Our client, The Regional Development Agency Prigoda, enlisted our services to develop a VR simulator for training future solar power systems technicians, primarily high-school students.
The primary challenge of this project was creating an immersive and educational VR experience that was also fun for high-schoolers to use. Other specific concerns included addressing trainees' potential fear of heights, ensuring equipment emulation was both accurate and engaging, and simulating realistic scenarios without inducing undue stress.
For this project we wanted to fully utilize the Unreal Engine's dynamic sun and lighting features to ensure as realistic a user experience as possible. By giving very close attention to accurately modeling the looks, sounds and behavior of various tools, we wanted to achieve a virtual environment that was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
We worked closely with experienced solar panel experts on this project, as we aimed to seamlessly translate the operations and procedures of solar panel installation.
Once again, cutting-edge VR development tools like Unreal Engine 5.3 was needed to successfully complete this project. Our team used 3D models created in Blender to build an immersive VR environment with hyper-realistic physics and accurate representation of all operations involved in solar panel installation.
The VR simulator was made with the Meta Quest 3 headset in mind, but can work perfectly on any other major VR headset, ensuring ease of use for all users.
Our efforts resulted in a detail-oriented, highly accurate, immersive and fully interactive VR simulator that will soon be used by trade school students of “The Rijeka High School for Electrical Engineering and Computing”. By striving to develop a realistic hands-on learning experience, we have created a virtual world that successfully prepares technicians for real-world scenarios.
Team: 3D designer | Unreal Engine Developer | Graphic Designer | UX/UI Designer | Art Director | Project Manager
Deliverables: a 3D model of city, all equipment, tools and materials for solar panels and a VR simulation of solar system implementation process
Highlights: the simulator places significant emphasis on safety, security, and adherence to protocol throughout the training experience. The best example of this is the implementation of real-world consequences best portrayed with this example: if you step on a roof incorrectly - you will fall. And you will actually feel a sensation of falling, underscoring the importance of proper technique. Additionally, users must equip themselves with appropriate safety gear, such as hard hats and vests, before proceeding, enhancing realism and reinforcing safety protocols.
