3D Printing and VR: A New Spin on Design and Manufacturing (.PDF Download)
What a day and age we live in when you can design and edit CAD models in a virtual- or mixed-reality environment and then readily 3D-print those models when finished.
It was only a short few years ago that those three technologies functioning together would have been considered science fiction rather than invaluable tools for design and manufacturing. The onset of (useful) virtual-reality (VR) headsets such as HTC’s Vive, Oculus Rift, and Samsung’s Gear VR have given designers an unprecedented viewpoint in allowing them to visualize their creations in a 3D environment and edit them in real time.
What’s even more impressive is that designers can even view their creations in real-world settings, under varied conditions, and subject them to different test parameters to see how they perform. This in turn provides invaluable insight on whether a redesign is in order if there’s a failure. The ability to rapid prototype those creations is just icing on the design cake and can be done in-house instead of having to endure lengthy turnaround from outsourced manufacturers.
