First Enovia digital mock-ups demonstrated in Fakespace immersive CAVE environment

"We have worked closely with Fakespace Systems for several years, with the goal of enabling true VR capability for DMU users", stated Rodolphe Aymard, Director of Interactive Architecture Division, at Dassault Systèmes. "The impact of visualising full-scale Digital Mock-ups with ENOVIA DMU Solutions in the digital CAVE is very impressive. This system provides DMU users with the ultimate realistic 3D environment, which represents a huge breakthrough in the ability to design, review and interact with computer-generated models."

The demonstration showed that CAD Models in ENOVIA DMU Navigator can be fully displayed and manipulated in stereoscopic view, using easy menu commands within the multi-walled CAVE environment. The full immersive capability supported in ENOVIA DMU Solutions includes head and motion tracking, and six-degree-of freedom interactivity.

Dassault Systèmes and Fakespace Systems collaborated to develop native CATIA and ENOVIA support for a variety of large-scale visualisation systems, including the WorkWall, CAVE and ImmersaDesk. An executable driver now available from Fakespace Systems, called CDVi (CATIA Drivers for Virtual Interface), is used to link ENOVIA DMU solutions with these advanced visualisation environments. CDVi is the only commercial product in the world that makes the majority of high-end VR input devices and motion tracking systems compatible with DMU.

The power of immersive viewing and navigation was illustrated using full-scale automotive models. These models were viewed in the new digital version of the Fakespace CAVE, a fully immersive, walk-in environment that makes life-size virtual prototypes and digital mock-ups appear to really exist in three-dimensional space. High-brightness stereoscopic Mirage DLP projectors display images on three walls and the floor surface, for an environment that appears three times brighter than previous CAVE systems.

A head-motion tracking system maintained the correct perspective for true sense of presence within the virtual space, and the motion tracked Fakespace V-Wand allowed users to intuitively navigate around and manipulate models. The CAVE was driven by an SGI Onyx2 workstation, which provides the graphics power to display high-resolution, real time multi-CAD models in ENOVIA DMU Navigator within a multi-planar, tracked environment.

"We are very pleased to demonstrate the results of our work with Dassault Systèmes", stated Steve Fine, VP Engineering for Fakespace Systems Inc. "It has highlighted the benefits of large-scale interactive visualisation, which include improved collaborative work processes, and better understanding of design concepts and design flaws early on, which are now readily available to DMU users."

The ENOVIA Solutions are a set of Product Lifecycle Management products for the management and distribution of development data and knowledge. ENOVIA - DMU Solutions transform product information into business intelligence, providing support for fast and decisive business decisions in the product development process. The ENOVIA - DMU Navigator Solutions extend design review capabilities to technological, spatial, and motion synthesis to facilitate the full integration of Digital Mock-up processes.