Editor’s Pick: ESI Group IC.IDO Version 11

Dear DE Reader:

Many engineering outfits are looking to incorporate VR (virtual reality) technology into their analysis workflows since interactive digital mockups are far less expensive and infinitely more malleable than physical prototypes. The catch is that individual engineers and workgroups can be left out of interdisciplinary VR workflows because they lack access to a CAVE (cave automatic virtual environment) or a Powerwall display. As today’s Pick of the Week will show you, VR will soon be reality on the engineer’s desktop.

The brief on IC.IDO is that it’s a field-proven, immersive solution that provides real-time physics simulations of the real-world behavior of virtual objects. It has collaboration capabilities so that remote sites can interact with models. It supports multiple CAD and PLM (product lifecycle management) systems. IC.IDO is already deployed at outfits like Bombardier and Ford.

The major enhancement in the upcoming v11 release is technology that will enable engineers without access to a CAVE or Powerwall to leverage VR for virtual assembly and service simulations, immersive visualizations and CAD data interaction from their workstation. You’ll need a HMD (head-mounted display) and its complementary hand controllers.

With IC.IDO version 11, engineers can perform “human in the system” evaluations using fully simulated hands, forearms and upper arms to interact with their designs. Engineers will be able to lift, carry, push and pull their designs with full interactivity in a room-scale virtual reality. Image courtesy of the ESI Group and the Ford Motor Company.

The key here is ESI Group’s new IDO.NaturalInteract software module. It has technologies that let you interact with a human simulation in a realistic, first-person view in a room-scale virtual reality. With it, you can do “human in the system” evaluations. That means you’re right inside your design using fully simulated hands, forearms and upper arms to interact with your design. You can interact with CAD data at a 1:1 full scale, and you can walk among designs as well as lift, carry, push and pull your components with full interactivity. Is that cool or what?

IC.IDO v11 sees other intriguing features making their debut, such as new ECM (engineering change management) support and a new high-performance rendering framework. You can learn more about IC.IDO v11 from today’s Pick of the Week write-up. Make sure to watch the video linked at the end of the main write-up and visit ESI Group’s VR microsite to see what VR designed for engineers is all about. It’s good stuff.

Thanks, Pal. – Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood

Editor at Large, DE