Architecture Papers of the Faculty of Architecture and Design STU (Sep 2020)
Virtual reality and its applications in transport design
Abstract
The article focuses on the use of virtual and mixed reality in transport design. The advancement in VR hardware and software enables more extensive use of this technology in the design process. The possibility to visualize new designs in real scale is especially useful with larger objects, such as cars and motorbikes, where the preparation of a physical model would require a significant amount of resources and work hours. Another advantage of VR is the wide range of options for data configuration. 3D data of a new car exterior can be visualized through VR software in various colors and materials. Models can be placed and viewed in a studio or any outdoor environment. It is also possible to change individual shapes and elements in real time and review design variants in a faster and more efficient manner. We can come across similar configurators on the websites of car manufacturers, where a customer can give exact specifications, based on which the configurator generates a rendering of the new car’s exterior and interior. A car interior must be shaped to accommodate ergonomic requirements of a human body and also comprises UI for human-machine interaction. When testing car interior designs in VR, an ergonomically adjustable construction – a simulator is used. The primary feature of the simulator is its synchronization with virtual data. The person sitting inside can experience the new design in VR and they are able to interact with it through the physical simulator. In this MR scenario, virtual steering wheel lines up with its physical counterpart to provide haptic feedback. The technology that combines the physical simulator with 3D digital data is applied in the author’s doctoral thesis to visualize new motorcycle designs.
