Virtual-Reality Lab Crystal Ball for Ford Oz Techies

Upgrades at Ford Australia’s virtual-reality lab will give engineers and designers improved access to a virtual world where they can assess future vehicles years before they are built, using Hollywood-style technology.

The work now under way will provide a full ultra-high-definition immersive experience by moving to new photorealistic VRED software from Autodesk.

Ford Australia’s Virtual Reality Centre was commissioned in 2012 and the new investment will see the first major update of hardware, software and physical lab space to stay at the cutting edge of immersive virtual-reality technology.

The upgraded ultra-high-definition lab will launch in the third quarter.

The Hollywood-style motion-tracking cameras capture actual movement of designers and engineers in the lab. This tracking data then is interfaced with the software to recreate physical movement in the virtual environment.

Motion tracking allows users to immerse themselves in real time and the headset provides a 3-D view of the entire virtual world.

Engineers and designers will be able to experience a car the way a customer would in a showroom. The totally virtual space will allow them to create visual clarity almost indistinguishable from a real car, with subsequent improvements in vehicle quality and craftsmanship.

APA Digital Innovation Manager Peter Bunting says by upgrading to Autodesk VRED software, the Australian lab will provide a higher level of visual fidelity with a display offering four times the resolution of high definition.

“High-definition headsets will allow immersed users to experience a vehicle in full stereoscopic 3-D,” Bunting says in a statement. “VRED software gives us phenomenal realism and allows us to examine aspects of the vehicle with detail we have not been able to realize in the past. In many ways, the assessments are more valuable than looking at a physical model.”

Working Together Inside and Side-by-Side

One of the lab’s limitations is its physical space into which some of Ford’s larger vehicles barely fit.

“The PX Ranger is an example of a vehicle that only just fits in the current lab,” Bunting says. “Due to the size of the vehicle, it’s difficult for designers and engineers to step back and view the vehicle from a distance, just as a customer would, without running out of physical space. The new, larger lab will solve this problem.

“It’s an odd problem to have, to not have enough physical space to hold a virtual model. But all our models are scaled 1:1, so we need enough physical space in the lab to engage with the fullsize virtual model.”

Elizabeth Baron, a U.S.-based technical specialist-virtual reality and advanced visualization, says Ford designers and engineers around the world are working together virtually – inside and side-by-side – on the same product.

“Simultaneously, designers and engineers in different global locations can quickly transition from one car design proposal to another to identify the best option,” she says. “We can study a lot of alternatives very effectively.”

Baron says virtual technology will be key in helping deliver improved quality and customer experiences as Ford grows its global lineup of vehicles.

“International collaboration has enhanced the voice of the customer in the global One Ford plan,” she says. “With this technology, designers and engineers can effectively communicate in real time inside the same virtual model, while realizing the goal of improving vehicle quality.”

Ford’s virtual-reality immersion lab not only generates full-scale 3-D models but also lets engineers and designers see inside and through a vehicle structure to study how various structural, mechanical and electrical systems interact within the vehicle’s architecture.

Bunting says the new Australian lab will be more refined and allow workers to see and understand complex engineering issues while considering aesthetics, design and functionality. “We are using VRED to incorporate light and shadow calculations in real time, which adds more depth and authenticity,” he says.