| Virtual Environments (VEs) have the potential to revolutionize traditional product design by enabling the transition from conventional computer-aided design (CAD) to fully digital product development. This dissertation describes a design environment that provides an intuitive human-machine interface for the creation and manipulation of three-dimensional (3D) models in a semi-immersive design space. The prototype system that was developed targets closing the “digital gap” introduced by the need for physical models such as clay models or mockups in the traditional product design and evaluation cycle. The system provides a high precision engineering design and modeling environment, supporting intuitive and efficient design tools for both designers and CAD engineers. The challenges that must be addressed and the concepts and components that were developed are described. |
