Reality as we know it is getting an upgrade with XR.
Autodesk has sponsored this post.
The reality that has served us since the beginning of time is getting an upgrade—thanks to technology. Advances in technology, specifically in computing power and the miniaturization of electronics, mean the enhancement or outright replacement of the world as we see it is not only possible, it is already happening. You saw it on TV, with the first down line in an NFL game. That was AR, or augmented reality. Your kids may have played Pokémon GO, which is also AR. Your teenager puts on their Oculus Quest 2 to play Resident Evil; that’s virtual reality, or VR.
Industry, too, has adopted XR—the catch-all phrase that includes AR and VR. The automotive industry perhaps provides the most immersive example: a design review of a car without the physical car being present.
Kia Motors has given their designers superpowers with XR in their design centers. With their XR software (Autodesk’s VRED) and hardware (Varjo’s headset), a designer can make design choices with a simple gesture. For example, they can swap out one wheel design for another. Rather than wonder how the beige Napa leather would go with a snow white pearl exterior, they can see the color combination appear on command.
“For the first time, we could literally see the metallic flakes in the paint and perceive the depth and quality of the material shaders. We could see the beauty of the details more than ever before in the virtual world,” says Thomas Unterluggauer, Creative Manager CGI of Kia’s Europe Design Center in Frankfurt, Germany.
Kia Motors, based in Korea, entered the U.S. market in the early 90s with an appeal to value-minded car buyers. The first Kia models were the Sephia and Sportage, both sold on the basis of economy rather than aesthetics. Since then, Kia seems to have decided to let their designers sit up front. International design centers are churning out head-turning designs, as if to make people say in disbelief, “That was not a Kia.”
The Kia Stinger, a 300 HP 4-door sports sedan, looks more like a Porsche than a Kia. The Sportage is still around, and no longer has that boxy look.
Automotive companies that can do a virtual design review are realizing the most value from XR, and for them, there is no reverse gear. The traditional design review—everyone in the same room with a physical prototype in the center—gets an assist with a virtual design review.
A virtual design review is not only cutting edge, but it can also be more accessible for more people. Teams on different continents can attend. Did the pandemic scatter previously close-knit teams to their homes? Not a problem.
The technology is not limited to cutting edge automotive design centers; any company with a 3D design can partake. All that is needed is a CAD program able to export to a format an XR viewer can read, such as the USDz export command available to Autodesk Fusion 360 users that lets Apple devices view the 3D design in the context of the real world. Download Apple’s AR viewer (it’s free) and voilà, you can drop your 3D model onto a surface (like a desk or the floor) visible with your iPhone or iPad’s camera’s view.
Of course, putting on an XR headset does not fix the time zone problem. There may still be engineers griping about the virtual design review cutting into their breakfast, dinner or bedtime—but they can be reminded of the joys of transcontinental flight in economy class, and jet lag that lasts for days.
Find out more about Autodesk’s XR technology here.
