Serious game

RTG Crane Simulator — Unity

Serious game · Unity · vehicle and grab mechanics, from scratch

First generation of the RTG crane serious game, built entirely by me in Unity: the vehicle mechanics from scratch. I programmed the spreader, the container grab system and the crane's real operating constraints —what the machine cannot do is as much part of the mechanic as what it can—, plus the basic task system and the multi-screen setup on a physical cab with real joysticks. This foundation later evolved into the photorealistic simulator in Unreal Engine 5.

Unity
C#

Unity: Simulation engine
5: Screens in the physical station
Dual: Real control joysticks
1st gen: First version of the RTG simulator

The story

Problem

Training RTG crane operators with real equipment is expensive, slow and risky. No training tool existed yet, so the very first version of the simulator had to be built from scratch to run on modest hardware.

Solution

I developed the first generation of the simulator entirely in Unity. I programmed the basic task system, the spreader mechanics and the hooking system, and translated the crane's real behavior into code along with its operational limits. I researched and implemented the multi-screen setup on a physical station with real joysticks that replicates the cabin.

Result

Operators practiced stacking maneuvers safely and repeatably on a low-cost station; this first version —built entirely by me— laid the foundations that evolved into the photorealistic simulator in Unreal Engine 5.

The systems I built in the engine

Unity Developer

Full Simulator Programming (First Version)

I single-handedly built the first version of the RTG crane simulator in Unity: project architecture, the basic task system and the core logic on top of which the whole training experience was built.

Unity Developer

Spreader Mechanics and Hooking System

I programmed the spreader mechanics and the container hooking system, replicating the real movement and operation with which the crane picks up and sets down the load.

Unity Developer

Real Crane Behavior and Limitations

I studied how the RTG crane really works and translated it into code, programming its operational limits and constraints so the maneuver behaved like the real operation.

Unity Developer

Multi-Screen Research and Implementation

I researched and implemented the multi-screen setup that replicates the view from the cabin, deploying the simulator on a physical station with real joysticks.

Gallery

**Port Terminal in Unity**Render of the yard with the RTG crane and an STS crane in the background, showing the low-poly style of the simulator's first generation.

**Five-Screen Physical Station**Photograph of the operator at the joystick in front of the five-screen array that replicates the view from the crane cabin.

**Cabin and Spreader View**The station in operation showing the spreader descending onto the container during a stacking maneuver.

**Development Station with Joysticks**Three-screen test rig with dual joysticks, used to iterate the crane mechanics before the final deployment.

**Scene in the Unity Editor**View of the project in Unity with the container hierarchy and cameras that make up the RTG crane simulator.

**Container Yard Coding**Top-down view of the low-poly yard with numbered rows and a tractor-trailer maneuvering between the container blocks.

**Spreader Hooking**The spreader aligning over a container during the stacking maneuver in the yard.

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