TechViz - Blog - AR / VR for engineering

Hand tracking in VR is a very appealing feature. No need to learn the placement and functions of the buttons on the controllers anymore. How convenient and enjoyable would it be to just move your real and virtual hand in sync through your HMD? Just a move of your hand and voilà! Which means real-time hand tracking in VR has a lot of potential for casual and professional VR., especially because it replaces the controller and makes the VR experience even more immersive.

As manufacturing grew more complex, the need to find and fix errors before production has become crucial, hence the need for design reviews. But let’s be realistic a moment: if it happens with the 3D model of an airplane or a manufacturing plant, good luck finding it! This is where Virtual Reality (VR) intervenes (and especially VR collaboration). VR design review enables you to be immersed in your 3D data, see your product at full-scale and simulate its operation.

A few years ago, there was a lot of hype around Virtual Reality. 2016 was supposed to be the big breakthrough year, then 2017, then 2018… There were talk about VR being the next entertainment/work platform, just like Radio, TV, Computers, Phone were. But it never actually materialized. Hyperbolic growth numbers did not happen as promised. Many VR companies have come and gone and a lot of projects, including from Silicon Valley big names, have been scaled down. Companies promising massive customer deployment have pivoted into niche professional use cases.

The automotive industry is a fast-paced sector which continuously adopts technologies that powers their digital transformation. Virtual Reality (VR) is one of the most fitting technology to provide the automotive sector with new methods and tools to design better vehicles, test different configurations, check driving ergonomics, refine manufacturing processes, etc.

There are several VR headsets types on the market, but the ones that are the most suited for engineering are PC-powered headsets because they rely on a powerfull system. Depending on your use case and the scale of your project, you can tailor your system to your needs in terms of processing power, screen resolution, storage, and so on.

In 2020, there are 3 main trends you should follow in construction industry:

• Building Information Modelling (BIM)
• Virtual reality (VR)
• Internet of Things (IoT)

These technologies drive the digital transformation of the construction sector. BIM and VR are most important because they offer the chance to experience the project while still in the design phase. They are already bringing about a fundamental change in the way construction industry plans, designs, develop and manage a construction project. They enable all the people collaborating with the project to have the same level of information, while making the process more reliable, productive and cost-effective.

With the recent democratization and availability of VR technology, many companies are racing to adapt Virtual reality (VR) to the workplace. If it may be too late for business to develop a new set of policies for remote work, they can still make the experience productive and engaging for their employees. Especially by giving them the right equipment to keep collaborating competently on their projects.

It has become quite common for industries to rely on 3D models to design their products. Things get more complicated when it comes to process-design. VR takes manufacturing a step further, making it possible to visualize or simulate assembly process, maintenance scenario or quality control. Virtual reality offers many benefits for manufacturing.

Let’s see how VR can be a game-changer for manufacturing plants, through 4 real-life situations in which Virtual Reality has helped engineers optimize the design of an assembly line

“Digital twin” is very trendy expression, but what it covers is sometimes unclear. This popular innovation receives lots of interest from the industry and promises to boost productivity at al levels of the value chain. Why? Because it pushes back the boundaries of the virtual prototypes, allowing engineers to apprehend the product or system inside their environment. This goal can only be achieved through a VR software, in order to visualize the product in the in-service stage, and supplement the 3D model with simulation data.

Developing and manufacturing a product is a long and costly process, which often requires the continuous participation of several departments, or even different suppliers. Through all the development stages, from getting the idea to selling your product, there is a need for consistent information and communication while designing, engineering, marketing and manufacturing your products. This is where 3D visualization comes in, from Solidworks models to Techviz VR system.