VIRTUAL REALITY - CUTTING REAL-LIFE DESIGN TIMES AND COSTS

Perhaps few areas of technology have transformed vehicle design and engineering as virtual reality, during recent years. Due to advances in computer graphics, it is now possible for a design and engineering team to inspect every component of a vehicle without waiting for months to complete a full prototype. Virtual reality reduces the time and cost of the engineering process for a project. Engineers can also crash-test a virtual vehicle repeatedly, to ensure design compliance and monitor the effects of individual components. This paper describes the first curved-screen full-size immersive virtual reality environment in the UK, the Leafield Reality Centre at the site of TWR Engineering. This is one of the world's most technically advanced and versatile facilities of its type, run by a new collaboration between TWR, the computer group SGI, and the projection specialists Trimension, Inc. It is used to service TWR's in-house design and development work, and act as a showcase for SGI technology in Europe. The Centre has an Onyx2 InfiniteReality2 computer system, which uses sophisticated software to combine and convert the CAD data, collected at the initial design stages, into information to drive the multi-projection systems. Its applications include product design and development, packaging and concurrent engineering, process and manufacturing simulation, and crash analysis. For the covering abstract see ITRD E107095.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/1901640078
• Corporate Authors:

  ATALINK LTD

  40 BOWLING GREEN LANE
  LONDON,   United Kingdom  EC1R 0NE
• Authors:
  • KIRKHAM, R
• Publication Date: 2000

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 119-21
• Serial:
  • NEW TECHNOLOGY 2000
  • Publisher: ATALINK LTD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Charts; Computer aided design; Computer programs; Costs; Crash tests; Design; Digital computers; Exhibitions; Information processing; Partnerships; Simulation; Tests; Time; Vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Decreases
• ITRD Terms: 6486: Chart; 8657: Computer aided design; 224: Cost; 8655: Data processing; 9009: Decrease; 9011: Design (overall design); 8673: Digital computer; 9021: Exhibition; 1648: Impact test (crash); 219: Partnership; 9103: Simulation; 8645: Software; 6255: Test; 5414: Time; 1255: Vehicle
• Subject Areas: Design; Finance; Research; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00802963
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 1-901640-07-8
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Dec 8 2000 12:00AM