Top Tier car manufacturers are seeing the light at the end of the oculus! Automakers are making their visions come true with VR. Virtual Reality is allowing them to see, and occupy the same space as their design far before getting a glimpse of the final product. The progress made in Virtual Reality has opened up spanking new ways of seeing problems and solutions in various fields and it can be a VR Revolution. One of the most exciting of which is the automotive industry which influences how we commute and what it means to get from point A to B.
Industry Giants are all in
Already Jaguar Land Rover Simulation Group Manager Andy Richardson shares exactly how the team works with the technology to revolutionize the fabrication & process.
“We generate a 3D model of every part of the car so that we can visualize, even look inside, every part of the vehicle to see how these fit together.
“These models also allow us to simulate the performance of the components, systems and the whole vehicle e.g. modelling the combustion process inside the cylinder block, to maximize the efficiency of the engine.”
Jaguar and Land Rover aren’t the only heavies jumping in the VR ring. Mercedes and Ford are long time users of the groundbreaking VR Technology At Ford’s Gaydon Design and Engineering Complex, the team works with a state-of-the-art virtual reality centre which shows the design team a full-scale 3D version of the final product.
Advantages of VR in Manufacturing
Richardson says the centre holds eight of the latest generation 4K digital cinema projectors, which deliver quadruple the resolution of an Ultra HD TV. They are driven by 22 tanks like PC computers. Manager of the simulation group at Ford, Richardson agrees that virtual reality has shaved down fabrication and development time on the 2021 Jaguar XJ and new Range Rover Evoque.
Creative Oasis
Designers and car companies are able to churn out amazing designs while saving funds and time on a process that would otherwise take years to get right. Richardson says the Ford motor company uses virtual reality to examine vehicles as they go through every stage of the manufacturing process, from design assembly facilities that optimize the tools, facilities, and processes to check that each automobile is made just as the engineers and designed team saw it in their head.
The VR Future is upon us
As we step into a new era the line between imagination and creation gets blurred. VR apps in the automobile industry are setting a new course. Limitations of VR in the automobile industry are being pushed every day for good reason. Being able to implement drastic changes by being next to or even inside the automobile will be a VR Revolution.
Getting a feel for how it will appear on the street has become a game-changer for car manufacturers. Virtual showrooms where you can see and customize your car don’t seem to be too far away. It is exciting to think of what they can do with such an immersive arena of creation, and freedom. Virtual reality/augmented reality windshields and dashboards mixed with autonomous driving may even take us out of the equation. Changing the definition of a perfect Sunday drive to one of safety and leisure.
Long gone are the days of clay models that are a far stretch from the final product. The next generation of car designers is in tuned with the 3d modelling process which has made the transition to VR swift and game-changing VR Revolution. The language of design along with the lines and influences from the past can cascade into the next era with grace and efficiency. Thankfully we won’t have to wait too long in the future to find out!
