A New Era for Industrial Simulation
For decades, industrial simulation has been locked behind expensive desktop software, proprietary licenses, and steep learning curves. Engineers and automation professionals have had to invest heavily before they could even begin testing their ideas. We built Sim Assist to change that.
Sim Assist is a browser-based platform for industrial simulation, PLC programming, and virtual commissioning. There is nothing to install. Open your browser, sign in, and start building.
What You Can Do with Sim Assist
Build 3D Scenes in a Visual Editor
The Sim Assist 3D editor lets you compose industrial environments from a library of pre-built components. Conveyors, sensors, actuators, robotic arms, tanks, and valves are all available as drag-and-drop elements. You can arrange them into complete production lines or isolated test stations, then configure physical properties like speed, capacity, and sensor ranges directly in the editor.
Program PLCs with FBD and Structured Text
Sim Assist includes a full PLC programming environment that supports IEC 61131-3 languages. The Function Block Diagram editor provides a visual, wire-based interface that mirrors how many automation engineers already think about control logic. For those who prefer text-based programming, Structured Text is also available. Both languages compile and execute directly in the browser.
Run Real-Time Simulations
Once your scene is built and your PLC program is written, you can run the simulation in real time. The physics engine handles material flow, collision detection, and sensor triggering. You can watch your control logic interact with the virtual plant, observe timing issues, and catch logic errors before they ever reach a physical machine.
Connect to Real PLCs with OPC UA
Sim Assist is not limited to virtual environments. Through an OPC UA WebSocket bridge, you can connect your browser simulation to real PLC hardware. This enables hardware-in-the-loop testing, where the virtual plant responds to commands from a physical controller. It also works in reverse: you can use the Sim Assist PLC to drive real actuators in a controlled test environment.
Share and Sell on the Marketplace
The Sim Assist Marketplace lets you publish reusable toolboxes, which are collections of 3D components, PLC function blocks, and pre-configured scenes. Other users can purchase and integrate them into their own projects. Creators earn 80% of each sale, making it possible to build a business around automation components.
Who Is Sim Assist For?
Sim Assist is designed for a broad range of users in the industrial automation space:
- Automation engineers who want to test PLC logic before commissioning
- System integrators who need to demonstrate solutions to clients before hardware arrives
- Students and educators looking for an accessible way to learn PLC programming and industrial automation
- Component manufacturers who want to provide digital twins of their products
- Freelance developers who want to monetize reusable automation components
What Comes Next
This launch is just the beginning. Our roadmap includes expanded PLC language support, collaborative editing for teams, deeper integration with major PLC brands, and an AI-powered assistant that can help generate control logic from natural language descriptions. We are also working on a richer library of physics behaviors and more detailed simulation analytics.
We invite you to create an account, explore the editor, and let us know what you think. Industrial simulation should be accessible, collaborative, and open. That is what Sim Assist is here to deliver.