An innovative study on digital education technologies: Design of a virtual reality based fire training simulation

In recent years, wildfires have shown a significant increase worldwide. The occurrence of major wildfires in our country, such as in Hatay, Antalya, and Marmaris, has inspired the development of virtual environments using Virtual Reality (VR) technologies for firefighting and search and rescue personnel, allowing them to perform essential tasks in a simulated environment without jeopardizing their lives. In this study, a training simulation software has been prepared to contribute to the virtual training of firefighting personnel and provide them with the opportunity to practice in a virtual environment. Autodesk 3ds Max software was preferred for environmental space and equipment modeling, while Photoshop and Substance Designer programs were utilized for the preparation of textures for the completed 3D models. The finalized 3D models were transferred to the Unreal Engine software to be transformed into a Virtual Reality application, and after adding the necessary modules, it was converted into an executable application on the Windows platform. The developed software can be effectively used in training sessions for firefighting personnel.