In industry, engineers are increasingly using digital simulation and immersive design.
Crédits photos : Stambol
Laval Virtual conferences are for those who wish to better understand immersive technologies. Five half-days are planned, covering a wide range of VR/AR topics. In the “Immersive simulations and engineering innovation” session occurring on Thursday, April 10, many experts of the immersive field will share their experience as industrial professionals using XR. What are the advantages of immersive digital twins? How do engineers use virtual simulation to better design? How are immersive technologies transforming industrial processes? What are the stakes behind the use of XR for manufacturers? Laval Virtual provides some early answers ahead of the morning conference taking place during the world’s first VR/AR exhibition.
XR in industry: from digital twin to immersive design
In industry, the problem is simple: you have to innovate to turn off the competition. In order to do this, industrialists must reduce time-to-market. To stay competitive, immersive technologies have appeared as a solution. Industry companies (automotive, aeronautics, construction, energy…) take advantage of VR/AR, resulting in a more agile design phase and shorter production times.
First, the use of immersive CAD (Computer Aided Design) is a way to reduce the use of physical prototypes, and then lower costs and manufacturing delays. Coupled with virtual collaboration, the design process is accelerated. Engineers can interact between them, directly modify, and visualize the model. No more back-and-forth corrections, everything is done together and more concretely.
In addition, virtual simulation and digital twins can be used to create scenarios: it’s the “what if” principle. Industry professionals can better understand the product, anticipate potential manufacturing errors, future failures and technical problems. Peugeot Sport used digital simulation to design an Hypercar and test the quality of its aerodynamics before production phase. EDF used a digital twin of a nuclear reactor for a more predictive and secure exploitation. All these uses are supported by high-performance immersive tools specially developed for the industrial sector.
Hardware and software solutions specially designed for industry
To facilitate design work and promote industrial innovation, suppliers of immersive solutions offer high-performance software and high-quality hardware for professional use.
Platforms for immersive design and industrial simulation
Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience platform is an example of this need for digitalization in the industrial sector. It enables the creation and visualization of digital twins. Featuring unique functionality combining CAD and virtual simulation, this tool allows impact studies to be carried out right before a product is manufactured. The benefits are many: reduced risks, less need for systematic prototyping, fewer physical tests, lower costs, etc. Today, digital twins have become essential to remain competitive in industry.
Design review is also an important phase for manufacturers. PTC has created OnShape, a product development and design review platform. It can even be used with the Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset, released this year. Engineers can explore 3D models in a virtual environment, to visualize and inspect them. The connection between the headset and the OnShape CAD system enables changes to be applied directly to the digital version in real time. This cooperation between PTC and Apple Visio Pro demonstrates the power of spatial computing for industry.
For its part, NVIDIA provides Omniverse, a large-scale collaboration solution that promotes interoperability. The platform helps designers carry out design reviews together, in a common virtual universe, even if they use different software. Engineers no longer need to render, export and import; updates are made automatically and live. This considerably shortens the product life cycle, accelerating time-to-market. These three examples are key to understanding the dominant role of XR and digitalization in the industrial world. The development of business-oriented hardware is further proof of this.
VR headsets for industry and engineering
Seeing the use of XR in industry grow, some manufacturers have specialized in professional immersive headsets. Sony is no exception, having already made a name for itself in the consumer and entertainment market with the success of its PlayStation VR, released in 2016. Today, the Japanese brand has taken a turn by developing a mixed reality headset dedicated to professional use. The XR SRH-S1 presents itself as a headset conceived for design offices and CAD.
Sony has teamed up with Siemens to supply a design software directly integrated into the device. This displays full-size 3D models in the virtual environment, with the option of modifying them live. Thanks to its pivoting visor, this new headset is ideal for hybrid work, switching between the physical workstation and virtual simulation. It can also handle split rendering and display very large 3D models. It’s a new step towards immersive engineering.
Lenovo also has its share of business-oriented VR headsets, with the ThinkReality VRX. It’s particularly well suited for industrial design, thanks to a rendering that faithfully displays colors and resolutions. Over the course of its development, its comfort has been improved so that you can enjoy prolonged immersive experiences without any discomfort. This makes it the ideal headset for immersive industrial design. Recently, Lenovo launched its ThinkReality A3 augmented reality glasses. Designed for the enterprise, their uses range from collaboration to remote assistance and 3D visualization.
All these releases demonstrate the need for high-performance equipment for professional use, particularly in industry. Come and explore other use cases and discover high-performance solutions at the “Immersive simulations and engineering innovation” conference on Thursday April 10 during Laval Virtual.
