Virtual reality is changing the way we learn, play and interact. Exciting companies such as Oculus, Meta, Valve make this mind-blowing technology easily accessible to the general public. Now we can use newly virtual training facilities and simulations to learn new skills and test our abilities in a safe environment and at the fraction of the cost of the traditional simulations.

Today, we are happy to introduce you to our partners G2G3 who are in the field of Serious Games, Simulations and Gamified product platforms. Together we are creating the future of training programs. G2G3 is a UK based company which builds custom solutions for their clients, based on cutting edge technologies. The team consists of creatives and technical engineers with many years of experience and a deep understanding of the industry. Their latest project is called BlueHawk Simulation and was created for the UK Fire Service College.

BlueHawk simulation

BlueHawk is a 3D simulation which allows firefighters to gain experience in real-life situations without any risks involved. The simulation is tailor-made for the UK market in order to create a more realistic experience. The young firefighters can choose between more than 20 different scenarios ranging from a chemical tank accident to a dwelling house fire! All 3D characters, environment, and vehicles in the simulation are developed with tremendous attention to detail so that the training is as realistic as possible. Furthermore, the whole environment is flexible and can be altered depending on the decisions of the trainee. In order to achieve such an amazing realism, the G2G3 team collaborated extensively with the Fire Services subject matter experts.

 

BlueHawk Simulation for the UK Fire Service College 

How does it work?

The BlueHawk is a cross-platform simulation including a PC module (Incident Commander), Windows app (Facilitator App) and an iPhone app (Assessor app). The simulation allows the trainee to take the role of an Incident Commander whose task is to assess the particular scenario situation and take a decision how to approach it. There is also a Facilitator who controls the environment and events during the simulation throughout the Facilitator app. He or she can escalate or defuse the situation depending on the trainee’s actions. The third module – the Assessor app allows a third participant to observe and evaluate the Incident Commander’s decisions in real-time.

 

Scenario “Factory Fire” 

Scenario “Chemical Tank Accident” 

Create an extraordinary experience

The goal of the G2G3 team was to create as realistic environment as possible because this would help the trainees develop skills necessary in real-life situations. During the development of the simulation, they faced a number of complex issues such as how to place realistically a vehicle on uneven surfaces or how to support realistic character walking. In order to solve these issues, the team created an advanced physics technology and pathfinding technology. They also implemented a VR module which allows the trainee to make a 360-degree assessment of the situation through the use of Oculus VR Headset. Pretty exciting, right?

 

Realistic 3D Characters 

Why Coherent UI?

When G2G3 started working on the BlueHawk simulation they used NGUI for the UI but very soon realized that an HTML5 based technology such as Coherent UI would be a better match for the multi-platform project they were building. As Jon Binnie, the CTO of G2G3 told us: “HTML5 is easily accessible, flexible technology which does not require additional training for the UI developers“. We are proud that G2G3 chose our technology for the BlueHawk Simulation. It is an amazing project which will help young firefighters gain experience without any risks involved.

What is next?

Jon also shared with us that the team intends to look at other VR technologies for future projects. Virtual Reality creates a truly realistic user experience which engages the participant like no other technology and is clearly the future of training programs. Looking at the benefits which simulations can bring, we believe that many other companies will start integrating simulations in their training. With many VR projects already behind our backs, we are confident that Coherent UI is the perfect match for VR UI!

 

Blue Hawk Simulation