Real life experience can be a very effective and beneficial way of learning. Unfortunately, in person hands-on training can be time consuming and tie up costly equipment. E learning options can reduce costs and offer flexibility for staff scheduling. Experiential learning can be compromised. Some e learning companies offer video components to make material more interesting and effective. Depending on the regulations governing the company’s training, some organizations might be required to have site-specific training. Generic videos and e learning software would not be in compliance. Some companies offer custom staff and safety training videos. Traditionally these videos have been created using real production methods. Companies offering traditional training videos need expensive equipment, costume and set design, and the use of a facility. These can be costly, and the price is carried over to the customer. The most common methods to assess retention of material are multiple-choice tests, carried out after the training.

Many companies are still using in person hands-on training, taking staff away from work and incurring huge costs. We, at RealSpace, are trying to show that there is another option. We are able to provide site-specific training, using 3D renders and videos. We can provide training of dangerous scenarios that would be too costly for real production video methods to act out, and too risky for in person training to provide. We offer training videos that are site-specific, where assessment takes place during the training process. Staff can do the training at any computer, which reduces the time to train. Training is also documented and transparent to all levels of corporate. We offer individual, section, and company wide reporting. At any time corporate can access the up-to-date training status at various levels. Documentation and transparency can help avoid fines and noncompliance lawsuits.

An example training scenario we, at RealSpace, offer might look something like the following. We provide software of a site-specific training program. Each staff can log onto the software from any computer with a unique username and password that can be repeated monthly, bi-annually, or annually as needed. If the staff member should forget, an e-mail reminder can be sent via the program. When ready, the staff member watches an earthquake training video of the very building he or she is in. The evacuation procedures are specific to that very building. The video shows a potential worst-case scenario. At various steps through the process the staff member must answer the correct actions, such as what are the crossover floors for your building. If an action is incorrectly done, the staff member will be provided with the correct information, and then asked to repeat the video scenario for retention. Answers of each staff through the visual training software are recorded and the progress of each testing can be traced. In follow up sessions, staff can be tested before watching the videos and if staff members know what to do in a scenario, the staff member will not need to waist corporate time retraining on protocol and procedures.

Although environmental sustainability seems to be widely discussed, definitions of environmental sustainability vary greatly. In the most general sense, the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) in the “Brundtland Report,” stated that sustainable practices should “meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Recent efforts are being made to increase industry reporting. These efforts are to improve industry accountability. Companies such as Goldcorp Inc. and BHP Billiton are producing documents disclosing their environmental, economic, and social practices, through frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative. Although such frameworks have been criticized based on their usefulness for creating change, the fact of the matter still remains that efforts are being made towards more sustainable business practices. It is clear that the environment is becoming a greater aspect of industry.

Many mining companies, including Australia based BHP Billiton, the largest mining company in the world, are seeing the benefits to integrating sustainability into their business practices. Mining companies are now publishing their intentions to improve their practices on their websites. Blog posts, tweets, and Facebook pages show these companies are making public efforts to discuss their impact on the environment.

The mining industry needs to go further then stating intentions, to articulating their environmental practices. What is environmental sustainability? What does it look like? What are the specific practices that will support in achieving sustainability? Government and shareholders are now demanding reports that articulate the specific sustainability efforts of mining expeditions. These reports show how each mining excursion intends on integrating environmental sustainable practices into their mining process, which includes how the land will be reclaimed back into nature.

A new market is developing in order to support mining companies in reporting. For example, we offer 3D Rendering Services targeting mining companies in order to create realistic images and animations on how sites will be reclaimed back after mining is complete. Renders show images before and after the mining project. The images portray decontamination efforts and restoration of the local eco systems. For example, a mining company wants to drill in grassland with accompanying river. Images are taken of the area prior to the project’s start. These images are then sent to RealSpace3D, along with a description of the expedition at the site. RealSpace3D works with the company to create realistic images showing the alterations to the land, and the quality of the reclamation effort to be made by the mining expedition. Visually, the images show what words cannot. Companies are able to illustrate the specific way the environment will look once the reclamation effort is complete. This level of reporting suggests the fusion between technology and global stewardship are coming to the mining industry.

Currently many mining companies are still using verbal descriptions to communicate their reclamation efforts. These descriptions can be vague and poor communicators to government and shareholders. Images depicting sites before and after would greatly enhance their articulation of sustainability and accountability.

From a rendering standpoint, it was a great project. It combined interesting design with lots of water and plant life that made the final images really pop.

As with our eco-tourism rendering project, rendering helped to get a sense of the impact the development would have on the environment in a way normal plans can’t achieve. In this case, it also showed off the aesthetics of the design beautifully.

Hopefully our visualizations help our clients win their contract. Their design is great, we wish them the best of luck.

We are now offering services targeted towards interior designers where we create a number of low resolution drafts where the designer can refine colour schemes and big design decisions. Then we incorporate the feedback to create the final rendering.

For more information please see our rendering services page, or better yet, contact us!

Recently we completed a really interesting 3D rendering project creating some images for an eco-tourism company. The project was visualizing several towers and platforms for a zip line project.

We really enjoyed the project because it has some unique challenges, and was a nice change to do a project so based around natural objects and vegetation. When quoting the project we realized that this type of work was very cost effective for the client, as most of the scene was vegetation from our library. This meant that the images were a lot less expensive per image than an architecture project.

We felt that this was a very interesting rendering niche because of all the regulatory and government requirements of the industry. The renders we produced were all showcasing how the company was working to minimize the environmental impact. Even with a background in looking at and working with engineering drawings we were surprised how different the designs were when put in context.

The company that we were working with was very forward thinking, but it got us thinking about how much the rest of the eco-tourism industry could benefit from 3D rendering during the application and approval process. We hope to get to work on similar projects in the future.

Simulators have been used for years by pilots and the military, but now they are affordable for training in any industry. Simulators are effective in equipment training, from fork lifts to bulldozers to cranes. Simulators can run effective training drills for emergencies like fire or earthquakes. Simulators can train new employees on company and safety procedures, or help old ones keep sharp.

The benefits of a virtual reality environment are well established. Realistic training environments lead to effective training, training on virtual equipment saves money by freeing up real equipment, and training in worst-case scenarios – impossible in the real world – leads to better preparedness.

Check out our Fire Safety Simulator to see a live demo, and find out if you can escape a burning home!

We have found that Blender has been very advantageous for exporting scenes to our simulation software. The documentation, community, and ability to view and make changes to the source code have made it a pleasure to work with.

With this switch we are currently looking for sub-contractors. We are aiming to build a network of companies and individuals who are willing to help us on projects. Please apply on our contractor sign-up page.

As with our other virtual reality safety programs, our mining safety simulator  ensures that proper procedures – such as radio procedures and rules of the road – are followed, and allows for trainees to learn from their mistakes. In the case of mining training, simulators can also save  money by not tying up valuable machine time.

The bulldozer was an interesting vehicle to simulate because it is fixed axle, but hinged chassis. It demonstrates that the Bullet engine can simulate non-standard vehicles. We have been very happy with our decision to use Bullet. It has proved a robust and realistic engine, even under difficult-to-simulate situations involving large masses and large mass ratios.