Actuon Control Manager - Standard Edition

Actuon Control Manager — Standard Edition

More than 100 titles, supplied ready for your Actuon8.

Standard Edition is the motion software supplied with the Actuon8 Motion Controller Package when you select it as the software option. It is licensed by COG and made compatible with the Actuon8, and it arrives configured for your controller: install it, calibrate, and drive.

It works the same on your rig at home as in a simulation centre: commercial use is permitted in both editions.

Where the software comes from

Worth being clear about, because the two editions are not one product with features switched on and off.

Standard Edition is third-party motion software, licensed by COG and made compatible with the Actuon8. Its title support, its motion processing and its calibration come from the source product. What COG adds is compatibility with the Actuon8 control layer, the configuration your system ships with, and the licence itself.

Professional Edition is COG's own software, written in-house alongside the hardware, with a motion cueing algorithm tuned specifically against the Actuon8. If what you want is software COG authors and supports directly, that is the edition.

Both are legitimate choices. They are simply different products.

Why you would choose Standard

More than 100 titles — the widest coverage in the range. That is the reason it exists and the reason most owners pick it. Racing, rally, trucking and flight, across a catalogue built up over years.

If your library is broad and you want the platform to move in as much of it as possible, Standard is the practical choice. Professional supports fewer titles by design, because each one is implemented and tuned rather than added to a list.

Which rigs it drives

Motion platforms from three to seven actuators, and belt haptics.

Hexapod and Stewart platforms need Professional Edition. Standard does not drive them. Worth knowing before you choose, if a hexapod is what you are building.

The safety layer underneath does not change

Whichever software you run, the safety chain is the same, because it is hardware and it is COG's.

The Actuon-SIB sits between the controller and your servo drives and interrupts their enable signal on demand, removing drive torque independently of the software and of the host PC. Beneath that, the Actuon8 firmware holds its own supervisory layer.

That protection works with SimHub, with Standard and with Professional. It is not something you pay extra for, and it is not something a software choice can take away.

What is included

• Motion software licence, supplied with your Actuon8 package
• Configured for the Actuon8 out of the box
• Device configuration and hardware detection
• Motion profile management
• Real-time telemetry processing across racing, rally, trucking and flight
• Per-axis calibration
• Commercial use permitted

Specifications

Standard or Professional?

Both permit commercial use. The difference is what the software is and what you can do with it.

Standard is the edition for driving. Install, calibrate and go, with more than 100 titles covered. For most rigs, at home or in a centre, it is all you need.

Professional is COG's own software, and it adds what only an in-house product can:

• Motion cueing developed and tuned against the Actuon8 and COG platforms
• Telemetry bridges COG writes and maintains, including its own gMotor bridge
• Analysis engine, full-rate capture and run-to-run comparison
• 3D visualisation and actuator tuning
• External API with reference projects for Unreal Engine 5, Unity 6 and Godot
• ActuonMC, COG's own VR motion compensation
• Hexapod and Stewart platform support

If you want the rig tuned against measurements instead of by feel, if you are building your own content, or if the way the platform feels is the thing you care most about, that is where Professional earns its place. You can move up whenever your setup does.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use it commercially?
Yes. Commercial use is permitted in both Standard and Professional. Simulation centre, rental, charging per session, training — you do not need a different edition for any of it.

Is Standard written by COG?
No. Standard Edition is third-party software licensed by COG and made compatible with the Actuon8. Professional Edition is the one COG writes.

Then why is it called Actuon Control Manager?
Because it is the motion software COG supplies and supports for the Actuon8, under the Actuon name. The Professional Edition alongside it is COG's own development.

So why choose Standard at all?
Title coverage. More than 100 titles, more than anything else in the range — and for a rig that just needs to move in everything you own, that is usually the deciding factor.

Then why choose Professional?
Because it is COG's, tuned to this hardware. Motion cueing developed on the Actuon8, analysis and run-to-run comparison, 3D visualisation, actuator tuning, the External API, ActuonMC VR motion compensation, and hexapod support.

Does it drive a hexapod?
No — that needs SimHub or Professional Edition. Standard covers motion platforms of three to seven actuators and belt haptics.

Is the safety the same?
Yes. The Actuon-SIB and the Actuon8 firmware are COG's and work independently of the software you run. Your safety chain does not depend on which edition you chose.

Do I get it with the Actuon8?
Yes, when you select it as the software option in the Actuon8 Motion Controller Package. It is a priced option rather than a free extra: the package costs more with it than without. The alternative is SimHub compatibility, where the SimHub software and any licence it requires come from its developer.

Can I upgrade to Professional later?
Yes, whenever you need it.

Licence

Standard Edition permits commercial and professional use of the software, whether it is driving a finished COG system or a platform you built yourself.

Manufacturing, resale, OEM supply and use of the Actuon or COG names on a product you sell are separate from software licensing and are agreed directly with COG. See Actuon Ecosystem — Commercial Use.