diff --git a/src/fmri/RenderingState.cpp b/src/fmri/RenderingState.cpp
index 8cb5bc7..44d2cba 100644
--- a/src/fmri/RenderingState.cpp
+++ b/src/fmri/RenderingState.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 #include "visualisations.hpp"
 #include "Range.hpp"
 #include "glutils.hpp"
+#include "Simulator.hpp"
 
 using namespace fmri;
 
@@ -228,25 +229,17 @@ void RenderingState::handleMouseAt(int x, int y)
     glutPostRedisplay();
 }
 
-void RenderingState::loadSimulationData(const std::map<string, LayerInfo> &info, vector<vector<LayerData>> &&data)
-{
-    layerInfo = std::move(info);
-    layerData = std::move(data);
-    currentData = layerData.begin();
-
-    queueUpdate();
-}
-
 void RenderingState::queueUpdate()
 {
     // Make sure that visualisations are cleared in the current thread
     layerVisualisations.clear();
     interactionAnimations.clear();
 
-    loadingFuture = std::async(std::launch::async, []() {
+    visualisationFuture = std::async(std::launch::async, []() {
         RenderingState::instance().updateVisualisers();
+
+        return true;
     });
-    isLoading = true;
 }
 
 void RenderingState::updateVisualisers()
@@ -278,7 +271,7 @@ void RenderingState::render(float time) const
     // Clear Color and Depth Buffers
     glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT | GL_DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT);
 
-    if (!isLoading) {
+    if (!isLoading()) {
         renderVisualisation(time);
     } else {
         renderLoadingScreen();
@@ -418,6 +411,8 @@ void RenderingState::loadOptions(const Options &programOptions)
     options.pathColor = programOptions.pathColor();
     options.layerAlpha = programOptions.layerTransparancy();
     options.interactionAlpha = programOptions.interactionTransparancy();
+
+    simulationFuture = std::async(std::launch::async, Simulator::loadSimulationData, programOptions);
 }
 
 const Color &RenderingState::pathColor() const
@@ -454,24 +449,47 @@ float RenderingState::layerAlpha() const
     return options.layerAlpha;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Attempt to wait for completion of a future, for less than a frame.
+ *
+ * @tparam T
+ * @param f The future to wait for
+ * @return The result of the computation, or an empty optional if it hasn't finished.
+ */
+template<class T>
+static std::optional<T> awaitCompletion(std::future<T>& f)
+{
+    constexpr auto waitTime = std::chrono::milliseconds(10);
+    switch (f.wait_for(waitTime)) {
+        case std::future_status::timeout:
+            return std::nullopt;
+
+        case std::future_status::ready:
+            return f.get();
+
+        default:
+            LOG(ERROR) << "loading status was deferred, invalid state!";
+            abort();
+    }
+}
+
+
 void RenderingState::idleFunc()
 {
-    if (isLoading && loadingFuture.valid()) {
-        auto result = loadingFuture.wait_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(16));
-        switch (result) {
-            case std::future_status::deferred:
-                LOG(ERROR) << "loading status was deferred, invalid state!";
-                abort();
-
-            case std::future_status::timeout:
-                // Still loading
-                break;
-
-            case std::future_status::ready:
-                loadingFuture.get();
+    if (isLoading()) {
+        if (visualisationFuture.valid()) {
+            auto result = awaitCompletion(visualisationFuture);
+            if (result) {
                 loadGLItems();
-                isLoading = false;
-                break;
+                return;
+            }
+        } else if (simulationFuture.valid()) {
+            auto result = awaitCompletion(simulationFuture);
+            if (result) {
+                tie(layerInfo, layerData) = std::move(*result);
+                currentData = layerData.begin();
+                queueUpdate();
+            }
         }
     } else {
         if (options.mouse_1_pressed) {
@@ -490,3 +508,8 @@ void RenderingState::loadGLItems()
     std::for_each(layerVisualisations.begin(), layerVisualisations.end(), [](auto& x) { x->glLoad(); });
     std::for_each(interactionAnimations.begin(), interactionAnimations.end(), [](auto& x) { if (x) x->glLoad(); });
 }
+
+bool RenderingState::isLoading() const
+{
+    return visualisationFuture.valid() || simulationFuture.valid();
+}
diff --git a/src/fmri/RenderingState.hpp b/src/fmri/RenderingState.hpp
index 0d4a081..d5ba27f 100644
--- a/src/fmri/RenderingState.hpp
+++ b/src/fmri/RenderingState.hpp
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ namespace fmri
         void handleSpecialKey(int key);
         void render(float time) const;
 
-        void loadSimulationData(const std::map<string, LayerInfo> &info, std::vector<std::vector<LayerData>> &&data);
         /**
          * Load rendering-specific options from the given options object.
          *
@@ -79,8 +78,8 @@ namespace fmri
         std::vector<std::vector<LayerData>>::iterator currentData;
         std::vector<std::unique_ptr<LayerVisualisation>> layerVisualisations;
         std::vector<std::unique_ptr<Animation>> interactionAnimations;
-        bool isLoading = false;
-        std::future<void> loadingFuture;
+        std::future<bool> visualisationFuture;
+        std::future<std::pair<decltype(layerInfo), decltype(layerData)>> simulationFuture;
 
 
         RenderingState() noexcept;
@@ -102,5 +101,7 @@ namespace fmri
         void renderVisualisation(float time) const;
 
         void loadGLItems();
+
+        bool isLoading() const;
     };
 }
diff --git a/src/fmri/Simulator.cpp b/src/fmri/Simulator.cpp
index 86e2735..5dbf1fa 100644
--- a/src/fmri/Simulator.cpp
+++ b/src/fmri/Simulator.cpp
@@ -231,3 +231,34 @@ const map<string, LayerInfo> & Simulator::layerInfo() const
 {
     return pImpl->layerInfo();
 }
+
+std::pair<std::map<std::string, LayerInfo>, std::vector<std::vector<LayerData>>>
+fmri::Simulator::loadSimulationData(const Options &options)
+{
+    Simulator simulator(options.model(), options.weights(), options.means());
+
+    std::vector<std::vector<LayerData>> results;
+    transform(options.inputs().begin(), options.inputs().end(), back_inserter(results), [&simulator] (auto& x) {
+        return simulator.simulate(x);
+    });
+
+    auto dumper = options.imageDumper();
+    if (dumper) {
+        for (auto &layer : *results.begin()) {
+            dumper->dump(layer);
+        }
+    }
+
+    const auto optLabels = options.labels();
+
+    if (optLabels) {
+        auto& labels = *optLabels;
+        for (const auto& result : results) {
+            auto &last = *result.rbegin();
+            auto bestIndex = std::distance(last.data(), max_element(last.data(), last.data() + last.numEntries()));
+            LOG(INFO) << "Got answer: " << labels[bestIndex] << endl;
+        }
+    }
+
+    return make_pair(simulator.layerInfo(), std::move(results));
+}
diff --git a/src/fmri/Simulator.hpp b/src/fmri/Simulator.hpp
index 48dfc52..a6c7cc4 100644
--- a/src/fmri/Simulator.hpp
+++ b/src/fmri/Simulator.hpp
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include <vector>
 #include "LayerData.hpp"
 #include "LayerInfo.hpp"
+#include "Options.hpp"
 
 namespace fmri {
     using std::string;
@@ -18,6 +19,8 @@ namespace fmri {
         vector<LayerData> simulate(const string &input_file);
 		const std::map<std::string, LayerInfo>& layerInfo() const;
 
+		static std::pair<std::map<std::string, LayerInfo>, std::vector<std::vector<LayerData>>> loadSimulationData(const Options &options);
+
     private:
 		struct Impl;
 		std::unique_ptr<Impl> pImpl;
diff --git a/src/fmri/main.cpp b/src/fmri/main.cpp
index 97e0c8d..ec4c9da 100644
--- a/src/fmri/main.cpp
+++ b/src/fmri/main.cpp
@@ -17,39 +17,6 @@
 using namespace std;
 using namespace fmri;
 
-static void loadSimulationData(const Options &options)
-{
-    vector<vector<LayerData>> results;
-
-    auto dumper = options.imageDumper();
-    Simulator simulator(options.model(), options.weights(), options.means());
-
-    for (const auto &image : options.inputs()) {
-        results.emplace_back(simulator.simulate(image));
-    }
-
-    CHECK_GT(results.size(), 0) << "Should have some results" << endl;
-
-    if (dumper) {
-        for (auto &layer : *results.begin()) {
-            dumper->dump(layer);
-        }
-    }
-
-    const auto optLabels = options.labels();
-
-    if (optLabels) {
-        auto& labels = *optLabels;
-        for (const auto& result : results) {
-            auto &last = *result.rbegin();
-            auto bestIndex = std::distance(last.data(), max_element(last.data(), last.data() + last.numEntries()));
-            LOG(INFO) << "Got answer: " << labels[bestIndex] << endl;
-        }
-    }
-
-    RenderingState::instance().loadSimulationData(simulator.layerInfo(), std::move(results));
-}
-
 int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
     google::InitGoogleLogging(argv[0]);
@@ -64,7 +31,6 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     // Prepare data for simulations
     Options options(argc, argv);
     RenderingState::instance().loadOptions(options);
-    loadSimulationData(options);
 
     // Register callbacks
     glutReshapeFunc(changeWindowSize);