With authoring system to virtual twin

Immersing oneself in artificial worlds with virtual reality (VR) is no longer just of interest to gamers. Technology companies are using immersive virtual environments – also known as "virtual twins" – along the entire value chain: from prototype development, design reviews and simulations to training and marketing activities.

Application

The progressive replacement of the classic desktop environment by new output and interaction tools, lower hardware costs, and a cultural shift toward cost- and time-saving collaborative virtual engineering (VE) are making VR increasingly attractive for companies. The challenge of such virtual environments is to depict systems and processes with little effort and as high an immersion as possible – in other words, the sensation of being in a real world.

Technology

The VR authoring system "PolyVR" developed at KIT's Institute for Information Management in Engineering (IMI) addresses this challenge with a scalable VE solution. Via the user interface, data formats such as numerical, mesh, volume or CAD data can be imported comfortably and a so-called virtual scene can be generated. The authoring process is dynamic and every change is immediately visible virtually: Data can be managed, changed and extended in the running scene without having to stop or restart it. The software is based on open source libraries and supports all common standards for data exchange.

Advantages

PolyVR is a proven VR tool that has been integrating results from research and industry projects as modules since 2009. With the software, companies can conveniently use virtual worlds for validation and optimization in the product development process. Complex technology thus becomes more tangible for all stakeholders. The system supports common input and output devices, including highly immersive projection rooms such as CAVEs, as well as lower-cost VR hardware such as 3D displays and VR glasses.

Offer for companies

IMI advises on the virtualization of all kinds of machine processes. It offers support from the installation and extension of PolyVR via interface programming to setup and configuration of immersive hardware. The researchers are specialized in individual VR solutions and training for SMEs as well as companies from special and plant engineering.