1. A system, comprising: a memory that stores executable components; and a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, that executes the computer-executable components, the executable components comprising: a control program import component that imports one or more industrial control programs and identifies a set of available data items defined by the one or more industrial control programs; an interface component that renders the set of available data items on an interface display and receives, via interaction with the interface display, selection input selecting a subset of the available data items and configuration input defining a synchronization period specifying a frequency of data updates between one or more emulated industrial controllers and a simulation application that executes a simulation of an industrial control system, wherein the one or more emulated industrial controllers emulate, within a simulation system that executes the simulation application, operating platforms of respective hardware industrial controllers that are separate from the one or more emulated industrial controllers; and a control unit generation component that generates, based on the subset of the available data items, the configuration input, and controller configuration information read from the one or more industrial control programs, a control unit file that establishes exchange of simulated I/O data between the subset of the available data items within the one or more emulated industrial controllers and respective I/O of the simulation application, wherein the control program import component, the interface component, and the control unit generation component are components of the simulation system, the control unit generation component generates the control unit file to synchronize the simulated I/O data between the one or more emulated industrial controllers and the simulation application at the frequency defined by the synchronization period, the control unit file comprises a model description file that is readable by the simulation application and that identifies the subset of the available data items to the simulation application, and a control description file that defines, for a data item of the subset of the available data items, a communication path to an emulated industrial controller, of the one or more emulated industrial controllers, on which the data item resides, and the control unit file is configured to serve as a communication interface between the simulation application and at least one of the hardware industrial controllers that executes an industrial control program of the one or more industrial control programs.