Heavy Reliance on Subject Matter Experts
The feel of a simulator is intangible, but as the saying goes, “You know it when you see it.”
From project concept stage to final delivery, 3DI works closely with expert trainers and subject matter experts (the “trainers of trainers”) to insure that 3DI’s simulations are “tweaked” until they have surpassed that vaguely defined threshold where the simulator just feels right. One test as to whether a simulator has the right feel is if expert operators quickly fall back into their practiced operating routines while performing advanced maneuvers on the simulator.
When Caterpillar trainers were testing 3DI's simulations developed for Caterpillar, they were able to perform "wheelies" and other tricks with a virtual 10-ton piece of equipment. After successfully completing this maneuver, the expert trainer's smile clearly told the 3DI technical team that they had "nailed" the essential elements of that machine. (A YouTube video below shows this being done in the real world.)
