Designing prototypes, virtually

Citation

(1999), "Designing prototypes, virtually", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 71 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.1999.12771aab.008

Designing prototypes, virtually

Designing prototypes ­ virtually

Keywords Aerospace, Design, VR

French companies are said to be speeding the design process for mechanical products. Thanks to virtual reality technology, they are now being designed and tested without the product actually being there!

For example, designers working on the Falcon 2000, a new twin-engine business jet at Dassault Aviation, are now able to enter a virtual reality model of the aircraft, and explore each component in a real-time simulation.

Aircraft manufacturers are using computer-generated virtual prototypes to reduce the time to market of new models ­ they no longer need to use physical mock-ups to test their design ideas. Engineers at Dassault Aviation use virtual design software which precisely models the 20,000 different components of the Falcon 2000 in 3D.

A supercomputer is used to simulate the virtual Falcon and produces images of an exceptionally high quality. Navigator 4D software from Catia is used to navigate around the model. Every image that is projected onto the screen by the supercomputer moves in real-time as the engineers own viewpoint moves.

Airbus lndustrie is using a virtual prototype in the initial design of its A3XX series of long-haul four-engine jets. Computer models have not only been used in the design and testing of these jets, but also in studying the logistical problems in moving up to 800 passengers who are entering and leaving the plane at the same time.

Motor car manufacturers are also using digital/virtual prototypes in their design processes. The Prost Grand Prix team is using a system from Dassault Systèmes and the Renault group use a virtual system supplied by Matra Datavision.

The digital prototype systems in use today can handle highly complex designs and can closely investigate every physical situation in which the product may be used. This aspect of design has hitherto been time-consuming and prone to imperfections or errors.

In addition to modelling the product itself, businesses need to be able to model and optimise the surrounding processes too. "This is the aim of our work on virtual product modelling", states Jean-Luc Badoc of Dassault Systèmes. The virtual product that he is developing has to incorporate tools capable of specifying a digital prototype that can be used at all stages of a product's life. Virtual product modelling will be added as a module to off-the-shelf ERP systems via the STEP standard.

"In the future, we will be able to assemble a virtual motor vehicle in a virtual factory", foresees Claude Houellebecq of Renault. He adds that there is no reason why virtual prototypes should not be further extended into simulated crash tests or tolerance studies.

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