DEVELOP3D - Technology for the product lifecycle

The first time I used a 3D monitor was at the end of the nineties. The problem was that to see the 3D image clearly I had to sit directly in front of the screen and even then it gave me an absolutely massive headache. With Philips’ new WOWvx 3D display you don’t have to sit directly in front of the screen and it doesn’t give you a massive headache. Now why didn’t the guys who developed my old 3D monitor think of that? To think how much paracetamol I could have saved.

Helping turn its WOWvx 3D technology into something ‘real’, the boffins at Phillips have teamed up with London’s Picture Production Company Group (PPC). The London-based outfit has plenty of expertise in turning 2D into 3D and is supplying media content for the displays. The major focus at PPC is currently on product marketing, but beyond turning heads in your local high street or car showroom, this technology has the potential to become an essential tool for the product development process.

Indeed, PPC told DEVELOP3D that they already have a motor manufacturer who is using this technology to revisit legacy 2D drawings, but is also considering putting the screens on designer’s desks for a true 3D modelling experience. Skipping industries, Dutch architects, OMA, is using the technology to bring its buildings to life for design exploration and client presentations.

In terms of producing the 3D imagery Philips explained that 2D video can be converted into 3D using a rather clever box of tricks called the Philips BlueBox. However, if a 3D CAD model exists, it can be adapted for the screen by taking it into 3ds Max and Maya and using special plug ins to produce the ‘2D plus depth’ file required for the display. It would also be possible to develop plug ins for other CAD applications.

Anyway, to learn more about the technology I’ve included the obligatory YouTube link. The problem is you kind of lose the effect a bit watching it on a 2D monitor. It’s a bit like watching R2D2’s Princess Leia hologram on the silver screen. OK, it’s not, but you get my point.

ART-VPS has released a new version of its ART Renderer which updates support for the latest revisions of 3ds Max and Maya and brings some new goodies to users. One of the biggest bottlenecks is the creation of accurate lighting and scene set-up to ensure your product rendering looks absolutely photo realistic.

If you haven’t come across ART-VPS (it stands for Advanced Render Technology - Virtual Photography Systems) it developers raytracing acceleration hardware in the form of standalone devices (RayBox and RenderDrive) as well as component cards for your workstation (Pure). New options include a new ‘infinity cove’ and ‘sphere’ options within a skylight feature allowing you to alter the shape of the environment dome upon which your HDR image is going to be mapped. The new real-time reflection feature enables users to view ART materials and HDR reflections in real time, giving you instant feedback and real-time environment shading reduces test renders.

There’s also a bunch of other updates including quicker GI (Global Illumination) calcs, added support for Microsoft Vista and RayBox monitoring system now runs better on Mac OSX.

Seems like Josh over at SolidSmack.com got to it first, but this looks sweet. Its a hacked together rear projection unit with some fancy bits and bobs running on Vista. What’s interesting is the multi-touch manner. A lot of the CAD vendors are talking about this as the future - SolidWorks went multi-touch crazy at their press event preceding the last SolidWorks World. I wonder how it could be packaged up - maybe some sort of hand held device like the Wacom’s Cintiq maybe. One thing’s for sure, we all ain’t gonna be standing in front of a wall to get the job done are we?

As a recent convert to the Apple platform and owner of a macbook air, I have to say multi touch is pretty compelling - as this technology develops, its going to be interesting to see how its implemented in CAD systems. Of course, most of my work is done on a big old workstation running windows, but I do my writing on OSX.. but if I do fancy designing something, I now have the early test version of Rhino for the Mac - and that has multi-touch implemented in a very subtle manner.

I don’t really want this to turn into a book review blog, but there have been some amazing publications in the last few years. One of my personal favourites is Designing Interaction by IDEO founder, Bill Moggridge. For anyone involved in design, in product development, its chock full of interview and studies of how designers are adapting to accomodate how users interact with their products, be that by software, hardware - whatever. One of my favourite chapters is an interview with Kenji Hatori, a software engineer at Canon who developed PhotoStitch. It describes the stitch assist mode for cameras and Rikako recounts the process used to design the screen behaviors for the PhotoStitch software, with a clear structure indicated by tabs and actions clarified by animations. The book is supplied with a DVD that’s worth sitting a watching (and yup, boring your families with) - a great deal can be learned. You can see a video of the interview here.

If we’re to develop truly stunning products, whatever field they are active in, then the whole user experience needs to be address - and its something that CAD vendors should take note of - more so now than every before. The technology we use to develop products seems to be getting easier to handle, but without some form of forethought, some sort of rationalisation, its all for nothing. and again, the question of whether the Microsoft Ribbon UI is the way forward spring to mind. We develop in 3D - should our tools follow the same UI characteristics as Word, Excel and Outlook. Familiarity is the reason that vendors have jumped all over it. the argument being that if you can drive Word or Outlook, you can drive SolidWorks, SpaceClaim, Inventor et al. I’m not convinced.http://www.designinginteractions.com/