirrorCheck, ManualLook, ManualZoom, BlindspotViewer
│   │       └── cabin_walk/
│   │           ├── CabinWalkEffect.*     The effect: standing up, walking, sitting down
│   │           ├── CabinLayouts.*        Per-truck cabin layouts
│   │           ├── CabinPresets.*        Shipped layouts, one per truck model
│   │           ├── CabinWalkSounds.*     Footsteps (FMOD bank)
│   │           └── InteriorCameraOverride.* Swaps the camera's limits while out of the seat
│   └── ui/
│       ├── SettingsWindow.cpp / .hpp MotionCab Quick Settings window
│       ├── EffectTabs.cpp / .hpp     Driving/Road/Cabin/Manual tabs
│       ├── CabinLayoutPanel.cpp/.hpp Cabin Walk's layout panel (Advanced)
│       ├── SettingsTab.cpp / .hpp    Settings tab: keybind, profiles, reset
│       ├── AboutTab.cpp / .hpp       About tab
│       ├── Widgets.cpp / .hpp        Shared look and widgets
│       └── OpenUrl.cpp / .hpp        Opens a URL in the system browser
├── data/
│   ├── logo.png                      About tab logo
│   └── sounds/                       Cabin Walk's FMOD bank
├── localization/
│   └── <lang>.json                   UI text, one file per language
├── SPF_API/                          SPF Framework SDK headers
├── cmake/
│   └── toolchain-mingw.cmake         MinGW cross-compile toolchain
├── .github/workflows/build.yaml      CI/CD
├── .github/scripts/
│   └── check-localization.py         Checks every language file against en.json
├── CMakeLists.txt                    Plugin sources, deploy steps
├── CMakePresets.json                 Toolchain/build-type presets
├── CMakeUserPresets.json.example     Template for your game deploy paths
├── version.rc.in                     Windows version resource
└── LICENSE                           Project license

Contributing

Bug reports, feature requests, pull requests and translation fixes are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md for build instructions, coding standards, how to improve a translation or add a language, and how to submit a change.

License

This project is licensed under the GPL-3.0.