Interest in Realistic 3D Circuit Simulator Aimed Towards Beginners

[superfluous_candy_cane]

I have developed 20-30% of a realistic 3D circuit simulator that is aimed primarily at beginners, and also perhaps educators. It is built around a 3D work environment, in which the user can connect components and wires to a 3D breadboard, with the components snapping into place, as if on a real breadboard.

The problem I have right now is whether I should continue development on the project, as I don't know how much interest people will have in the software. The main differentiation factor of this simulator compared to other options is the realistic 3D aspect of it. I have implemented realistic-looking wires, along with visual effects such as smoke to show when a component is overloaded.

The software was developed with the potential use cases of beginners wanting to simulate circuits, who may possibly not have access to a certain physical component, or towards educators, maybe a classroom teacher displaying a circuit that they want their students to build up on a breadboard.

I'm wondering whether this userbase is likely to choose to use this simulator over something robust that already exists, such as Tinkercad circuits.

What do you guys think? Do you think there is enough of a potential userbase for this software to warrant me continuing development for it?

[Ranayna]

That sounds quite nice. Do you have any screenshots you want to share? I'm very curious.

Maybe you can make a game out of this? There are a few semi-educational puzzle games that use programming concepts. Some quite close to actual programming languages that can therefore be used to teach some basic principles of programming.
Maybe something similar would be possible for electronics.

[thm_w]

Made me think of this: https://store.steampowered.com/app/621060/PC_Building_Simulator/

I don't know how you would judge interest without releasing say screenshots or a beta.

[YurkshireLad]

What are you using to simulate the circuits? SPICE?

As a true beginner I find this interesting. I tried using various tools to quickly build and simulate basic schematics. I found that tools using SPICE were a challenge for me when simulating a circuit. Others like circuitjs, are much easier to use but offer rudimentary simulations.

I think this is a good idea for curious beginners like myself who want to tinker but will never be able to learn enough to be an expert. But thats just me!

[superfluous_candy_cane]

What are you using to simulate the circuits? SPICE?

Yes.

Here are some screenshots of where the software is at now.

Let me know what you guys think

[YurkshireLad]

That's pretty cool. It's nice being able to visualize the physical elements.

[superfluous_candy_cane]

Since there seems to be some interest, If anyone would like, you can register your interest at breadboardsimulator.com and be notified if I release this software somewhere down the line.

[Just_another_Dave]

Will an schematic view be also available? I think this simulator can be really useful for introductory courses about electronics in schools, since it could be helpful for things like explaining how the circuit works while students build it physically

Good luck with your project!

[superfluous_candy_cane]

Will an schematic view be also available?

Maybe not in a first release version (as it's quite barebones at the moment, so there are quite a few more things I have yet to do) but if there is sufficient interest, I'm sure I could implement a schematic view down the line.

Good luck with your project!

Thank you, I really appreciate it!

[Dubbie]

I really hope you have plans for a magic smoke simulation!

[ROT]

Just sharing my 2 cents here.

My issue with these approaches that it might look helpful, but it bypasses one of the core basics, which is understanding how do you read schematics and gaining intuition how things interconnect.

You can make a hecking realistic 3D renders which students can copy easily, sure they might have an easier time building things up (to be frank since it is 3D it just makes things harder, opposed to the 2D solutions we already have like fritzig)

On the pro side, this approach might help the super beginners because it is less daunting, or those who are learning electronics as a side class and it i not their main field of study.

But for those who mainly learn electronics, mastering reading, and connecting stuff according to schematics is number one priority.
I saw people during EE uni who had troubles connecting stuff no matter if it was a breadboard or edu kits where you use banana plugs, they just did not get it, damn it was sad.

[Just_another_Dave]

Just sharing my 2 cents here.

My issue with these approaches that it might look helpful, but it bypasses one of the core basics, which is understanding how do you read schematics and gaining intuition how things interconnect.

You can make a hecking realistic 3D renders which students can copy easily, sure they might have an easier time building things up (to be frank since it is 3D it just makes things harder, opposed to the 2D solutions we already have like fritzig)

On the pro side, this approach might help the super beginners because it is less daunting, or those who are learning electronics as a side class and it i not their main field of study.

But for those who mainly learn electronics, mastering reading, and connecting stuff according to schematics is number one priority.
I saw people during EE uni who had troubles connecting stuff no matter if it was a breadboard or edu kits where you use banana plugs, they just did not get it, damn it was sad.

For EE students learning to use schematics is a must, but this tool could be pretty useful for schools subjects about technology and electronics. At least in my country we had to build our first circuit in a subject that we had to take when we were 11 years old (it was just a really simple one consisting in some lights and switches connected with wires as we just knew how to analyze a circuit consisting on resistors). I think this tool could be useful for that kind of subjects as it would allow the teacher to show what’s happening inside the circuit, as it is not that common for a school to have oscilloscopes

[YurkshireLad]

Just sharing my 2 cents here.

My issue with these approaches that it might look helpful, but it bypasses one of the core basics, which is understanding how do you read schematics and gaining intuition how things interconnect.

You can make a hecking realistic 3D renders which students can copy easily, sure they might have an easier time building things up (to be frank since it is 3D it just makes things harder, opposed to the 2D solutions we already have like fritzig)

On the pro side, this approach might help the super beginners because it is less daunting, or those who are learning electronics as a side class and it i not their main field of study.

But for those who mainly learn electronics, mastering reading, and connecting stuff according to schematics is number one priority.
I saw people during EE uni who had troubles connecting stuff no matter if it was a breadboard or edu kits where you use banana plugs, they just did not get it, damn it was sad.

That's a good point but I would say this isn't targeted at EEs, but more at people like myself who are tinkering etc.