In addition to custom products that are prepared for specific exhibitions in order to show once and be forgotten, there is literally one game with relatively accurate three-dimensional modeling of the operation of small arms automation, assembly and disassembly, as well as prototypes of 3D reviews of machine guns. On the net you can find models from enthusiasts, but there are practically no standard solutions that would satisfy modern criteria for information content. Especially when it comes to new weapons. Under the cut about what is presented as commercial solutions and is planned in the future.
Simulators
Weapon simulator is a rather rare game genre. The most famous today is World of Guns: Gun Disassembly. It exists in the form of a desktop and mobile application where you can assemble and disassemble weapons, look at the work of automation.
World of Guns is the first of a relatively accurate, unified simulator where you can take a close look at every detail of the weapon and see how the automation works. Today it is difficult to imagine a more detailed simulator related to weapons.
The properties of the game are such that, in theory, it can be used as a guide for training future designers (despite the fact that there are some assumptions and inaccuracies there). In fact, the game appeared back in 2010, but was criticized for a meager choice of weapons and a large number of inaccuracies, which forced the developers to create a more advanced version of the simulator in 2014.
The main advantages are the ability to virtually view the 3D model of each weapon part, as well as to see the operation of the automation through the transparent body. The game offers several modes. So in the mode of operation, the player is invited to master all the functions of the weapon. It is also available to carry out incomplete and complete disassembly and assembly of weapons, a demonstration of the operation of automation. More than 200 copies are available in total.
The game received a lot of positive reviews, in particular, the founder of The Firearm Blog Steve Johnson called World of Guns his favorite weapon app, saying that he learned a lot from the game. He said that he supplemented his understanding of the principles of work of some samples from his collection.
In general, it looks like this and at the moment nothing better has been invented yet. There is also an Android app with the Russian name "Weapon Disassembly" released by Sega SVD, which is not very different from World of Guns: Gun Disassembly.
The whole thing looks like this:
Non-game visualization
Despite all the delights of gamification, sometimes the manufacturers of weapons, as well as those who trade and use them, have a need for exclusively demonstration versions of three-dimensional visualization. For example, for sites of weapons companies, exhibitions, lectures at military academies, etc. With this, everything is much worse. During the preparation of this article, I was able to find only the models demonstrated in the videos, as well as prototype 3D reviews from Review3.
In the first case, in principle, there is no talk about any interactivity. The models and their demo are not very different from World of Guns. The only difference is that in these videos and models, some things were emphasized a little.
With 3D views, everything is a little better, there is the possibility of interactive functional control, for example, you can unfold the stock and disconnect the magazine. Also, when you hover over parts of the weapon, you can see their name. The advantage of reviews is that they are integrated with the web page, which makes it easier to place it on the site if necessary.
At the moment, prototypes are posted on the company's website, the habr rules prohibit placing links on them, but if you wish, you can find:
AK-15 with a Valdai PK120 sight,
AK-15 Arktika camouflage with a Valdai PK120 sight, Desert camouflage
AK-15 without sight and camouflage
However, this is not at all enough to represent the properties of the weapon in the model. Currently, there are only models of the new AK-15.
I contacted representatives of the company and they told that they are preparing fundamentally new reviews, including weapons ones, for the release.
They will implement the ability to display the operation of units and mechanisms of small arms, its individual parts and parts, emulate shooting with a transparent body, approximately the same as it is implemented in World of Guns. At the same time, the developers promise higher realism and additional text content.
The company refused to talk about which samples will be the first, did not even mention the country of origin. But, judging by the prototypes, it can be assumed that we will talk about the products of the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant, better known as the Kalashnikov concern.
There is no holy place in the void
While researching this topic, I was frankly surprised by the lack of content unification and the abundance of expensive and controversial custom solutions. According to my information, the mentioned unified types of three-dimensional visualization of small arms (and not only) weapons and their prototypes have no analogues, which makes them de facto monopolists. The media that I managed to analyze (including almost all the leading weapons publications) do not report that anyone is developing unified three-dimensional models of weapons. Perhaps the readers know more and will tell you who else was involved in this topic and if there are any other projects to unify 3D models of small arms.