Need a word-pair along the lines of simulacra [closed]

I'm looking for a pair of words to respectively represent a “real” thing and for multiple representations of that “real” thing.

Simulacra is close, but I’m not aware of any term for the object that is being mimicked, and I’m not sure its usage is common enough for people to know the term.

I like replicant (the fake people in Bladerunner), but there are some issues using it. Silhouette feels close, but not quite there.

The hologram watch from Total Recall comes to mind in describing what I’m looking for. The idea is that there is the real object, but you can interact with the copies just like the original such that it doesn’t matter that they aren’t the original.

Sorry, the words I’m looking for would work well in describing what I’m looking for!

Edit

I’m working on a software library for interprocess communication, and am trying to come up with a few terms that convey the intent. The idea is that you create an object in your process that behaves the expected way, and it doesn't matter whether the “real” object exists in another process. If the object is in another process, the library handles all of the communication to keep things synchronized with that (real) object so your version behaves exactly the same way.

Proxy and RPC (remote procedure call) focus on the information transport. I’m looking to convey the intent instead of the implementation. I do need terms for each, so I can describe the implementation to people.

Edit2

Updated to clarify question. I'm not sure what the line is between describing a conceptual behavior in computer programming vs. naming of a class. The suggestions have been very helpful for helping me figure out how to describe what I'm working on, so it is unfortunate that my question has been put on hold as off-topic.

• The first word I thought of when I read your question was proxy, but I guess you’re saying that you don’t like it.
• I believe that, for better or worse, surrogate is similar to proxy.
• Your mention of a hologram suggests virtual object, which is naturally paired with real object.
• I know somebody else mentioned it, but I believe that replica is good.  For example, Lotus Notes allows an organization to have multiple copies of a database, distributed around the world, if appropriate.  These copies are called replicas.  Users interact with the nearest replica, and so get decent response time.  Changes are replicated (i.e., propagated) to the other sites.
• Mirror is similar.  Compare to its usage for replicated web sites for downloading files; e.g., software.
• You mentioned silhouette.  How about shadow?
• More generic: primary vs. secondary, and, at the risk of being politically incorrect, master vs. slave.

It depends on the context. For example, in the world of industrial design we have:

production v.s. mock-up

in the world of system engineering we have:

implementation v.s. simulation

What is your context??

For the original, consider

• prototype
• paradigm
• archetype
• epitome

For the simulacrum, perhaps

• copy
• facsimile
• replica
• duplicate
• clone
• autotype (images only)
• reproduction
• repro (slangy)
• knockoff (a bit derogatory)