Abstract
Keywords: Virtual Prototyping, Haptics, Conceptual design
Virtual Prototyping is becoming a commonly adopted design and validation practice in several industrial sectors, particularly in the automotive sector. Today, companies, instead of manufacturing expensive physical models of designs, tend to produce digital models. Compared to physical models, virtual prototypes are in general less expensive and more easily configurable. Furthermore, they support variants, and allow for several simulation runs on a single model. Virtual Prototyping (VP) has its main focus today in the late concept stages and engineering analysis phases of the product development process (Lee, 1999). Recent trend aims at using this practice also earlier in the concept stages of design in order to evaluate several concepts, improve the product quality, and better exploit designers´ activities.
Most advanced VP systems are based on Virtual Reality (VR) technologies. Visual techniques have rapidly evolved in the last decades, providing new devices supporting realistic rendering, stereo viewing and immersive experiences (Burdea, 2003). Conversely, research and development of interactive devices have provided less innovative and effective solutions. 3D devices, like 3D mice and joysticks, support a more realistic and intuitive interaction with 3D models (Bowman, 2003). Recently, haptic technology offers a revolutionary approach for combining physical and digital aspects to be exploited in various phases of the product development. Force-feedback devices allow users to experience a feeling of touch and physical properties when they interact with virtual objects. They exert forces in response to users´ action. Integrating haptic technologies within applications combines the benefits of more natural ways of working. In fact, existing haptic technology allows combining the capabilities of computer systems with the traditional skills and working methods of modelers and designers (Cheshire, 2001) (Wiegers, 2001). The idea of bridging physical and virtual modeling by maintaining the effective and performing aspects of digital modeling and enriching tools with some new modalities of interaction more oriented to exploit designers´ skills, is at the basis of the research work described in this paper.