The SimBuild platform builds on engaging game technology to deliver an effective, interactive experience for learning. Students acquire trade skills and reinforce basic academic skills while working through the program content and experimenting in the safety of a simulated environment.

SimBuild augments traditional teacher-led training in the classroom, and supplements practical hands on training.  Students can work on SimBuild activities at a school or training facility, and at home, as long as they have computer equipment that meets minimum SimBuild Device Requirements.

No. SimBuild is only available for organizational use. For more information on who SimBuild is available for, see “Who It’s For”.

In addition to specific construction and manufacturing competencies learned in SimBuild, students’ enhance their basic reading, math and problem solving skills as they work through SimBuild programs. SimBuild content draws together interdisciplinary skills that shape STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) learning.

SimBuild products are currently available in English. Contact us to discuss your language options.

All devices must meet SimBuild’s Device Requirements.

SimBuild Carpentry is available on Windows Laptops or PCs and Chromebooks with Play Store support. For details on which Chromebooks support the Play Store, check this list of information and supported devices.

SimBuild Industrial is available on Windows Laptops or PCs.

SimBuild is not available on all devices. In general, SimBuild supports the following operating systems. Refer to SimBuild’s Device Requirements for additional details.

Windows – Supported
ChromeOS – Supported
MacOS – Not Supported
iOS – Not Supported
Android – Not Supported
Linux – Not Supported

Interested in SimBuild on a different device? Let us know where you’d like to see SimBuild at simbuildsupport@vrsim.net.

As students move through SimBuild, they perform activities that build skills and draw on knowledge gained from the earlier activities. The learning in SimBuild is driven by a work order system organized around trade training areas. Once students complete all SimBuild work orders, they will have comprehensive exposure to terminology, tools, materials, process, procedures, and key tasks entry level jobs in the trade require.

The SimBuild products each contain over 15-20 hours of activities. Students work through the program until they successfully complete all activities, and then can practice further and earn rewards for top performance in certain activities. In SimBuild, students can practice until they master the competencies taught in the program.

The SimBuild training platform aligns with curriculum that builds competencies which make up industry standard job-readiness requirements. Upon completion of SimBuild Carpentry students have covered the curriculum for entry-level carpentry or pre-apprenticeship carpentry training. Upon completion of SimBuild Industrial they will have completed curriculum for entry-level machinist or pre-apprenticeship training for machine shop or production trainee.

Through the learning management system (LMS), teachers track student completion progress and activity performance as students work through the program; upon completion, teachers generate student completion certificates. License and user account management is done through the LMS website. In addition, teachers assign students to classes, can monitor class progress and performance, and print SimBuild student certificates. Students are able to view their progress and grades at a glance, and also print certificates. Average grades recorded in the LMS can be exported to a text file for upload into external gradebook and learning management programs.

SimBuild™ Carpentry teaches practical skills used in residential construction while reinforcing academic disciplines in reading, math and problem solving. Through more than 80 activities, students learn skills including tool reading, applied construction math, framing, installation process, material estimation and building system terminology.
SimBuild™ Industrial provides training in basic industrial skills needed by entry level metalworkers. Practical shop math, measurements and plan layout help students interpret shop drawings, part layouts and machine settings. Students learn shop safety, machine operations and proper tool use, while reinforcing core reading, math and problem solving skills.

Demo versions of SimBuild products are available from the DEMOs and Previews page on the SimBuild LMS website. The demo version allows unlicensed users access to a select set of work areas and activities. The demo version does not share information with the SimBuild LMS website, and therefore progress is not tracked and rewards cannot be earned. Explore the SimBuild LMS through the companion SimBuild Carpentry and SimBuild Industrial interactive preview sites. Using the free Demo Mode in SimBuild and the LMS preview sites provide a chance to experience the SimBuild platform.

Each SimBuild application is a separately licensed software product. Customers license a SimBuild product by purchasing a license with a specified number of student accounts.
With purchase of SimBuild, you are issued a license key that provides access to the complete application, data tracking and administrative functionality in the LMS. The license fee covers user accounts for 12 months for up to 25 students, and additional licenses for one (1) administrator account and five (5) instructor accounts. Unlimited downloads and installations of the application and student data tracking for the first 12 months, customer support and instructor documentation are included in the license fee.
User account fees are assessed annually on all student accounts beginning in the second year. After the first year of use, user account fees must be renewed to continue access to all features of the SimBuild application and data tracking in the LMS.

The initial license fee provides licenses for up to 25 user accounts for the first year of use. Only students that are enrolled in the LMS have access to full SimBuild content in any given product. The maximum number of LMS student accounts that can be active at one time is equal to the number of student licenses purchased for that product for that year.

Yes. You can purchase an individual license for SimBuild directly from VRSim, Inc. Contact us for pricing.

The application contains the training content and activities the trainee will perform. Working through the application is the primary SimBuild experience of the student. Through the LMS the teacher tracks student completion progress and activity performance, manages class enrollment, user accounts and licenses, and prints student certificates of completion. Teachers can view student information by class and for individual students. Students can also track their own progress through the LMS student reports, and print certificates of completion.

In addition to tracking completion progress and Study activity grades, the LMS tracks students’ progress as they acquire trade skills. The Competencies section lists skill competencies for job readiness and students’ completion progress for activities that grow those competencies.

SimBuild license fees are billed once your license information has been delivered. Licenses are sent to the email address provided at time of purchase. This is often the designated SimBuild admin.

First year student fees are included with the purchase of the SimBuild product license. The number of user accounts billed is equal to the number student account licenses issued to you.

If your institution purchases more than one SimBuild product, students can use the same student account to access each product. Students will need a separate license key for each SimBuild product they add to their student account.

Students receive a certificate of achievement after successful completion of SimBuild programs. Successful completion of Study activities requires a score of 80% or better, and ungraded activities must be passed for the LMS to recognize them as completed successfully.

Students do not receive industry credentials directly from completion of SimBuild products. However, SimBuild helps prepare students for assessments that are part of earning industry credentials. SimBuild Carpentry content covers tools, materials, construction math and construction tasks and terminology that aligns with objectives and performance tasks contained in the NCCER Level 1 Carpentry curriculum plans, and the NOCTI Carpentry Basic job-ready assessment blueprint. The LMS tracks competencies that are consistent with topic areas in the NCCER Level 1 Carpentry assessment contents.

SimBuild Industrial content covers tools, shop math, plan reading and machine identification and operation that aligns with job planning, precision measurement and manual machining skills that are part of NIMS Machining Level 1 credentials, and MSI Manufacturing Technician Level 1 program.

The SimBuild platform contains multiple products to develop different trade skills. Each SimBuild product is sold separately and requires a specific license.

If you forget your username or password, click on the Forgot password link on the LMS login page and follow the on-screen instructions.  SimBuild teachers and administrators can look up usernames and reset passwords from the LMS Manage Users page.

SimBuild applications require an internet connection to login to the application and sync progress data with the LMS (lms.SimBuild.com). The LMS is only accessible online through a web browser.

SimBuild applications are designed to run on Windows laptops or PCs and Chromebooks with Play Store support. See the SimBuild Device Requirements for more detailed specifications, requirements, and information on supported Chromebooks.

To share feedback on any SimBuild product, please email us at simbuildsupport@vrsim.net.

Verify your equipment meets minimum SimBuild Device Requirements and can connect to the SimBuild LMS (lms.SimBuild.com).  If you are receiving an error message, follow the instructions included in that message to resolve the problem.  If the SimBuild application is still not working, contact simbuildsupport@vrsim.net for assistance.

Students should contact their SimBuild teacher if they feel their scoring is incorrect.  Teachers can consult the answer guide to verify student results are accurate.  To report a scoring discrepancy, email simbuildsupport@vrsim.net  for assistance.