The MAK Story: a 30-year reflection
MAK is a global leader in modeling and simulation software that links, simulates, and visualizes virtual worlds in networked synthetic environments. A team built of subject matter experts across many domains – from engineering experts to military veterans – we help customers understand their specific modeling, simulation, and training challenges, and then provide the tools, the knowledge, and flexibility to bring their vision to life.
We're excited to tell the MAK story and invite you to become a part of it.
Built on a foundation of interoperability
The old world of modeling and simulation was exclusionary and challenging to permeate. Simulators were built as one-off, closed-loop systems that stifled development and limited competition. MAK’s founders, John Morrison and Warren Katz, believed that they could transform the industry by developing open standards. They envisioned a line of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products for distributed simulation that would be flexible and extensible enough to work in concert or as stand-alone solutions. To realize their vision, they and a few other members of the small MAK Technologies startup team contributed to the original Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) standard and pushed for industry adoption of the High Level Architecture (HLA). The MAK team went on to realize those open standards for COTS products, building the infrastructure for distributed simulation as we know it.
Fast forward to today. Who is MAK?
After 30 years, our core values of flexibility, extensibility, and interoperability are woven into everything we do. From COTS tools to bespoke training solutions, we are a team dedicated to serving our customers by building flexible products, offering superior technical support, and innovating new ways to build, populate and interact with interoperable 3D simulated worlds and training systems that take advantage of the latest gaming and display technologies.
We pride ourselves on being a team ready to break down long-standing vendor-lock barriers by providing simulation tools in a modular, open-systems architecture with an open business model to match. This open-architecture philosophy enables customers to design systems that include everything they need, whether existing technologies, innovations and research, or even our competitor’s technology. And the openness doesn’t stop with our technology; it extends to our business model too. We tailor our software licensing model to our customer’s specific needs. By choosing MAK, customers can rest easy knowing that we’re in this together for the long haul.
We are a team passionate about simulation from all angles. Maybe it’s not surprising that we are a bunch of geeks who really like modeling and simulation - we care about our customers and think their work is really cool. We also have many chiseled veterans on the team with years of experience executing and delivering military training systems. The makeup of the MAK team reflects the identities of our customers: end-users, system integrators, military, engineers, government. We have the knowledge and know-how to understand modern simulation and training challenges and to help clarify and realize simulation and training solutions.
And let’s not forget that MAK has been in the industry for quite some time - more than 30 years! We have carved a role for ourselves as a thought leader - we prioritize contributing to and developing standards committees, creating cool, informative content (Tech Savvy Guide to Virtual Simulation and the MAK ONE Guide to Virtualization), and participating in industry groups.
Benefitting from the MAK ecosystem
Think of the MAK ecosystem of technology partners, marketing partners, and customers like the simulation systems we help people make. Our core values of flexibility, extensibility, and interoperability are built into the way we make software at every level – this means that we can partner with companies with great technology rather than rebuild it to be exclusively MAK’s. We can collaborate with other companies to help our customers find the right solution, even if that means that MAK gets a smaller part of the deal. We can support our customers in mastering the simulation arts over the long term, and they become centers of excellence capable of providing even greater solutions for their end-users.
Learn about how our customers are working with MAK to achieve success, including use cases for Boeing, BAE Systems, the United States Air Force, the FAA, NASA, Raytheon, and more.
See where our official MAK distributors are located across the world, dedicated to bringing you success right where you are.
Part of the MAK family
To be a part of the MAK family is to be a part of a dependable team invested in your success.
Maybe you’ve heard about our “engineer down the hall” philosophy. We’re more than just a vendor, we’re your partner. We know and respect that sometimes our customers need assistance that goes beyond technical support. As part of the MAK family, you have access to many engineering services, including training and consulting, product feature development, on-site support, and project assistance – we call this MAK Assist. We are passionate about putting the experience of MAK’s engineers to work for you to help solve your unique technical challenges, from straightforward tasks to the most demanding requirements.
This partnership makes customers a vital part of our development process. When you become a part of the MAK family, you become a live influence on the MAK product roadmap. As you’ve come to know and expect, MAK values our customers’ direct input and feedback. When we ask for or receive customer feedback, it isn't just a DevOps formality – instead, it’s a fundamental part of who MAK is, how we are shaped, and our future.
In the spirit of sharing our knowledge, successes, and learnings with our broader MAK family, we continue to add tons of content to our website. Take a look at the MAKtv channel to watch demos, recorded events, and product highlights - and keep in mind that when you sign in to our website, you have access to even more rich and dynamic content. Catch us from the comfort of your own home at any one of our upcoming MAK Live events.
At the end of the day, as part of the MAK family, you get a reliable, honest partner who is with you for the long term.
To infinity and beyond
We’re proud of the progress we’ve made over the last 30 years, the connections we’ve formed, and the partnerships we’ve built. We’re looking forward to another 30+ years and invite you to continue on the journey with us. Connect with us anytime at
