Technical Lead, 3D / VR studio · 2013–2026
13 years at TSC Simulation
TSC Simulation builds operator training simulators and digital twins for the process and energy sectors. Below are pieces from products I worked on there, each with a note of what my part was.
Draft view. Dashed cards are placeholders for footage still to capture; visitors don't see them. Name each capture after its placeholder's code.
2013
Joined TSC Simulation as a mathematics graduate, working on 2D operator training simulators that recreate real control-room interfaces: C and C++ runtime, UI and numerical-methods work, with Python automation alongside.
Three phase separator
A 2D operator training screen for a three-phase separator, with live readings on each valve and vessel.
My part I worked across these trainers: the screen graphics and layout, the C and C++ simulation runtime, the numerical methods in the process models and the UI code behind the screens.
Oil pipeline
A 100 km pipeline with booster pumps and pig launching, and its pressure profile along the line.
My part I worked across these trainers: the screen graphics and layout, the C and C++ simulation runtime, the numerical methods in the process models and the UI code behind the screens.
Cascade control
One of the control-theory training models: a level loop cascaded onto flow, with disturbances to switch on.
My part I worked across these trainers: the screen graphics and layout, the C and C++ simulation runtime, the numerical methods in the process models and the UI code behind the screens.
Crude distillation
A full crude distillation unit: furnace, column and product draws.
My part I worked across these trainers: the screen graphics and layout, the C and C++ simulation runtime, the numerical methods in the process models and the UI code behind the screens.
2015
Moved into the 3D studio as it was set up over 2015 and 2016, and became its technical lead across the Unity product range: architecture, build infrastructure, mentoring and end-to-end project ownership.
2020
The pig pole advert
A tongue-in-cheek advert for the pig pole.
My part My pig pole model and the advert. The avatar and environment are TSC's.
Pig launcher closure
Opening the pig launcher's closure door.
My part I built the pig launcher model and its mechanism, and the selection highlighting.
Closing the launcher
Swinging the closure door shut and locking it.
My part I built the pig launcher model and its mechanism.
Carrying the pig
Another player carries a pig across site in a multiplayer session.
My part I built the multiplayer, the pig handling and the animation system that syncs each avatar to its walk cycle.
Picking up the torch
My part My torch model and the pick-up, plus the multiplayer avatar and its animation.
Torch and pig
Items on site can be picked up, carried and put down.
My part My torch model and the pick-up interactions.
Leaving the site office
Another player waits in the office as the door opens onto the site.
My part I built the multiplayer, the selection highlighting and the avatar animation synced to its walk cycle.
To capture
oil-linkage-animations
Linkage animations
One of the linkage animations running, slowed down if that makes the parts easier to follow.
My part I built the linkage animations.
2023
Delivered Strawberry Fields solo for a research officer at the University of Essex: an agent-based harvesting simulation, from requirements through to delivery. Completed the ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management.
Start scene
The warehouse the trainee starts in, with the main menu.
My part I designed the start scene.
Starting the job
Choosing Start from the main menu.
My part I designed the start scene.
Welcome and briefing
Instructions in the site office before the job starts.
My part I wrote the welcome message and instructions and built the task system behind them.
Placing barriers
Setting out barriers around the work area.
My part I wrote the instructions and built the task system behind them.
Opening the bypass valve
With permission from Operations, the next step opens the bypass valve.
My part I wrote the instructions and built the task system behind them.
Closing V003
My part I wrote the instructions and built the task system behind them.
Closing the last valve
My part I wrote the instructions and built the task system behind them.
Lockout station
Collecting valve covers and padlocks for the job.
My part I wrote the instructions and built the task system behind them.
Cover and padlock
Fitting a valve cover, then a padlock, to V002.
My part I wrote the instructions and built the task system behind them.
Control valve off to the pallet
Setting the removed control valve on a pallet.
My part I wrote the instructions and built the task system behind them.
Calling the control room
Choosing what to say over the radio.
My part I wrote the instructions and built the task system behind them.
Risk assessment and method statement
Checking the job's paperwork mid-task.
My part I wrote the instructions and built the task system behind them.
Settings and walking
Adjusting settings, then moving with the virtual walking controls.
My part I built the virtual walking controls and their logic.
2026
Thirteen years in, leading the 3D and VR work: digital twins wired to live process simulation; standalone VR on Meta Quest and Pico; immersive training in the browser through WebXR.
Wind Farm
A day on the wind farm
One hillside view cycling through sunset, night, cloudy daylight and evening fog.
My part I managed this project, did most of its development and built the terrain.
On top of the nacelle
My part I managed this project and built the terrain. Turbine model by a colleague.
Inside the nacelle
My part I managed this project. Nacelle model by a colleague.
Tower base
My part I managed this project. Interior models by colleagues.
Tower entrance at dusk
My part I managed this project. Tower and vehicle models by colleagues.
Briefing at the turbine
The instructor sets out a routine inspection: bolts, nacelle, blade pitch system, weather sensors and a yaw and rotor test.
My part I managed this project and built the terrain. I designed aspects of the interface's logic and structure; its visual style is a colleague's.
Tower control panel
Switching the turbine from remote to local control.
My part I managed this project and did most of its development.
Climbing the tower
The ladder climb inside the turbine tower.
My part I managed this project and did most of its development.
At the top of the ladder
A reminder to close the ladder hatch before unclipping the fall arrestor.
My part I managed this project. I designed aspects of the interface's logic and structure; its visual style is a colleague's.
To capture
windfarm-terrain-flyover
Terrain flyover
A slow flight over the hillside terrain, recorded from an older clean revision.
My part I built the terrain.
To capture
windfarm-inspection
An inspection task, re-recorded
Equipment, controllers and highlighting during an inspection task, from a revision before the bug and the interface redesign.
My part I managed this project and did most of its development.
Three Phase Separator
Separator by day
The scene also has fog and night lighting.
My part The site layout, walkway structure and fences are my models. The separator and pipework are colleagues' models.
To capture
tps-walkthrough
Walk round the site
A walk round showing the layout, walkways and fences, plus anything else you built in it.
My part The site layout, walkway structure and fences are my models. To confirm: what else here is mine.
Equipment Explorer
To capture
equipment-explorer-exploded-view
Exploded views
An exploded-view animation opening out a piece of equipment and closing it again.
My part I wrote the core system the product is built on, and the exploded-view animations.
To capture
equipment-explorer-virtual-handles
Virtual handles
Grabbing and moving parts by their virtual handles.
My part I designed and built the virtual handles.
To capture
equipment-explorer-labels
Label placement
Labels arranging themselves around a model as the view changes.
My part I wrote the label placement.
To capture
equipment-explorer-interaction
Interaction run-through
Selecting, inspecting and isolating parts, ideally on desktop and in XR.
My part I designed much of the interaction logic, from the UX through to the code layout.
Isolations
Closing and locking off a valve
Turning the handwheel, then fitting a lock and tag from the tool belt.
Multimeter check
Taking a reading at a control valve's actuator.
Calling the control room
Taking the radio from the tool belt to report progress.
Isolation confirmed
Reporting back over the radio once the valves are locked off.
Two-handed handwheel
Turning a large valve wheel with both controllers.
To capture
isolations-lock-order
Lock and tag order enforced
Trying to fit a lock or tag out of order and the app stopping you.
My part To confirm: whether the lock and tag ordering rules are mine.
Hazard Identification
Out onto the plant
Leaving the site office to start a hazard walk-round of the plant.
A dislodged floor grating
Hazards are hidden around the plant for the trainee to find and report.
Checking the fire point
Inspecting the extinguishers at a fire point.
Setting out barriers
Placing barrier sections around an unsafe work area.
Up onto the structure
Climbing to the upper walkways, guided by direction arrows.
Debrief and scored recap
The safety manager questions the trainee on each hazard, then the recap scores every answer.
My part I designed aspects of the interface's logic and structure; its visual style is a colleague's.
Major Emergency Management
Onshore terminal overview
A DCS overview page with a map view of a generic onshore oil and gas terminal, from the major emergency management simulator.
My part I made the model background behind this page.
Offshore platform overview
A DCS overview page with a 3D view of four offshore platforms, each drawn as a stack of its decks.
My part I made the model background behind this page.
To capture
mme-fire-and-gas
Fire and gas pages
The fire and gas pages, captured full screen at 1920 by 1080.
My part I made the fire and gas pages.
Live simulation
To capture
live-simulation-link
3D driven by the live simulator
Operating plant in 3D while the process simulator's values respond, ideally side by side.
My part I built the real-time 3D layer and its link to the live process simulation.
Platforms
To capture
platforms-one-scenario
One scenario, every platform
The same scenario in the browser through WebXR, standalone on Quest or Pico and on an Igloo multi-projector screen.
My part To confirm: which ports were mine alone; the WebXR and multi-platform work was partly shared.
Icons and graphics
To capture
icons-end-user
End-user icons
The end-user facing icons laid out together on one sheet.
My part I created all of the end-user facing icons.
To capture
graphics-in-app
In-app and button graphics
A selection of in-app and button graphics, ideally in place on a product screen.
My part I made these in-app and button graphics.
Marketing
To capture
marketing-materials
Marketing materials
The marketing pieces you made, one capture or export each.
My part I made these marketing materials.
Interaction design
To capture
ux-stealable-selection
Stealable selection
Two users in one session: one holding an item while the other selects it and takes over.
My part I designed stealable selection. Users work together, so one can take over from another, including when a trainee can't let go of something someone else needs.
To capture
ux-advanced-options
Advanced options
The advanced options open, and a change in them taking effect.
My part I started the advanced options for developers and advanced users, largely maintained them and proposed many of their settings.
To capture
ux-led-exercise-order
Instruction order in led exercises
A led exercise stepping through its first few instructions.
My part I chose the order instructions are given in led exercises.
To capture
ux-display-modes
Changing display mode mid-session
Switching display mode partway through a session.
My part I designed changing display modes mid-session.
To capture
highview-save-load
Save and load
Saving a session in the Highview Power project and loading it back.
My part I designed the save and load functionality for Highview Power.
To capture
ux-fly-mode-landing
Landing from fly mode
Flying, then landing back on the ground.
My part I designed the landing system for fly mode.
Animation and motion
To capture
anim-inverse-kinematics
Inverse kinematics
A limb or mechanism following its target through inverse kinematics.
My part I wrote the inverse kinematics.
To capture
anim-truck-wheels
Truck wheels
A truck driving, with its wheels turning to match.
My part I animated the truck wheels.
To capture
anim-player-motion
Player motion from recent history
A player moving, with the animation following their recent movement.
My part I calculated player motion from recent movement history.
To capture
liberty-linkage-animations
Linkage animations for Liberty Steel
One of the linkage animations in the Liberty Steel model running.
My part I built the linkage animations.
Maths
To capture
maths-root-finding
Root finding
A graphic of the root-finding work: a method converging, or where it is used in a product.
My part My root-finding work.
To capture
maths-interpolation
Interpolation
A graphic of the interpolation work, such as a curve through sampled points.
My part My interpolation work.
To capture
maths-shaft-kinematics
Shaft kinematics
The shaft kinematics graphic.
My part I worked out the shaft kinematics, prototyping them in Haskell.
Laser scanning
To capture
liberty-laser-scanning
Scanning for Liberty Steel
The scanning methodology: scan positions, a registered point cloud or the steps in order.
My part I worked out the laser scanning methodology.
To capture
faro-overview-graphics
Automated overview graphics
An overview graphic produced by the FARO SCENE automation, ideally beside the scan it came from.
My part I automated the creation of overview graphics in FARO SCENE.
To capture
faro-flythroughs
Automated fly-throughs
A fly-through produced by the FARO SCENE automation.
My part I automated the creation of fly-throughs in FARO SCENE.
Performance testing
To capture
perf-testing-graphs
Automated performance testing
A test run with its in-app graph, then the same results plotted outside the app.
My part I designed and built the automated performance testing and its graphs for review.
Pictures and video are on their way. Switch to the timeline for the story so far.
Beyond the gallery
Systems, tools and design
A lot of my work at TSC doesn't show up in a screenshot. Alongside the pieces above, these are contributions I made across the product range.
- Core systems
- Licensing infrastructure in the 3D products, built on the company's existing licensing protocol
- The settings manager the products relied on
- The repair manager, designed and built almost from the ground up
- The CharacterManager, controlling player and camera movement across output types
- The date and time manager
- The task system's design, which others in the team later added to
- The inventory system, ported into a more modular framework
- Architecture
- The UserInputManager, taking input without window focus when Unity didn't allow it and feeding it through a generic interface to our scripts
- The UserInputReceivers system
- An input rank system
- A context stack system
- Systems for referencing singletons
- Encapsulation in C# and Unity through clear contracts and separate assemblies
- Shared code through SVN externals: first in bulk for reuse, later split up more selectively
- Interaction design
- Stealable selection, so collaborating users can take over an item someone else is holding
- The interaction handles in Equipment Explorer
- Advanced options for developers and advanced users, which I started and largely maintained
- The order instructions come in during led exercises
- Changing display mode mid-session
- Save and load for Highview Power
- A landing system for fly mode
- Animation and motion
- A modular, component-based animation system with decoupled abstractions
- Inverse kinematics
- Truck wheels and player motion calculated from recent movement
- Linkage animations in Oil Pipeline and for Liberty Steel
- Build, testing and tooling
- Automated performance testing inside the apps, with results graphed in the app and outside it for review
- Most of the 3D Jenkins work after its initial setup: scripting, process work, Unity integration, analysis, maintenance, file organisation and performance improvements
- Organising SVN so modular systems stay separate
- Maintaining SVN and mentoring the team in using it
- Scripting in Haskell, AutoIt, Python, C++ and C#
- Maths
- Root finding
- Interpolation
- Shaft kinematics, prototyped in Haskell
- Graphics
- Every end-user facing icon
- In-app and button graphics
- Marketing materials
- Map and 3D model backgrounds for the major emergency management DCS screens
- Fire and gas pages for the same simulators
- Laser scanning
- The scanning methodology for Liberty Steel
- Automated overview graphics and fly-throughs in FARO SCENE