The Application Of Virtual Reality Technology In Product Design

In recent years, virtual reality technology has been a hotspot of research and exploitation in computer science and other science fields. With the development of computer graphics, visualization, software engineering, hardware design and automation, the application of virtual reality becomes wider and wider. The virtual reality technology has changed the mean of interaction between computer and human being. The virtual reality technology is integrated application of computer motion technology, computer vision, artificial intelligence, multimedia technology, pattern recognition, automation and sensor technology. Immersion, interaction and imagination are three main characters of the virtual reality technology. This paper is divided for five parts.The first part describes concept, characters and classification of virtual reality and the computer platform, peripheral equipment, application software. And it introduces the general idea of VRML (virtual reality molding language) used in the followed parts.The second part summarizes virtual production design technique. It analyses theory basis of production design, introduces the content and characters of virtual production design technique, discusses the function and superiority virtual reality technique applying in production design. The third part introduces the attempt to virtual production sculpt design based on simple PC. Using VRML, in addition to 3D MAX, the sculpt design project of NC machine and scanner are discussed. It includes sketch map design, virtual molding, VRML edit, then makes the last virtual design project.The fourth part discusses the meanings and key technique of virtual assembly design, and samples the technique of virtual assembly in virtual design system of simple PC. It enumerates two examples, a virtual assemblage demo project of a coupler and a virtual assembly process project of an axes. Besides VRML and 3D MAX mentioned above, it uses JAVA program embedded in VRML to realize specifically functions.The. fifth part is conclusion and prospect. It concludes the discuss work on virtual design above, and puts forward main questions faced virtual design and its development trend in future.The five parts works of the paper are developed on P4 computer. The system has used VRML 2. 0, 3D MAX and JAVA program based on VRML.