Solid light simulation

One of the few times he hasn't died.

While the Autobots were content to train with facsimile constructs (and latterly auto-combatant drones), the Decepticons have developed the more sophisticated solid light simulated combat system to prepare their warriors for battle. It produces extremely realistic replicas of their enemies that seem to have a physical presence but which can be turned off with the flick of a switch.

Later on, the Autobots caught on to the benefits and started producing their own solid light simulations.

Fiction

Marvel The Transformers comics

Solid light simulation appeared exclusively in the UK portion of the Marvel Comics continuity.

In preparation for their trip to Earth to apprehend the renegades Carnivac and Catilla, the second Mayhem Attack Squad fought against solid light simulations of high-ranking Autobots such as Optimus Prime, Ratchet, and Fortress Maximus in a mocked-up version of Slaughter City. The experience unsettled Needlenose so much that his inner monologue forgot it was just a training session. The Hunting Party

Regeneration One

Regeneration One continues from the Marvel US series, and does not include the UK stories or any subsequently published stories.

Conscious of the many loose ends left undone after the Great War, Kup trained against solid light simulations of Megatron, Galvatron, and Bludgeon in Debris's Strategy-Tank. Loose Ends, Part 1

Notes

• The solid light simulations of the Autobots seem real enough; one might wonder why the Decepticons didn't field solid light simulated troops. Presumably, like a holodeck, they only worked with fixed projectors.
• Simon Furman would later revisit the idea of solid light projections in IDW Publishing's Transformers comics with the concept of holomatter.