Exploring new dimensions: Manufacturers finding many practical uses for 3D CAD models (extract)
Kenneth Wong
Whether you actually are buying a lamp or not, the online product configurator at lighting-solution provider Holophane’s Web site could turn you into a fan of light fixtures. From a series of dropdown menus, you pick the desired design, post height, and finish type. Based on those choices, the site generates a 3D view of the assembly on the fly. If you don’t like the result, you can go back and try another setup. The possible combinations are limitless.
Similarly, interactive product manuals developed by Logicom might bring out the handyman in you. In the repair manual for a boiler, the program guides you through the intricate wirework and mechanical layouts of the device in animated steps, visually directing you to the critical springs and control panels.
These are but two examples of how some forward-thinking manufacturers are using 3D data derived from original CAD models in nonengineering settings. In this article, we explore some of the trends and facilitating technologies involved.
Cutting-Edge catalogs and manuals
E-training provider Logicom created the interactive boiler maintenance manual for British Gas—one of its biggest clients—using ParallelGraphics’ Cortona3D Visual Know-How software, part of the Cortona3D Rapid Products family. The suite comprises modules for combining CAD data with procedural information from the client’s ERP and PLM systems. Airbus, Oracle, BMW, Ford, Boeing and ESA are among other companies that have benefited from interactive animated 3D support materials created with Cortona3D software.
According to Majid Al-Kader, Logicom’s new media director, “When Logicom began assisting British Gas, most training was in the classroom, paper-based, with little simulation. Today nearly all is computer-based training.”
Dave Kiely, technical training engineer for British Gas praised Logicom's work. The content of this course is excellent,” he said. “Not only is it technically accurate but the live scenarios, involving testing components and analyzing the results, are exactly as they would be for a real boiler.”
The Digital commune
According to the analyst firm Aberdeen Group, “best-in-class companies are 40 percent more likely than industry average companies to validate the desired product with customers using 3D design data, and 33 percent more likely than industry average companies to incorporate 3D data into their documentation deliverables.”
The next generation of consumers will probably have no qualms about making buying decisions based on virtual prototypes. In the near future, e-commerce may very well become 3D commerce.
