Re: Virtual Prototyping

From: Juergen Bauer (University of Bremen)
To: F. Mok (University of Warwick)
Cc: RP-ML
Date: Thursday, June 23, 1994
Subject: Re: Virtual Prototyping
Mr. Mok typed:
>>>I would be grateful if someone can send me some info with regards  to the application of Virtual Reality in Rapid Prototyping. Perhaps,  concerning on the advantages or disadvantages and the viability for  this usage.<<<

     I just reply in bare theory:
     A process chain is nothing but a predefined channel where material,  energy and information turns in, and where a product turns out. So,  parts of this lineup can conduct information only. In our context of  one-of-a-kind - produktion and rapid product development, this is  supposed to be "Virtual Prototyping".
     Another source for enlighting the term "Virtual Prototyping" I have got  in a call to the WORKSHOP ON VIRTUAL PROTOTYPING, 21. - 23.  September 1994, Providence, Rhode Island, USA:
>>>
     This workshop will focus on the computer support of rapid prototyping,  called "virtual prototyping" for short. Prototyping means the design and  generation of an early version of a product, a version that does not  necessarily have all the features of the final product but that does have  enough of the key features to allow the testing of the product design  against the product requirements.  Virtual means that the result of the  product design is not yet physically created but that the visual  representation of the object is presented to the user for observation,  analysis, and manipulation. That is, it is available in a  computer-generated virtual environment. A virtual prototyping  environment is expected to draw contributions from and require  integration of such existing technological  areas as:
*	CAD/CAE systems
*	Feature-based modelling
*	Concurrent engineering
*	User interface design
*	Knowledge-based reasoning
*	Process management
*	Product models and interchange
*	Computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW)
*	Virtual reality
*	Distributed databases
     Other relevant contributions represented by such keywords as CAD  framework, integrated product 
modelling, feature recognition,  design-by-feature, constraint-based modelling, consistency  management, rapid prototyping, virtual manufacturing, and groupware  are also encouraged. ...
<<<
     As you see, they define Virtual Prototyping rather broad ("whatever it is,  just put it into a computer...").
     To get to the point: if you really want to apply Virtual Reality to product  develoment, may be to CAD 
software, you just plug an immersive  display (eyephone) into your graphics workstation and control the  scene by a dataglove. I saw this on a CAD-fair last year.
     A real new approach would be to do sculpturing and designing in an  integrated VR-application, that uses virtual tools or whatever.
Regards,
;-) Juergen