TechViz - Blog - AR / VR for engineering

Many companies have yet to rely on VR for their process: AEC companies are still using 2D plans, engineers and designers are still working with CAD software developed 20 years ago, companies are still making many physical prototypes to compromise between engineering and design… Those methods are still usable but they entail many constraints and costs.

The energy sector is in the midst of a tremendous shift as it embraces the use of virtual reality software (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology on a global scale.

Using this technology has improved processes for engineers, resulting in better decisions, higher efficiency, and reduced costs. Traditionally, product designs have been rendered in 3D on a computer. After approval, a prototype is created to determine whether the physical rendering fits together well, is ergonomically sound, etc. With advances in virtual reality and augmented reality, a new product can be viewed in the early stages of the design process. Companies can focus on correcting errors at this stage before moving on to production.

While Industry 4.0 affects production lines and machines, it is also a challenge for operators. With the happening of modern plants, the increase in automation and robotization, their environment has become more and more complex, and they must adapt fast. To keep working efficiently, not only they need new skills and tools and so they need to be trained, but also solutions to improve their decision-making processes. With the ability of virtual technologies to provide 1:1 scale virtual machines that you can interact with, it is possible to be trained as if being in a real plant, interacting with real machines. Decision makers can visualize and analyze every step of an operation and improve them without having to go through the whole physical prototype making process. Thus virtual reality appears to be the adequate solution to improve field operators efficiency.

More and more engineers are relying on Augmented Reality (AR) and  Virtual Reality (VR) in their jobs. Yet, to do so, you need to choose a software and a deployment that fits your use of these technologies, internal skills and budget priorities.

The choice usually boils down to On-Premise versus SaaS (Software as a Service), but it covers various dimensions:

- Budget: Subscription model versus permanent license 

- Location of rendering servers: local versus Cloud

- Remote accessibility and collaboration

Let’s take a look at these different dimensions to help you determine which is best for your business.

For machine tool manufacturers, Virtual Reality offers many important opportunities. Indeed, an increasing number of their customers have embraced the Smart Factory concept, in other words the use of advanced CAD systems as well as data-driven manufacturing. With this, the core of the tooling industry has shifted from simple machining technology to more sophisticated and advanced horizontal / vertical machining centers, Computer Numerical Control and multitasking part processing, making it an increasingly complex environment that Virtual Reality can help navigate.

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.

[Updated on May 18, 2022]

When talking about the digital transformation of the construction industry, 2 technologies come to mind and are being used by professionals of the AEC sector (Architects, Engineers, Construction): Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Virtual reality (VR). As they offer the chance to experience the project while still in the design phase, BIM and VR have proven to be an efficient investment. They've already been making a fundamental change in the way the construction industry plans, designs, develops and manages a construction project. Also, they enable all the people collaborating around a project to have the same level of information, while making the process more reliable, productive and cost-effective.

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 a virtual assembly line

[Updated on April 9, 2022]

A report from Futuresource Consulting announced that the future of VR is bright, with massive investment in the upcoming years. Investments in the shipbuilding industry are not to be outdone, with a predicted $30 billion investment in its digital transformation in the next 30 years. Of course, Virtual Reality is already playing a great part in the digitization of the shipbuilding industry, transforming radically engineering heavy processes into way lighter, friendlier and more profitable ones. Let’s take a look at the ROI of VR and see how VR is changing the game in the processes of the shipbuilding industry.