Articles

Digital dimension - December 2016

PE

An affordable reality

Virtual-reality software supplier Virtalis has slashed the cost of its visualisation software, significantly reducing the entry point price of VR systems for engineering companies.

Virtalis’s VR4CAD software costs just £1,000, instead of tens of thousands of pounds, and displays 3D CAD models in VR equipment directly from the CAD file.

When used with existing computer hardware and headsets such as HTC Vive, which is available for £800 from high-street retailers, the software makes it possible for CAD engineers to purchase a fully immersive VR system for around £1,800 for the first time.

The cost of VR systems is rapidly dropping, while the quality and number available are increasing, thanks to applications in video gaming and entertainment. But linking VR equipment to 3D CAD programs such as Solidworks, Inventor and Creo requires specialist software. The cost of this software has remained prohibitively high for all but the largest engineering firms. But Virtalis hopes the stripped-down version of its high-end Visionary Render software will open up VR for thousands of smaller firms.

Keith Russell, director of business development at Virtalis, says: “This is the first focused product for engineers at an affordable price point. Its impact will be like when solid modelling first come out.”

Available for £1,000 until the end of this year, VR4CAD is able to import and display 3D CAD models quickly and simply. It runs on the same computer as the CAD software, reads the MCAD file and allows users to review designs and communicate them with other engineers remotely.

The higher-end Visionary Render software allows users to animate models and feed back changes made in VR to the original 3D CAD environment.

David Cockburn-Price, managing director of Virtalis, says: “VR is seen as a change agent with all the firms we have worked with. It promotes collaboration.”

Share:

Read more related articles

Professional Engineering magazine

Professional Engineering app

  • Industry features and content
  • Engineering and Institution news
  • News and features exclusive to app users

Download our Professional Engineering app

Professional Engineering newsletter

A weekly round-up of the most popular and topical stories featured on our website, so you won't miss anything

Subscribe to Professional Engineering newsletter

Opt into your industry sector newsletter

Related articles