What the game provides
Assetto Corsa EVO has a free camera that you move around the track with the keyboard and the mouse. That camera also has a drone mode, where the sticks of a controller fly it smoothly, but the game assigns no key to it by default, so few players know it exists.
EvoForge’s Drone app, one of its in-game apps, sets that drone mode up for you and adds two flights of its own and an automatic follow. It is free for everyone.
Launch the drone
- Plug in a controller and keep EvoForge open while you play.
- In a session, bring the mouse to the right edge of the screen and open Drone in the app bar.
- Pick a flight: EVO, DJI or FPV.
- Click Launch the drone. EvoForge switches to the free camera and to drone mode for you. The sticks now fly the camera.
- Click Stop the drone to come back to the car camera. Closing the window does not stop the flight.
The DJI and FPV flights use the EvoForge DLL in the game folder. The app asks for your agreement the first time; EvoForge then puts the DLL in place once the game is closed, and you restart the game. The EVO flight works without it.
Three flights: EVO, DJI, FPV
| Flight | How it flies | For what |
|---|---|---|
| EVO | The game’s own drone camera: the sticks set its speed, smoothed by the game. In this flight the mouse wheel sets the speed. | A quick look around the track, with nothing to install. |
| DJI | Like a camera drone: it speeds up and brakes smoothly, stops and hovers when you let go, and the triggers tilt the gimbal. Its default values are those of a real camera drone in normal mode: 15 m/s top speed, 6 m/s up and down. | Steady shots, fly-overs, following a car. |
| FPV | Like a racing drone in acro mode: you turn the drone, the throttle pushes along its axis, gravity and momentum do the rest. The sticks follow the rate curve of Betaflight, the firmware of most FPV drones. Rolls, loops and inverted flight are possible. | Dives, banked passes, chasing a car through a corner. |
Follow a car automatically
With the drone in the air, Follow a car makes it follow the nearest car on its own, at any speed. The camera stays locked on the car, and the drone reads the track so that it does not go under the ground or through a wall, a building or a tree.
- Change car with the arrows next to the car’s number. The drone travels to the next car and the camera pans from one to the other.
- Place: Behind, Left, Right, In front, Rear left, Rear right, High or Top-down.
- Move: Orbit, Spiral, Over the top, Pull-back or Rocket, launched around the car while it drives.
- Minimum follow distance: the drone never gets closer than this. Further away, it also flies higher.
- From the controller: on the D-pad, left and right change the place, up launches a full orbit, down a pull-back.
- Take back control: push a stick, or click Take back control.
Controls and settings
- Controller layout: Mode 2 by default, the layout almost every drone ships with (left stick: up, down and turn; right stick: forward and sideways). Mode 1, Mode 3 and Mode 4 are there too, and Gaming flies like a video game: left stick to move, right stick to look, triggers to climb and descend.
- Your own layout: click a box, then move a stick or press a button. Reset goes back to Mode 2.
- Car controls off while flying: on, the sticks no longer steer or accelerate your car during the flight.
- Flight data on screen: height, distance, speed and climb rate, in km/h, m/s or mph, or off.
- Flight settings: top speed, climb and descent speed, turn speed, acceleration and braking for DJI; rotation rate, expo, thrust and camera angle for FPV. They apply at the next take-off.
- Picture: the Image app holds the photo settings of the free camera and the drone: exposure, gamma, saturation, white balance, tint and sharpening.
Known limits
- The DJI and FPV flights need a controller and the EvoForge DLL in the game folder.
- The automatic follow was tested on the game’s own tracks.
- A drone flown by hand under the canopy of a building can stay held against it when the automatic follow starts: fly it out first, or stop the drone and launch it again.
- While Assign waits for a key, that key also acts in the game.
FAQ
Is there a drone camera in Assetto Corsa EVO?
The game’s free camera has a drone mode flown with a controller, but no key is assigned to it by default. EvoForge’s Drone app sets it up and adds a DJI flight, an FPV flight and an automatic follow of any car.
How do I use the free camera with a controller in Assetto Corsa EVO?
Open the Drone app from the EvoForge bar at the right edge of the screen and click Launch the drone: the sticks then fly the camera. The default layout is Mode 2, as on a real drone, and every command can be reassigned.
Can the camera follow a car on its own?
Yes. Follow a car keeps the drone on the nearest car at any speed. You choose the place around the car, launch moves such as an orbit or a pull-back, and switch to another car in flight.
Do I need a real drone controller?
No. A gamepad is enough. The layouts are those of a radio controller (Mode 1 to Mode 4), plus a Gaming layout that flies like a video game.
Does the drone work in multiplayer?
Yes. The drone flies in solo and online sessions. Your car is still on track during the flight, so fly from the pits or with the car stopped.
Is the drone free?
Yes. The in-game apps, the drone included, are free for everyone.
EvoForge is available for Windows 10 / 11 and Linux. Assetto Corsa EVO required.