360 VR simulator
Prestart Heating of a Steam Turbine
How young hackathon participants became part of the VR development team for URALCHEM,
one of the largest chemical companies in the world
Cost
from 6 500 USD
2
MONTHS OF DEVELOPMENT
>1.5
MORE THAN 1.5 M RUB OF BUDGET-
SAVING
SAVING
75%
INCREASE IN INFORMATION
RETENTION
RETENTION
About the client
URALCHEM is one of the largest manufacturers of chemical products in the entire Commonwealth of Independent States. They are Russia's leading producer of ammonium nitrate and one of the largest domestic producers of ammonia, urea, and nitrogen fertilizers.
Background
URALCHEM and Varwin have worked together in the past. The Varwin team has developed several VR simulators for URALCHEM including:
Assembly / disassembly of X-45/54 pump
Flaw detection of X-45/54 pump parts
Dismantling of a KP401 compressor
Technological operations with X-45/54 pump
Pump starting, stopping, and handling for repair
The New Challenge
URALCHEM enlisted the help of Varwin to upgrade a Unity-based VR simulator developed by another contractor. The problem was that the project did not run until the end and was unstable from a technical point of view (the frame rate was about 15 FPS) and only a web version was available.
Specifications
Development framework:
Varwin XRMS
Varwin XRMS
Devices: Windows 10 PC, Oculus Quest 2 Mobile
The Solution and Work Stages
The Varwin team decided to rebuild the VR simulator in 360 format and outlined the following steps:
1
Project analysis
We unmade the project, revised the main objects and the script, and created the missing elements. Then the VR simulator was prepared for optimization.
2
Project optimization
The problem had been related to the frequency of frame changes per second. To correct and optimize this, we divided the overall scene into several different scenes. Then we added objects and elements and prepared the project to be exported to the Varwin XRMS platform.
3
Building on Varwin XRMS
The final stage was the exporting of the VR simulator to the Varwin XRMS platform. Our team built scene templates, configured the logic of object interactions, and tested it on Varwin XRMS.
What do the participants of the VR hackathon have to do with it?
In the autumn of 2020, Russia hosted the national Varwin Education Hackathon for grades 7 through 11. The event was called "The VR Developer: A Career for the Future." During the remote hackathon, 250 students from all over Russia, under the guidance of mentors, developed more than 80 full-fledged projects on the Varwin XRMS platform. These included:
chemical experiments that are dangerous to carry out in a real laboratory;
the Mendeleev's Table project where the main character collects chemical elements;
and a "Distance Learning" project with virtual Geography, Life Safety, Physical Education, English, and Physics classes.
Photos of the VR hackathon participants
Our client, URALCHEM, had a representative at the event. They were a member of the jury evaluating the participants' results. As the hackathon progressed, we began discussing an amazing opportunity. The Varwin team offered the idea of involving the VR hackathon's young participants in a real-life project for URALCHEM. The students would be challenged to build ready-made templates that would simulate the heating of a steam turbine. Having seen the projects of the participants, URALCHEM agreed to their involvement. And under the guidance of our mentors, the "Prestart Heating of a Steam Turbine" 360 VR simulator project was created.
VR Hackathon participant feedback
Results Overview
Students were able to gain valuable educational experience working on a project for a real-world client. URALCHEM showed its social and educational support, and Varwin gained new users and fans of the Varwin XRMS platform.
Project results
The project was rebuilt and upgraded on the Varwin XRMS platform
The development time was reduced from 4 to 2 months
The frame rate was increased from 15 FPS up to 90 FPS
Together with URALCHEM, the Varwin team gained a social and educational case for building the project together with the participants of the hackathon
We cut the client's budget by 4 times
We gained new fans of the Varwin XRMS platform
Cost: from 6 500 USD
Customer feedback
>
We train our employees using VR technology. Last year we ordered the development of a VR simulator for pump maintenance at a production site from Varwin and obtained an XRMS license. |, myself, make changes and additions to the simulator in the Varwin XRMS editor. Today URALCHEM has opened a digital laboratory within the company, and we have 6 projects with Varwin. We have optimized employee training costs and saved over a million rubles due to editable VR.
Artem Sovetnikov, Leading VR architect of URALCHEM
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3D & VR simulators for the Teplocom production and engineering company
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