Virtual reality simulation for engine development

The traditional process of developing prototypes and new engine solutions is time-consuming, complicated, and costly. Virtual and augmented reality creates completely new possibilities: By creating precise digital VR twins, it is easy to check how new designs or adaptations will work.

Beispiel eines VR-Raumes mit verschieden eingefärbten Motorteilen

In the virtual environment, models can not only be viewed from different angles and scales, but various parts of the 3D model can also be manipulated and tested, including through color visualization as well as spatial sound and animations.

For optimal collaboration in the VR environment, a special virtual workspace was created that can be individually adapted to the user's needs. Great attention was paid to easy and intuitive use of the radial menu. In addition, the program can be run in a pro version for VR advanced users and a demo version for VR beginners.

Eine Forscherin mit VR-Brille und eine Forscherin vor dem Monitor testen die VR-Anwendung des VRVis für die Motorenentwicklung

Seamless collaboration in engine development on the desktop and in the VR environment: In the VR solution from VRVis and AVL, all data and information from the desktop application are integrated into the virtual 3D models.

VRVis and our research partner AVL have been working on innovative digital solutions for the automotive industry for two decades. In this context, there has been a longstanding strong focus on how to support the development and optimization of prototypes for new engines of all kinds through extended reality solutions. To give an example, a mobile app for the visualization of simulation results in Augmented Reality has been developed in recent years.

Within the project "Virtual reality simulation for engine development", VRVis and AVL went one step further into "reality": the AVL VR Extension Package is a VR application for visualizing and interacting with 3D simulation results of electromagnetic fields, thermal transfers, oil flow, and sound, calculate streamlines, particle tracing and droplet clouds for the automotive sector from the AVL Impress desktop program. The goal of using virtual reality for 3D interactive visualization of simulation results is to improve collaboration and speed up and optimize the prototyping phase of new powertrain systems and car parts.

A particular focus in this project has been the development of solutions that combine VR and desktop applications in an intuitive and easy-to-use way. For this purpose, among other things, a special virtual VR working room was created in which the 3D model can be analyzed and tested from different angles, enhanced by sound and animation. Furthermore, the menu control was simplified, and the two user modes Pro and Demo, which meet the users' individual VR skills, were developed.

The research project CognitiveXR focuses on developing a platform that enables cognitive augmentation in the smart city domain by seamlessly integrating augmented reality, edge computing, and artificial intelligence.

The virtual reality solution developed by VRVis in collaboration with the Vienna State Opera enables digital collaborative stage design and construction rehearsal processes - independent of the actual stage space.

The goal of the project MARAMT is to develop a software framework to significantly reduce the effort required to work with existing and future complex cyber-physical systems.