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I/ITSEC 2017 in Review

Another year, and another edition of the I/ITSEC tradeshow has come and gone.

The Interservice/ Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) is the world’s largest modeling, simulation, and training conference. Held yearly in Orlando, Florida, the week-long I/ITSEC consists of paper presentations, tutorials, events, workshops, a commercial exhibit hall, a serious games competition, and STEM events for teachers and secondary students.

IITSEC 2017 - CM labs Booth

CM Labs had a great show! While there were fewer attendees than in previous years, there was near-constant booth traffic. We had a clear message and I think we were able to communicate quickly and powerfully the reason why organisations all over the world are using Vortex Studio to power their land and maritime training applications.

IITSEC 2017 - CM labs Booth - Marin Simulation on Advantage Simulator

To help with this — and in accordance with the famous “show, don’t tell” principle — we had a number of live demonstrations as well as videos of previous projects. The stars were of course the two Vortex Studio-based simulators book-ending our booth, a JLTV driver simulation running on a Vortex Advantage platform, and MARIN’s small boat demonstrator, running on their proprietary Dolphin console. The JLTV demo got quickly converted into an excavator simulator several times during the week, showcasing the versatility of the Advantage as a multi-disciplinary teaching tool.

With engineering-grade vehicle, cable, and marine dynamics on full display, with an integrated visualisation engine, and desktop applications to create & distribute your simulations, it was easy for visitors to see just how Vortex Studio is designed to solve difficult simulation challenges quickly.

Vortex Studio was also on display in other booths, notably Bohemia Interactive Simulations (BIS), and VT MAK. BIS used Vortex Studio’s dynamics and vehicle systems in their Stryker demo, with VBS handling the image generation and networking. A standard Vortex Advantage simulator was used as well. Meanwhile, VT MAK’s VR Engage combined forces simulation relied on Vortex Studio to handle its vehicle dynamics.

Both the JLTV and VBS demos made a big impression on visitors. Our JLTV sim looked and felt fantastic, and was well received by all visitors, especially the multi-user convoy scenario with three trucks.

Although less flashy, a lot of people were interested in the earthmoving features. Armed forces have a tough time training their engineering crew (recovery, earthmoving, etc.). Also much interest in the cables sim, for slung loads, towing, and recovery.

VR was still a hot item but not as “front and center” as last year. Users are coming to realize the limitations of the technology. People were happy with the VR display option in Vortex Studio, and were very impressed that we don’t have to jump through hoops to get it hooked up. Visitors were also impressed that we have our own multi-channel IG and that it looks so good.

As always, I/ITSEC was the consummate mix of business and pleasure. We had lots of fun and look forward to seeing you next year. In the meantime, if you are working on programs for vehicle driver training,maritime simulation, or logistics equipment simulation, contact us. We’re happy to show you how Vortex Studio can help.