Visual Scoping and Personal Space on Shared Tabletop Surfaces

Information is often shared between participants in meetings using a projector or a large display. Shared touch-based tabletop surface is an emerging technology. The shared display may not be able to accommodate all the information that participants want on the display. Moreover, large amounts of displayed information increase the complexity and clutter making it harder for participants to locate specific pieces of information. Key challenges are thus how to eliminate or hide irrelevant information and how participants can add information without distracting the other participants unintentionally. This study reports a novel approach that addresses these challenges by globally hiding information that is not relevant to all participants by introducing a private area on the public display

A system for rapid creation and assessment of conceptual large vehicle designs using immersive virtual reality

Currently, new product concepts are often evaluated by developing detailed virtual part and assembly models with traditional computer aided design (CAD) tools followed by appropriate analyses (e.g., finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, etc.). The creation of these models and analyses are tremendously time consuming. If a number of different conceptual configurations have been determined, it may not be possible to model and analyze each of them due to the complexity of these evaluation processes. Thus, promising concepts might be eliminated based solely on insufficient time and resources for assessment. In addition, the virtual models and analyses performed are usually of much higher detail and accuracy than what is needed for such early assessment. By eliminating the time-consuming complexity of a CAD environment and incorporating qualitative assessment tools, engineers could spend more time evaluating concepts that may have been previously abandoned due to time constraints. To address these issues, the Advanced Systems Design Suite (ASDS), was created. The ASDS incorporates a PC user interface with an immersive virtual reality (VR) environment to ease the creation and assessment of conceptual design prototypes individually or collaboratively in an immersive VR environment. Assessment tools incorporate metamodeling approximations and immersive visualization to evaluate the feasibility of each concept. In this paper, the ASDS system and interface along with specifically designed immersive VR assessment tools such as state saving and dynamic viewpoint creation are presented for conceptual large vehicle design. A test case example of redesigning an airplane is presented to explore the feasibility of the proposed system

Modèles d’intégration des designers créatifs dans les processus de conception industriels

Many studies show that industrial design is key to triggering, fostering andsustaining innovation. However, the unique capacities of creation and innovationof industrial designers make it challenging for them to thrive within industrialenvironments.The challenge for companies is to create the optimal work environment forthose professionals, while ensuring their work can be integrated smoothly intothe existing industrial design processes. We assume this dilemma is partiallystemming from the intensive use of sequential design models in the industry.Design tools were developed on the assumption that creative front end andproduct development should be separated.We introduce here a new model, aiming at depicting accurately the reasoningmodes and the nature of the object being designed with the digital ComputerAided Design (CAD) suites. This model is the result of the joint mobilization offour academic fields : computer, cognitive and management science and designtheories. Dassault Systèmes and their CATIA software have proven to be an excellentresearch environment for such questions. As we have been thinking, thenew model (laminated) makes three new hypothesis. Those unheard assertionshave been suggested and validated with this thesis :1/ Some specific design workshops are able to provide simultaneously robust andgenerative design capacities. We call this characteristic «acquired originality».2/ The object representations within by the software are not the result of successiverefinements but derive directly from a parameterized set of rules.3/ Industrial designers have specific requirements for CAD tools, different fromtheir engineers and artists counterparts because what they design is fundamentallydifferent. IDs generate conceptual models using a mass singularity technique.Those results sketch the emergence of a new generation of CAD tools forindustrial designers and able to foster innovation.De décisifs et puissants enjeux d'innovation ainsi que de renouvellement del'identité des objets bouleversent le monde industriel. De telles aptitudes créativessont usuellement associées aux designers industriels. Cependant, ces professionnelsne sont actuellement pas intégrés dans les processus numériques deconception.Afin de décrire ce paradoxe, nous formulons l'hypothèse que, l'omniprésencedans l'industrie de modèles de la conception de type séquentiel, qui juxtaposentcréativité et développement produit, entrave l'intégration des designers industrielsau sein des processus industriels. En effet, en compartimentant la conceptionen silos, ce type de modèles généralistes inhibe les méthodes spécifiquesdes concepteurs créatifs. Bien plus, les outils numériques adjoints au modèle séquentielétant calqués sur sa logique, ils reproduisent et les inconvénients d'unetelle structuration.En mobilisant quatre disciplines académiques qui traitent des outils numériques,à savoir les sciences informatiques, cognitives, de gestion et les théoriesde la conception, nous élaborons un nouveau modèle «dit stratifié». Ce dernierrévèle les modes de raisonnement empruntés par les concepteurs créatifs ainsique la nature des produits élaborés dans les environnements logiciels. A ce titre,l'entreprise Dassault Systèmes ainsi que la suite CATIA se sont révélés un substratde recherche idéal. Comme attendu, notre nouveau modèle propose desassertions inédites qui sont validées au cours de notre travail. Nous avons alorsdémontré que :1/ Certains ateliers de conception favorisent simultanément robustesse et générativité.Nous qualifions cette nouvelle propriété d'«originalité acquise».2/ Les avatars dans le logiciel ne résultent pas d'un raffinement progressif del'objet mais sont plutôt l'instanciation d'une base de règles paramétrée.3/ Les designers industriels requièrent des outils distincts de ceux employés parles artistes 3D ou les ingénieurs, de par la nature de leur conception. Plus exactement,ces professionnels génèrent des modèles conceptuels selon une logiquede singularité de masse.Ces résultats offrent ainsi la perspective engageante de l'émergence d'unenouvelle génération d'outils numériques de conception. Ces outils inédits serontaptes à intégrer les designers industriels et à proposer de l'innovation à la d

Reframing the value of virtual prototyping: Intermediary virtual prototyping - the evolving approach of virtual environments based virtual prototyping in the context of new product development and low volume production

This thesis studies how the evolving approach of virtual environments-based virtual prototyping can be evaluated in the context of product design and development in the manufacturing industry. The entry point for this research is the relatively long experience in applied research in virtual prototyping with industry. As the virtual prototyping technology has become more mature, the focus of research and development has extended from technology demonstrations towards utilization in product design and development processes. However, lack of scientific and practical knowledge of real benefits and the value of virtual prototyping has seemed to be a deterrent to its wider adoption of industry. The aim of this thesis is by means of scientific research to increase the knowledge of the value contribution of virtual prototyping as well as its impacts in a practical industrial context.This problem was approached from the science base by formulating an expanded theory framework for value modelling, and from the problem base by an empirical case study in one manufacturing company. The research approach was constructive and exploratory.The research results consist of three types of knowledge. Firstly, the scientific theoretical foundation was elaborated for initiating value modelling of virtual prototyping and virtual environments. Secondly, new knowledge on the value of virtual prototyping within new product development was created in an industrial case study. Finally, knowledge on how virtual prototyping (VP) impacts the company was reported. The impact was discussed in the dimensions of process, social and technological implications.This research contributed to engineering design science by conceptualizing virtual prototyping in the context of product design and development expanding to the dimensions of human factors and management theory. Thus, the contribution is also manifested by constructing the expanded theory framework for virtual prototyping value modelling in four dimensions with causal justification from virtual reality technology to business value elements which led to the new concept of Intermediary Virtual Prototyping (IVP). The discussed concept of IVP underscores the many layers from technical advantages of virtual reality to the expanded mediating object of product development activity system.The discussion was carried on from the perspective of a partially configurable products and manual work-intensive variant production mode. This perspective is novel compared to the majority of virtual prototyping and virtual environments literature. It is proposed that IVP is particularly beneficial in this context, where human skills and knowledge contribute to the flexibility of production system.IVP should be considered as a strategic investment that will produce income in the long run. IVP contributes to the co-creation and variant production paradigms by involving human creativity at an early product design and development phase, thus increasing flexibility. IVP creates value in use, but in turn it impacts the company in all the four dimensions mentioned