The problem
Designing a practical-shooting stage takes more than drawing a floor plan. Designers need to place real objects accurately, understand what participants will see, test movement, and give builders clear instructions.
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Flagship case study · Product leadership + hands-on building
Practisim Designer Web
I turned a specialized desktop workflow into a commercial web product, then extended the same stage design to mobile, AR, and VR.
- Role
- Founder · Product lead · Hands-on developer
- Company
- AncientSky Games
- Status
- Live product; some XR features are still limited
- Based on
- Based on product code reviewed in July 2026
01 · The customer problem
Plan the stage clearly before anyone starts building it.
The opportunity
Moving the work into a browser makes it easier to try ideas, share designs, create build instructions, use the plan in the field, and review the stage in AR or VR.
Keep existing Practisim stage files working and avoid losing information.
Help people understand the space through 3D, overhead, camera, and walk-through views.
Let the same stage move naturally between desktop, mobile, AR, and VR.
Release new features carefully and check that existing workflows still work.
02 · Browser-based 3D editor
A focused 3D tool for planning real stages.
The editor keeps existing Practisim files working while making it easier to design, review, document, and share a stage from any modern browser.
- Open and save existing Practisim stage files without losing extra information
- Design in 3D, switch to an overhead plan, or walk through the stage
- Find stage objects quickly, drag them into place, and adjust their size or position
- Snap objects into place, group them, lock them, undo changes, and save camera views
- Create written stage instructions and clear build diagrams
- Upload, browse, preview, rate, download, and manage shared community stages
- Review and lightly edit stages on phones and tablets with touch controls
- Share work with teams, collect comments, and track review history
03 · How AI helped build the product
AI sped up the work. Product judgment still led it.
Practisim helps customers plan and share stages; it is not being presented as an AI-powered customer feature. I used AI behind the scenes to research, build, test, fix, and document the product faster.
Start with the customer problem
Define what should improve for the customer, what cannot break, and what a good result looks like.
Use the real product as the source of truth
Check the existing code, real stage files, product settings, and browser behavior before making changes.
Make one useful change at a time
Use AI for speed, while keeping each change small enough to review, test, and reverse if needed.
Check the work and keep a record
Save tests, screenshots, comparisons, and notes so future work starts with what the team has already learned.
How it was built
The product includes clear instructions for working with AI, repeatable tools, automated tests, saved examples, and careful release steps. The customer-facing features themselves are not labeled as AI-powered.
04 · A real problem I solved
The product worked, but its large files made it feel slow.
Practisim’s growing catalog included thousands of images and 3D models. I measured what was slowing the experience down, built a repeatable way to shrink the files, checked the visual quality, and handled one broken model without delaying the rest.
Find the real source of the delay
Browser tests showed how much data the product downloaded and which files caused the biggest slowdown.
Treat images and 3D models differently
Each file type was measured and improved on its own so speed could increase without hurting visual quality.
Turn the fix into a reliable process
Small tools now find files that need work, shrink them, and upload the results in controlled groups.
Do not let one bad file stop the release
One broken model was safely left alone while the other 1,604 models received the improvement.
Smaller catalog images
136.82 MB → 3.55 MBThe full icon library became much faster to download after converting images to a smaller format.Smaller 3D models
6,698.77 MB → 431.58 MB1,604 of 1,605 models were made dramatically smaller while keeping their visual detail.Safe handling of a bad file
1 invalid source isolatedOne broken model was left unchanged and documented instead of holding up the full improvement.
05 · From browser to AR and VR
Design once, then take the same stage with you.
The same stage design can move from desktop planning to mobile, AR, and VR viewing. This is an immersive product feature, not an AI claim.
01 · DesignWorking today
Browser editor
Create or open a stage, place objects, save useful views, walk through the plan, and save the design.
02 · CarryWorking today
Responsive mobile web
Open the same stage on a phone or tablet to review it, make small changes, or walk through the plan.
03 · EnterWorking today
XR Viewer
On supported devices, view the stage at full scale, select and move objects, and bring those changes back into the design.
04 · ExtendFuture opportunity
Field handoff
QR handoff, easier iPhone viewing, spectator mode, measurements, and more field tools are future opportunities.
A real mobile-to-AR session, not a concept image.
The recording begins with the stage open in Practisim Designer Web on a phone. It then moves into the iOS AR prototype, where the same barriers and targets appear over the live camera view.
01
ReviewOpen and inspect the stage on a phone.
02
Enter ARMove from the browser into the camera-based viewer.
03
Walk the planSee the planned stage objects against the real surroundings.
06 · How the product fits together
One connected system for designing, saving, sharing, and viewing stages.
What people use
- Web editor
- Phone and tablet layout
- 3D stage views
- XR viewer
- Stage briefing builder
How work stays consistent
- Shared stage data
- Practisim file support
- Position and size conversion
- Saved camera views
- Team review
Online services
- Sign-in
- Saved and shared projects
- File storage
- Secure online services
- Subscriptions
File conversion and delivery
- SketchUp file conversion
- Smaller 3D files
- Website hosting
- Automated product checks
In plain terms: the website handles the editing experience, online services manage sign-in and saved work, and a separate service converts SketchUp files into objects Practisim can edit.
07 · Making existing work reusable
Let customers bring in stage plans they already have.
A newer conversion service turns recognized SketchUp shapes into editable Practisim objects, then compares the result with the source to catch mistakes.
Why it matters: customers can reuse existing plans instead of rebuilding every stage from scratch.
How quality is protected: conversion runs separately from the editor, requires a signed-in user, and saves visual comparisons so problems are easier to spot.
08 · Product and business strategy
Make the core product useful before expanding it.
Make stage design dependable
Keep existing files working and make planning, walk-throughs, saved views, and build instructions easier.
Help teams review and build together
Improve sharing, community stages, mobile use, and proven XR workflows without promising more than the product supports.
Grow the product beyond the editor
Add partner connections, more file conversion, easier field handoff, and immersive teamwork when customers show the need.
09 · Results
What we can confidently show today.
Live product
Production softwareA working online product with sign-in, subscriptions, regular releases, and tools for running it safely.Works across screen sizes
Desktop to phoneAutomated checks cover desktops, tablets, touchscreens, and phones in both portrait and landscape views.10 · What I learned from building with AI
Move faster without giving up good judgment.
AI works best with a clear goal
A clear customer problem and a clear definition of success produce better work than a broad request to simply build something.
Good notes make every next step faster
Tests, sample files, screenshots, and clear decisions help AI and people build on earlier work instead of rediscovering it.
Speed only matters if the result works
Tests, visual checks, real usage data, and careful releases turn fast development into a product people can trust.
Knowing how it works leads to better decisions
Understanding file sizes, 3D spaces, browser limits, and online storage helps me choose a better product approach—not just a different technical fix.
For recruiters and hiring managers
Need a product leader who can make complex ideas real?
I’m open to senior and principal product roles where I can combine customer insight, strong technical understanding, and hands-on experience building with AI.