---
title: "Construction Training Fund – Simulator Project"
url: https://sencom.com.au/2025/construction-training-fund-simulator/
type: post
date: 2025-09-08
modified: 2025-10-06
markdown_url: https://sencom.com.au/2025/construction-training-fund-simulator.md
author: "Technical Sentient"
---

# Construction Training Fund – Simulator Project

[Construction Training Fund](https://ctf.wa.gov.au/) (CTF) approached Sentient to revitalise their existing physical Excavator Simulator, which was no longer operational. Their vision: to create an engaging experience that could spark interest in construction careers at **SkillsWest Expo 2025**—specifically among high school students (Years 9–12).

The original game concept was a **90-second soil-loading challenge**, where players would operate an excavator to fill a truck and receive a score based on tonnage moved.

 

**CHALLENGE:**

 
- Pivot from the original game concept, CTF made a strategic shift toward a demolition-focused game. This required Sentient to rapidly adjust the game design, conduct additional research, and solve new hardware integration challenges
 
- Work within a tight budget and expo timeline constraints
 
- Develop a simulation game that strikes a balance between semi-realistic demolition experience, educational value, and engaging user experience.
 
- We faced a few tricky challenges when adapting off-the-shelf joysticks and pedals to fit the simulator.
 
- Resolve gameplay resistance issues with existing industrial analogue joysticks and pedals to a computer, enabling compatibility with the Unity game engine.
 
- Design robust, low-maintenance hardware mounting solutions


 

**SOLUTION:**

 
- **Unity-based game development** using a deconstruction plugin
 
- Built customised joysticks and pedals control configurations
 
- Fine-tuned physics settings to achieve a semi-realistic demolition experience
 
- **Collaborative iteration** with CTF’s industry training advisors to validate controls and scenario realism
 
- On-site set up and internal testing with the simulator in our office
 
- Reused the customer’s 3D assets to maximise efficiency
 
- **Two retrofit options** tested in parallel:

 Retrofitting consumer-grade joysticks and pedals
 
- Connecting the game with the customer’s existing industrial joysticks and pedals—providing a comparative proof of concept for robustness and gameplay quality.





 

**OUTCOME:**

Sentient delivered the game and hardware one week ahead of the scheduled with a solution that was

 
- Intuitive, fun to play and expo ready
 
- A great example of **cross-team collaboration **resulting in productive client game review meetings
 
- Showcased how dormant hardware can be repurposed with custom content
 
- Aligned with real demolition workflows for educational impact


 

* **“The Demolition simulator was a really cool project to work on. We had this simulator sit in our storeroom for quite a few years and we decided to utilise the shell of the simulator and have a new game built.  It’s been a hit at the expo, there’s always been a crowd around this simulator”*
—Vanessa Marmino – Construction Futures Centre Manager

 

*The simulator was a major success at **SkillsWest Expo 2025**, with high student engagement and strong feedback from both educators and industry observers*.