26. The method of claim 23 , further comprising: generating the simulated weld bead by simulating cooling of the simulated weld puddle.
23. A method of simulating welding activity, the method comprising: tracking a welding tool manipulated by a user to determine movement and orientation of the welding tool relative to a welding coupon during a simulated welding operation; generating a simulated welding surface for the welding coupon; displaying the simulated welding surface on a display device disposed in a helmet; generating a simulated weld puddle having real-time molten metal fluidity and real-time heat dissipation characteristics on the simulated welding surface during the simulated welding operation; displaying the simulated weld puddle on the display device; generating a simulated weld bead based on the simulated weld puddle; and displaying the simulated weld bead on the display device.