A lot of decent sim tools out there, but I would recommend that if you have the talent, and time to develop, I think Flash gives you the most ability to do whatever you need. We've tried many tools and found that inevitably, you "top out" somewhere- but Flash has enabled us to extend beyond capabilities of these tools.

Admittedly, it is harder to learn, and take more time to implement than some of the other tools, so depending on needs, a simpler, faster, pre-canned tool might be just fine. It really depends on fit with what you need to accomplish, you team's ability, and time.

Captivate is one of the most used tools for simulations. Its use of Flash technology, along with powerful ID tools makes it the choic of many.

Captivate 3 has cut down many issues. I just got my copy and I am not finding any big problems.

I am a flash programmer but one reason I would recommend Captivate is the TIME. It will create your training in days instead of weeks.

I have done both and I like the Captivate way.

We are using captivate for simulations. You do have to be careful about file size, but if you chop it up it will work fine. Recording is easy with captivate and we also have been able to use avitars within it. Captivate is flash based and allows a certain adequate degree of interactivity. However, if your want to have your session highly interactive I would use flash.

Hi Cathy:

Simulations are a rather broad concept. First ensure that a simulation will help you achieve your desired learning objective. Then, find the tool that will provide the output you desire.

For capturing how to use a certain piece of software or process, as suggested, Captivate or other programs may be best. On the other hand if you are trying to simulate a process where the output is based on a variable, I have found FLASH to be the best tool.

For example, if I wanted to aid a learner to create a file folder in Windows Explorer Captivate would be a good tool. If I wanted to allow the student to experiment on how the pressure of an enclosed system changes based on variances in temperature or volume I would use FLASH. Check out the FlashSim WEB site for process examples.

It all comes down to matching the capabilities of your program to your desired outcome. The proper tool for the a proper job.

Good Luck!

Cj

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Cj,