Abstract
Recently, various training simulators based on virtual reality (VR) have been utilized for education, training, and research in ships and offshore structures. These simulators are not easy to be modified for the other uses once they have been installed. Some of the existing simulators can not perform collaboration simulations in which multiple workers participate simultaneously. This study proposes the five components for multi-purpose ship and ocean simulators based on the requirements to overcome such limitations. The first component is the environment, including display such as a 360-degree surround screen and HMDs (Head-Mounted Displays), and a motion generator such as a 6DOF motion platform, a motion chair, and a treadmill. The second is the controller such as button, lever, joystick and wand which can capture the motion of the hand. The third is a background software to calculate the motion or to implement the control logic. The fourth is virtual reality, including realistic contents. The last one is integrated technology through the network, which can incorporate the components at once. We construct OSC (Ocean Simulation Center) based on five components listed above. Finally, the block turn-over operation, offshore module erection operation, and walkthrough on FPSO (Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading unit) are implemented with given components in OCS.
