Virtual FieldPrinter operator training is a live, remote session where a Dusty trainer teaches your operator to set up, station, and print with the FieldPrinter over video and screen sharing. Instead of your real project, the operator prints a Dusty training file on a heavy-duty floor protection board, in a flat, controlled area you prepare ahead of time.

Virtual training works well when an on-site training date is hard to pin down, or when your jobsite isn't open to Dusty staff. It needs two things on your end: a controlled layout space and a reliable internet connection.

Session length and agenda

Training is one live session led remotely by a Dusty Implementation Manager. It takes about 4 hours, including breaks, regardless of how many trainees attend. Up to five attendees can join. A 30-minute follow-up call happens later, on your operator's first live layout day.

During the session, the trainer sees what your operator is doing in two ways:

• Live video and audio from a Dusty-supplied tablet aimed at the work area. At key steps the operator points it at the detail the trainer needs to see: tracker leveling, the control point mark, ink cartridge installation, and reflector seating.
• Screen sharing from the tablet, so the trainer sees exactly what the operator sees in the Dusty App. They tell you where to tap by screen position and button label.

The session counts as complete when your operator does all five of these:

1. Assembles the tripod, tracker, radio, and FieldPrinter without help.
2. Gets a pass on Check Levelness in the Dusty App.
3. Records the control points and stations the tracker, without moving the reflector or a control point to make the error smaller.
4. Completes a test print on the board and checks it with the Dusty App's reflector tick marks.
5. Passes the certification test.

What's in the training kit

Dusty provides the materials for the training area:

• A heavy-duty floor protection board, large enough to cover at least 8' 6" x 8' 6"
• A knife for cutting the board to size
• Tape for the seams and edges
• A marker for marking the control points

Dusty also loads the training file into your Dusty Portal project before the session. It covers the object types your operator will meet on real layouts: lines, points, text, curves, QR codes, emojis, elevation measurement points, and obstacles.

From your own FieldPrinter set, have these charged and on hand in the training area:

• Two charged Milwaukee M18 batteries for the FieldPrinter, with the M18 charger plugged in nearby
• Tracker and radio batteries charged or 120 V power available
• A charged tablet
• Ink cartridges at room temperature (68–72°F) if they were stored cold
• A Blue Ring Reflector (SMR), a verification reflector, wind guards, and the ink nozzle cleaning wipes from the accessories pouch

What virtual training doesn't cover

The training area is set up to remove the variables that make real layout hard, so your operator can learn the system first. That means virtual training does not include:

• Wind. Outdoor wind can tip equipment, blow ink, and degrade print quality. See Ink Blowing Away or Fading in High Wind Conditions.
• Vibration. Nearby heavy equipment can disturb the tracker and force a re-station.
• High sunlight and reflective surfaces. These can interfere with the laser connection. See Best Practices for Using the FieldPrinter in High Sunlight or Highly Reflective Environments.
• Other equipment and traffic. Scissor lifts, stored material, and people walking through the print path block the laser and slow the print. See Coordinating Your Site and Trades for a Smooth FieldPrinter Deployment.
• Surveyed control points. Survey control isn't part of virtual training. In training, your operator marks four points by hand on the board, and those points don't need to be accurate. On a real project, the control points come from your surveyor and tie the layout to your drawings. See What Are Control Points and Why Dusty Needs Them.
• Your project's layout file. The session uses the standard training file only. Preparing your real layout file is VDC work, which isn't part of virtual training and is scoped separately.
• Travel, or hardware beyond the training kit.
• Real jobsite hazards. Unprotected slab edges, openings, and stairs are only simulated in training.

The follow-up call on your first live layout day is where your operator works through these conditions for the first time, with a Dusty trainer watching.

Before your session

Each step below is a gate. If one slips, the session date slips with it. Don't skip the connectivity check or the setup photos to save time.

Choose the training area

Pick an indoor space or a flat lot that meets all of these:

• A flat, stable, dry, hard surface with less than 2% slope
• Room for at least 8' 6" x 8' 6" for the board, plus clearance around it for the laser tracker
• 120 V power at the training area
• Robot Wi-Fi that holds without dropping at the far corner of the print area, with the tablet connected and its screen shared
• Enough internet upload speed for live video from the tablet
• A speaker, earphones, or headsets so the operator can hear the trainer with their hands busy

Send setup photos at least 24 hours before

Email the trainer:

1. A wide shot of the training area showing the taped board, the FieldPrinter staged, the tracker on its tripod, and the radio on its mount
2. A close-up of one control point mark
3. A screenshot or photo of the Dusty app showing the training project loaded and the FieldPrinter connected

Required courses and videos

Before the session, your operator must read FieldPrinter Operation Requirements and watch these videos found in the Dusty Academy:

The trainee must watch all of this before the call.

Related articles

• Virtual FieldPrinter Operator Training: Training Surface Setup
• What Is Dusty Academy? Training Courses and How to Get Access
• FieldPrinter Operation Requirements
• What Are Control Points and Why Dusty Needs Them
• Coordinating Your Site and Trades for a Smooth FieldPrinter Deployment