3D mining training

skinny_skeleton

Hi all,

Started my computer journey with a "zx spectrum" 16 K :) yes that was a long time ago.
That was where i started my programming and modelling battles.
Still got a 48 K working model (keeping it to remind me where we came from)

Worked on the mines for 22 years underground.
I work now as a freelancer.
I preduce safety videos, posters and 3D safety programs for the mines and companies.

My model program is "Blender" and i use the "Unreal 4 engine" for my programs.
See below pictures of the two mining programs i am busy with :)

Have a good one.
Skinny Skeleton

Tommy

Looks very awesome, do you have any 3D modeling tips?

skinny_skeleton

Hi Tommy

Practice and practice :)
Have a look at top model makers models and get to know your model program.
Learn the short cuts to speed up your work process.

I also made a a car game two years ago for a company that uses it at mine shows see attached pics :)

skinny_skeleton

Hi all,

Here are some videos of the demos








Have a good one :)

bischonator

This is really interesting.
There was a guy on Unity who was making a software application in Unity for Oil Rig safety experiences, arch vis etc.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqHRM05nRk0IZUMm6nhcvCw

skinny_skeleton

Hi bischonator

Thanks

Yes, now comes the hard work to sell the idea to the mines :)

We have mined in SA for just over 100 years so all training was done in 2d (I also made some animation safety videos for some mines) Now i must convince one of them to take the step to 3D mining training.
(In talks with one mine comp for the last 2 weeks) will see how it goes

Ratel

Looks very well done, when you sell the idea to the mines are you going to tell them that you will model their entire mine or just key parts of it for them? From a safety perspective I have also thought of doing it for the chemicals section but modeling a plant is a huge undertaking.

If I may throw just a bit of criticism in there, the amount of controls seem allot. In my experience allot of the guys working in the mines and petrol chemical sections don't all have the computer literacy that we have, it's just a suggestion but for a start you could think about dumbing down the controls and locking the view axis to only horizontal.

This is just my two cents in my experience I have had but so far the amount of work you have put in looks amazing! It is about time that we look in to 3D training here in SA for our industrial sections.

bischonator

Give Christo a call at this company: http://www.vsv.co.za
he does work with the mines in terms of VR processes etc.

pieter

I'm actually hearing what @LittleBear is saying. The keyboard and mouse setup can be very daunting for a lot of people.

What you could consider is getting yourself a joystick and button set and make your own "arcade cabinet" setup. I think the joystick button configuration is more recognizable/intuitive to people than a keyboard. You can also have your own iconography on or near the buttons.

You can get them for cheap, and it might make a pitch more impressive to clients.
1 Player Arcade Joystick Buttons And Arcade Controller Wiring Kit

skinny_skeleton

Hi all,

Thanks for the feedback :)

For the onsetter part i am also thinking to go with a arcade setup but this is all up to the client.
I got a video explaining the setup.

For the mining early examination part it runs from one comp with a proxy setup.
As the miner and his crew does the examination so the miner will be run the program.

Have a good one :)

skinny_skeleton

Hi LittleBear,

I am making a gold mine from surface to bottom of a shaft, in my "free time" :)

It is a project for University of Pretoria/Wits and university of Queensland(Australia)
It is a BIG project :)..(time line 2 years)
I divided the project into key areas and then sub divided these areas into smaller areas (10 each)

All models i built i look at building them so that some parts to be used for something else.
If you want some help contact me by e-mail (see end of my videos :)

Have a good one :)

Ratel

@skinny_skeleton Good luck with the modelling :) it is looking very good.

For now I won't even try to go the 3D training root at my current employer (it would only create unneeded work for me at this point with no pay off) and a ton off negative comments from my peers.

I do hope that they see the benefits of the training and from the safety side, all of the best to you.

Edit: Thanks for the offer to help I appreciate it.

mattbenic

Hi @skinny_skeleton nice work on your project so far :)

Before approaching any mines, I would advise investigating what established, well-resourced local companies are offering in that area and determining what niche you could fill that they're missing. Two I'm aware of are 5DT (http://www.5dt.com) and SET (http://setec.co.za/). When I worked at 5DT in the past, the focus was on training operators on the specific machinery they would be working on, and operational realism (rather than graphical realism) was key.

skinny_skeleton

Hi mattbenic

Thanks,

Yes i know 5dt and sts3d across the street from them. :)
They more into open cast mining that is i why i am going with deep mining training as i already done some training videos and posters for these mines :)

Will look at SET do not know them.

Have a good one :)