CHAPTER 5

ENTIRE SYSTEM

REALIZATION ,

RESULTS, SUMMARY

AND CONCLUSION

CHAPTER 5

ENTIRE SYSTEM REALIZATION , RESULTS, SUMMARY AND

CONCLUSION

5.1 A Gist of Final Setup

The Computer Based Visualization of Mechanical Components intended to

be developed during the research problem definition has finally fulfilled. The

primary objective of this work was to provide users a cost effective functional

computer based visualization system that allows to explore datasets or to develop

prototypes of virtual environments for later use in larger systems without having to

use more expensive resources during development. One of the more interesting

aspects of this system is, working in 3-D to visualize how the design will look like.

The visualization suite developed during the course our research work has

following features,

� It is a cost effective visualization solution for manufacturing industries. This

software empowers designers with an ability to perform virtual prototyping

before developing the physical prototypes.

� Parses ASCII files generated by modeling software by fetching the data

required for visualization

� Able to render the VRML and STL model

� Provides transformation options - Rotation, Panning and Zooming

� Allows selection of required material properties and lightings

� Options for rendering the model in various modes i.e. solid, wireframe and

point

� Enable cut section - cutting the model either along XY-plane, XZ-plane,

YZ-plane or with any angle

� Gives different views of the model i.e. front, back, left, right, top, bottom

and isometric

� Provides texture mapping,

� Permits walkthrough of the model with viewer being at that place itself i.e.

only the model is made to come closer or go away

� Creation of foggy environment

� Enable to view more than one model through either tiling or cascading the

windows.

� Ability to generate and display high quality images of mechanical

components

� Allows the user to experience 3D stereo vision with low cost passive

technology

� The tool should be able to change viewing angle and viewing mode

� Provision of editor for selection of different light sources, material

properties, color

5.2. Final Layout of this Visualization Suite

Present research deals with the visualization of the 3D data imported from

CAD packages like AutoCAD, I-DEAS, through open standard STL, VRML

format. VRML and STL file formats are the specifically considered in this research.

Most of the modeling software can export their data files in VRML and STL

formats, thus making this visualization system independent of any modeling

software.

It has got direct interface to Virtual Reality through stereo glasses. 3D

rendering is the key component of this system. This technology provides the

capability to immerse the user in the design of virtual product. To enhance the

visualization various additional features are incorporated in this suite.

The main focus of our research was to develop an effective low cost passive

stereo executable on a fairly general-purpose computer used in manufacturing

industries. This has achieved in our research by constructing the computer based

three-dimensional passive stereo vision solution. Passive stereo is a low cost

technique, which requires only red blue eye ware. It is envisioned that the

distinction between CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and virtual reality systems

converged as new design systems by encompassing features from each of the

technologies.

5.3 Research Findings

The development of this visualization suite was mainly an investigation on

the technical practicability of a Virtual Reality System. In this research program

CAD has explored as a medium to support early conceptual design through rapid

prototyping of mechanical models. Furthermore we were exploring Virtual Reality

as a potential design prototyping environment in which prototypes of designs can be

constructed, communicated and visually evaluated. The designed interface serves

the visualization and evaluation of CAD geometry. This application developed used

for the evaluation of the CAD data in a virtual environment is the real advantage of

our research work. It is the use of computer graphics systems in combination with

various display and interface devices to provide the effect of immersion in the

interactive 3D computer-generated environment.

5.3.1 Role of 3D Visualization in Manufacturing

The figure 5.1 shows the role of 3D Visualization Aided Design in

manufacturing process of mechanical components. Initially the models are designed

in CAD. These designs are viewed in virtual world as virtual prototypes. The

visualization suite implemented in our research is used for this purpose. These

virtual prototypes are visualized in immersive 3D for analysis and evaluation. If

there is any change required, changes are done in the design world and modified

CAD data visualized in virtual world further. After the satisfaction of the virtual

prototype manufacturing of the physical prototype takes place in the real world.

Figure 5.1: The Role of 3D Visualization Aided Design in Manufacturing

The simulated virtual manufacturing environment generated by our research

enables to develop and optimize production, assembly, machining, and other

manual and mechanized manufacturing processes eliminate the need for physical

product prototypes

This visualization suite offers affordable 3D interface for manufacturing

industries. It involves viewing and manipulation of 3D models, of manufactured

components and large assemblies of products. It is a key part of Product Lifecycle

Management. Product visualization typically provides high levels of photorealism

so that a product can be viewed before it is actually manufactured.

5.3.2 Synthesis Result

Present research pertains to development of visualization platform for

manufacturing industries. It demonstrates how a low end, inexpensive viewing

technique can be used as a quick trick to produce stereo viewing on a general

purpose computer. In the course of our research work a cost effective software

platform has developed for easy visualization of the mechanical components

without much intricacies of the sophisticated computing platform. Moreover it has

planned to make this tool as an Open Source, so that any one can use it freely.

This visualization suit parses and renders the 3D models of VRML and STL

files which are generated from modeling software, I-deas and AutoCAD. 3D models

designed in modeling software leads to very heavy file size. This is due to the fact

that the modeler not only holds the geometric information, but also topological

information of the object. Therefore it requires a powerful computer system to view

the components. Since the file contains data sets, which are not required for

visualization, manipulating such files solely for visualizing stereo mode results in

slow operation on a general-purpose computer. This requires visualization solution

to parse these files and fetch only the required data sets for visualization in order to

obtain the desired displays.

As an example the VRML file Cylinder.wrl generated from I-Deas having

the size 456KB. This file contains nearly 150KB of data which are not needed for

visualization. Execution of such file in stereo mode in modeling software results in

slow operation on general purpose computer. But this tool fetches only the required

data sets for visualization, thus makes the suit efficient. The table 5.1 explains the

comparison of .wrl files in-terms of its original size and size of the unwanted data

for visualization.

Table 5.1 Comparison of VRML files

File Name Original Size Redundant Dtata

Cylinder.wrl 456KB 150KB

Strahltriebwerk_cutway.wrl 574KB 130KB

Bearing.wrl 789KB 174KB

Crank_case.wrl 309KB 128KB

Block.wrl 772KB 168KB

Shaft.wrl 1169KB 243KB

Complete details about parsing and rendering of the CAD model has already

explained in the Chapter 3 and 4. Various .stl and .wrl files are tested in this

visualization suite. Selected snapshots of this visualization suit’s user interface are

shown in the Figure 5.2 to Figure 5.17. These shows the display of the model with

additional visualization features.

The anaglyph method has been used to represent stereo pairs. Colored filters

cover each eye, red/green, red/blue or red/cyan filters being the most common. One

eye image is displayed in red and the other in green, blue or cyan so that the

appropriate eye sees the correct image. Since both images appear simultaneously, it

is a time-parallel method. The technique is easy to produce using simple image

processing techniques and the cost of viewing glasses is very low. This is an

effective method for presenting stereo images. The Red-Blue method displays the

scene in the same frame with red for the left eye, blue for the right eye. It requires

red-blue glasses. It works best with objects displayed in wire frame. The 3D effect

cannot be perceived in the paper since the images are meant to be viewed on a

computer display through colored glasses.

Figure 5.2: Selecting VRML Model for Display

Figure 5.3: Display of VRML Model

Figure 5.4: Applying Various Material Properties

Figure 5.5: Changing Background Color

Figure 5.6: Display of the Model in Wireframe Mode

Figure 5.7: Display of the Model in Point Mode

Figure 5.8: Options for Selecting Different Camera Views

Figure 5.9: Display of the VRML Model in Foggy Environment

Figure 5.10: Applying Cutsection to the Model

Figure 5.11: Applying Texture Mapping to the Model

Figure 5.12: Performing Walkthrough

Figure 5.13: Display of STL Model in Passive Stereo Mode

Figure 5.14: Display of VRML Model in Passive Stereo

Figure 5.15: Display of VRML Model in Passive Stereo and Wireframe

Figure 5.16: Display of VRML 2.0 Model - carrier.wrl

Figure 5.17: Display of VRML 2.0 Model – bearing.wrl in Wireframe Mode

5.3.3 Immersion of CAD Data

Two achieve 3D effect two images of a same model are drawn on a scene.

Left and right eye images are combined into a single image consisting of blues for

the left eye portion of the scene, reds for the right eye portion of the scene, and

shades of magenta for portions of the scene occupied by both images. The viewer

wears a pair of glasses with red over left eye and blue over the right eye. Each

eyepiece causes line work destined for its own eye to appear black. The system

works so that both eyes have a different color filter in front of them. This causes

that left eye can only see few colors and right eye some other colors. When the left

eye's colors are used to draw the image which it should see and same is used for

right eye, the combined image can be viewed with suitable glasses in 3D. The most

common color combinations are red+blue and red+green. The color filtering limits

that there are only few possible colors in use in the picture so the images made

using this method are not very nice to look.

The main advantage of anaglyphs which is used in our research is that one

can view the scene with a minimum of hardware and expense. The glasses are very

inexpensive because it needs very cheap plastic filters for them. It can be made from

piece of cardboard and suitable filters.

� The largest benefit of passive stereo is its low costs. The active stereo

applications require high frequencies (typically > 96Hz) in order to

guarantee a flicker free image, limiting to use either CRT projectors or

very new (and very expensive) DLP projectors. But passive stereo can

use LCD or DLP projectors. Also being able to use LCD (or DLP)

projectors is a benefit to image brightness. Another benefit is that the

glasses used by passive stereo system are of less cost whereas glasses for

active stereo systems cost a few hundred dollars. The glasses are also a

lot less fragile, which makes the system more suitable for use in a

classroom.

� Anybody with normal vision can see 3D in an anaglyph.

� The image covers the whole computer screen, not just half the screen.

Spatial and stereoscopic resolution is twice as good as image pairs.

� A singe digital projector can show anaglyphs on a screen for a large

audience, who see three dimensions through the same, cheap, colored

glasses used. This avoids the hassle and expense of two separate

projectors as used for polarized viewing.

� The passive method of displaying stereoscopic images is better suited for

large groups because of its less cost. This is the method that this research

utilizes.

When visually immersed within a virtual environment, it creates a natural

temptation to touch virtual models but there is nothing to touch and to feel. In this

immersed Virtual Environment user can walk around it, inside the object, look up,

and see features that are not directly accessible using two dimensional

representations of a three dimensional object. Just this benefit is significant since a

better front end for computers signifies better understanding of the model and a

reduction in design time through a reduction of design iterations.

Although other stereoscopic visualization methods such as those using

polarized or shuttered glasses can give better results, the anaglyph method is the

only way that stereoscopic images can be viewed on ordinary television sets or

computer screens with no special hardware other than inexpensive colored glasses.

5.4 Execution Requirements of this Visualization Suite

The visualization solution developed in the course of this research work is a

Visual C++ application using OpenGL. Execution of this tool requires installation

of following,

� Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0

� Windows comes with OpenGL, and Visual Studio comes with the

OpenGL libraries, but neither of them comes with GLUT. So files from

GLUT required to be placed as given in the table 5.2.

� STL and VRML files are considered as input for our visualization suite.

These files are obtained from modeling software, I-deas and AutoCAD,

after the design of the model.

� Red-Blue eyewear is used as an external interface to perceive the 3D

effect in passive stereo mode,

Executable file of this tool doesn’t require the installation of Visual C++ and GLUT

files.

Table 5.2: Location of the GLUT Files

File Location

glut32.dll C:\WINDOWS\system

glut32.lib C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio \Vc98\Lib

glut.h C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio \Vc98\Include\gl

5.5 Estimation of the Storage Space Required

The details about storage requirement for the execution of this visualization

tool is explained in the table 5.3,

Table 5.3, Storage Space Requirement

File Size

Entire Visualization Suite 10MB

Executable (.exe) file 156KB

glut32.dll 232KB

glut32.lib 28KB

Glut.h 28KB

STL, VRML Files as Input Size varies

5.6 System Testing Issues

Various STL and VRML files are tested in this visualization suite along with

the intrinsic details of using each and every option. To perceive the 3D effect in

passive stereo mode, red-blue eyewear is used as an external interface. Selected

snapshots of the models during execution were shown in section 5.3.2. The results

were compared with original designs. The objectives specified in the problem

statement were fulfilled.

The key theme of our research was parsing the ASCII files generated by

modeling software (AutoCAD and I-deas) and to render the corresponding image.

Even though these files contains huge details about the model, this visualization

solution fetch only the data, which are required for visualization. This will lead to

faster execution as contrasted with the existing software manipulating the entire file

for visualization. The primary goal of the research work was to empower the

designers with a fully functional stereovision facilitating them that to explore their

datasets in a graphical manner. This visualization tool works efficiently.

5.7 Summary

The thesis portrays design and development of computer based three-

dimensional cost effective visualization of mechanical components. The

background of this research has covered in Chapter 1. Since this research is a

Computer Based Visualization technique for manufacturing industries, all the

related fields were discussed in this chapter. It covers the motivation of research

problem and briefs developmental phases of this research. The required literature

review in the field of Computer Based Visualization was discussed in Chapter 2.

The technical characteristics of standard file formats and the design aspects of this

visualization system have covered in Chapter 3. The complete detail about

Implementation of Parser and Renderer for STL and VRML Visualization was

provided in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 discusses the results, summarizes the work, covers

the conclusion and gives directions for future research.

5.8 Conclusion

This thesis describes the development of low cost visualization suit for

manufacturing industries. This software architecture provides detailed visual

information for manufacturing team before products to go in to final production

stage. This approach helps to arrive at better decisions in less time, providing

enormous cost savings while enhancing productivity. With a combination of

inexpensive hardware and easy to use software, this development enables

manufacturing industries to perform virtual prototyping. The key theme of our

research was parsing the ASCII files generated by modeling software and to render

the corresponding image. Even though this file contains huge details about the

model, the tool fetches only the data, which are required for visualization. This

leads to faster execution as contrasted with the existing software manipulating the

entire file for visualization. This interface supports passive stereo, a low cost

technique, which requires only red blue eye ware. Development of an effective low

cost passive stereo executing on a fairly general-purpose computer was a major goal

of this research. Reduction of manufacturing time & cost, improvement in the

design efficiency are the major contributions of visualization system in

manufacturing process.

5.8.1 Objectives Revisited

Various STL and VRML files are tested in this visualization suite along with

the intrinsic details of using each and every option. The objectives specified in the

problem statement were fulfilled as follow,

Parsing - 3D models designed in modeling software leads to very heavy file size.

This is due to the fact that the modeler not only holds the geometric information, but

also topological information of the object. Therefore it requires a powerful

computer system to view the components. Since the file contains data sets, which

are not required for visualization, manipulating such files solely for visualizing

stereo mode results in slow operation on a general-purpose computer. The

visualization solution designed in the course of our research work parses these files

and fetches only the required data sets for visualization in order to obtain the desired

displays.

Rendering - This visualization suite is a VC++ application which demonstrates 3D

interface for STL and VRML models. This interface can be used to represent

complex datasets in 3D with additional visualization facilities. This suite reads a

smooth three dimensional object that has been approximated by triangles. The

program reads in this triangle mesh, calculate normal for each triangle, and display

the object with lighting enabled. The user will be able to manipulate the model

using the mouse. The triangle meshes for each object which is in either STL or

VRML format; the program reads these files and displays them using OpenGL.

After loading the triangle mesh data, the program displays it. The projection

and modelview transformations are set using perspective projection so that the

object is completely visible on the screen, with no parts cut off by the near or far

clipping planes. The different models don't have the same scale, so the program

does some way of accounting for that, setting the camera and projection values

correctly and automatically. This can be done by setting parameters for gluLookAt

and the projection transformation.

Transformation Options - The model displayed can be able to rotate, translate and

scale using transformation options like Rotation, Panning and Zooming,

� Dragging the mouse with left button down work to translate the object in

the direction in which the mouse is moved

� Dragging the mouse with right button down work to zoom the object (in

or out) in the direction in which the mouse is moved. Zoom in and zoom

out depends on how the user drags.

� Dragging the mouse with left and right button down work to rotate the

object in the direction in which the mouse is moved. Rotation along axis

depends on how the mouse moves.

Change of Material Properties - This feature allows selecting the required

material properties and lightings. The standard specified materials are (gold, silver,

chrome, emerald, perl, copper, brass, bronze etc.) put up and the provision is given

to the user to select whichever material he likes. The selected material is then

applied for the object. One of the more interesting aspects of working in 3-D is that

to visualize how the design will look like. The realistic effect can be achieved by

adding lighting and materials to the design. Applying the materials makes the model

to look exactly the way how it is required. Once the materials are added, getting the

lights and shadows to look realistic is another task.

Display Mode - This feature provides options for rendering the model in various

modes i.e. solid, wireframe and point,

� Solid – The default mode in which object has rendered. Here the object

has filled up and it gives the viewer the feeling that it is made of hard

solid.

� Wireframe – Only the wire mesh is displayed with no part of it being

filled up as in the solid mode. It displays the triangularly linked vertices

� Point – Only the vertices are displayed without connecting them to one

another

Camera Views – The viewer can view the rendered model through different angles

along different axes. Different camera views displays the model’s front, back, left,

right, top, bottom and isometric view,

� Front – Default placement of the 3D scene, i.e., viewed along the XY

plane

� Back – Along the YX plane

� Top – Along the XZ plane

� Bottom – Along the ZX plane

� Left – Along the ZY plane

� Right – Along the YZ plane

� Isometric – Along the three axes having a mutual inclination of an angle

of 45. Isometric view is the simplest way to give a 3D representation of

2-D drawing. This has been the usual way of doing things before CAD

allowed true 3-D work to be done. Many times an isometric drawing is

used to compliment a 3 view orthographic drawing.

Texture Mapping - This tool adds the realism by wrapping the user defined texture

over the object. A dialog box pop ups and asks the user to select any image file.

After the selection of image file it shows how the object looks if it is wrapped by

such an image. Texture is important to provide the illusion of reality. It is a method

of wallpapering the existing polygons. Texturing makes it possible to quickly

create very complex object surfaces.

Before a model is released with any coating, the manufacturer does not

know how the product will emerge, hence in such situations he can use textures and

look at the object it really looks good if at all it is done so. Instead of manually

going on to the hard work developing such an object with the unknown look which

at the minimum may take few days, the developer can just view it in stereo mode

itself which may hardly take few minutes. If the manufacturer is not satisfied with

his previous selection, he can change his option there only by applying another

texture that otherwise he should do by manufacturing such a textured product.

Cut Section - Cutting the model either along XY-plane, XZ-plane, YZ-plane or

with any angle. After the vertices of the objects in the scene have been transformed,

any primitives that lie outside the viewing volume are clipped. This is useful for

removing extraneous objects in the scene, for example to display a cut away view of

an object. Always the object is made to view as a whole and whenever the user

needs that a part of it is just sufficient to visualize, either along any plane or by any

specified angle then this tool finds its way.

� XY Plane – It gives the view of the object with XY plane cuts it. When it

cut so, it leads to Far and Near sections of the model.

� XZ Plane - It gives the view of the object with XZ plane cuts it. When it

cut so, it leads to Bottom and Top sections of the model.

� YZ Plane - It gives the view of the object with YZ plane cuts it. When it

cut so, it leads to Left and right sections of the model.

Application of Foggy Environment - This feature gives the user an illusion of a

product being placed in a foggy environment. This technique is used in flight

simulators, where the object as it goes far away, it gets faded also. Fog allows

visualizing the object where limited visibility also needed to approximate. It aids the

designer to give the various density values as input so that as the distance of the

object goes away from the user it goes faded away finally disappearing from the

field of view.

Walkthrough - Walkthrough of the model with viewer being at that place itself i.e.

only the model is made to come closer or go away. Often the viewer may like to go

inside the object and he also may wish to go inside (virtually) the inner details of the

object just to have a closer look at its minute structure. Here the object should be at

rest but the viewer should be allowed to go towards it in whichever direction he

likes and also give a provision to take a turn at the corners, or to go to its extreme

ends or to retrace back. The viewer is allowed to go towards it rather than object

coming closer to the viewer. So this acts as a means to the viewer of walking thro

the object. It provides closer look at it if at all one finds it that attractive. Walking

inside the model helps to get a closer view.

Cost Effective Passive Stereo vision - The main focus of our research was the

development of an effective low cost passive stereo-based visualization solution that

would run on a fairly general-purpose computer used in manufacturing industries

for virtual prototyping. Three-dimensional stereo vision is achieved by drawing

image two times on the scene with a small degree of overlapping. To perceive the

3D effect in passive stereo mode, red-blue eyewear is used as an external interface.

The visualization suite implemented in our research is a low cost passive stereo

technique that simply requires a red blue eye ware.

5.8.2 CAD Model Visualization in Virtual 3D World

Presence is closely related to the sensation of immersion. It can be described

as the feeling of being in the same space as the Virtual Environment, which gives a

sense of the reality of objects in the computer-generated scene and the user’s

presence with those objects. Both immersion and presence are enhanced by a wider

field of view than is available on desktop displays. This helps to provide situation

awareness, aids spatial judgments, and enhances navigation and locomotion.

Stereoscopic rendering techniques exploit the ability of the human visual

system to integrate two slightly translated perspective images of a scene –

representing the left and the right eye – into a three-dimensional representation.

Although other stereoscopic visualization methods such as those using polarized or

shuttered glasses can give better results, the anaglyph method is the only way that

stereoscopic images can be viewed on ordinary television sets or computer screens

with no special hardware other than inexpensive colored glasses.

The real trick is figuring out the best way to present the left and right eye

images to just the left and right eyes, respectively. In our research, we have

developed passive stereo technique which uses Red-Blue anaglyph to view the 3D

scene. Left and right eye images are combined into a single image consisting of

blues for the left eye portion of the scene, reds for the right eye portion of the scene,

and shades of magenta for portions of the scene occupied by both images The

viewer wears a pair of glasses with red over the left eye and blue over the right eye.

Each eyepiece causes the line work destined for the other eye meld into the

background and causes line work destined for its own eye to appear black. The key

fact of stereo viewing is to generate two views of the scene, one from each eye

position. This can be achieved by maintaining separate drawing buffers for the left

and right eyes. Both the images are drawn on the screen. Left eye sees one image

and the right eye sees another image. Combination of this in brain gives the 3D

effect. The human brain processes received information from two eyes and displays

3D visualization system.

To get the suitable effect of 3D, there will be overlapping of images drawn

on the screen. Actually second image is not exactly placed on the first. After

drawing the left image, the viewpoint is translated little and then right image is

drawn. This distance between left and right image is called as ‘eye separation

factor’ or ‘interocular distance’. To perceive proper 3D effect eye separation value

can be changed. Left and Right arrow buttons are used to increase and decrease

interocular distance between the two rendered scenes.

5.8.3 Insight of 3D Stereo Visualization Suite

The rapid growth of computer technology has made CAD software an

essential in product design. It is observed that the manufacturing industries make

heavy use of the modeling software to facilitate a concurrent engineering approach

for the product design, 3D modeling, analysis and manufacturing applications. The

models are designed using CAD software like Cad/Cam, Catia, Pro/E, I-deas, and

Solid Works etc. Many of the commercially available modeling software require

expensive license fees, large computer storage space and memory consumption. 3D

models designed using these modeling software leads to very heavy file size. This is

due to the fact that the modeler not only holds the geometric information, but also

topological information of the object. Therefore it requires a powerful computer

system to view the components. Since the file contains data sets, which are not

required for visualization, manipulating such files solely for visualizing stereo mode

results in slow operation on a general-purpose computer. But visualization suite

developed in our research fetches only the required data sets for visualization, thus

makes the suit efficient.

This visualization solution to parses these files and fetches only the required

data sets for visualization in order to obtain the desired displays. Although such

software available in the market, they require sophisticated computing environment,

which are out of reach. The visualization suite developed in our research attempts to

bridge this gap. It is a low cost passive stereo technique that simply requires a red

blue eye ware. The sequence of operations carried out in the implementation of this

research is shown as a flow chart in the figure 5.18.

Figure 5.18: Visualization Suite Development Flow Graph

An attempt has made in our research to design the development of an

efficient, easy to use, cost effective visualization system for manufacturing

industries. The visualization tool developed in the course of our research work is an

ASCII text file driven system to visually simulate the modeled operation in 3D

virtual space. The interface documented in this thesis provides three-dimensional

effect of the CAD model for enhanced visualization. This visualization suit is able

to browse the STL, VRML files, fetches the data sets that are required for

visualization and renders the model on the screen. This tool supports additional

properties like editor for light, material properties and color, options for various

kinds of views, texture mapping, transformation of model etc.

5.8.4 Contributions

The primary goal of the development of the 3D Visualization suite reported

in the present communication was to empower the designers with a fully functional

stereovision and facilitating them to explore their datasets in a graphical manner that

too at low cost. This will realize the collaborative decision-making and

interdepartmental communication. The features of the reported suit can be fairly

executed on general purpose computing platform.

Computer Based Visualization is an efficient development tool for

manufacturing industries. As the programs for computer systems such as CAD has

become standardized, these steps have increasingly been linked into one system. For

example, the same database can be used to create Visualization of the model. The

visualization technique shortens the time frame for the construction of a model. In

the past, the model was designed out of clay. The initial design required many

subsequent stages of work to develop the basic needs. Visualization simplifies these

steps through the creation of simulations from a database that is gathered from CAD

programs.

This thesis verifies the feasibility of using Stereo Visualization technology

for improving the productivity of manufacturing industries. It plays an important

role in virtual prototyping. The Virtual prototyping Simulation is the advanced

production planning system applicable to the manufacturing industries. It has

potential for different optimization techniques, which takes less time. Since the user

feels more comfortable with Stereo Visualization technology while performing

manufacturing tasks, this technique is used for assembly training to improve the

productivity in manufacturing industries. This tool is used for prototyping, testing

and later in conceptual stages also. To increase throughput in manufacturing

industries this is a suitable solution. By incorporating Stereo Visualization along

with other Virtual Reality techniques, manufacturing industries can save lot of time

and effort in developing products. The primary goal of our research work was to

authorize the designers with a fully functional stereovision facilitating them that to

explore their datasets in a graphical manner. This will realize the collaborative

decision-making and interdepartmental communication. The software visualization

solutions enable the design teams to identify and resolve design and manufacturing

problems earlier. Further by making the right decisions based on digital data,

companies can optimize their designs and reduce the number of physical prototypes

built, thus saving both time and money.

Since the present research pertains to development of visualization platform

for mechanical industries, it is worthwhile to see some of the advantages in this

context. By rapidly simulating the performance of mechanical systems on the

computer, functional virtual prototyping enables to troubleshoot problems within

existing designs and to significantly reduce the risk associated with developing new

designs. By facilitating collaborative decision-making, the visualization solutions

enable teams to identify and resolve design and manufacturing problems earlier. By

making the right decisions based on digital data, companies can optimize their

designs and reduce the number of physical prototypes built, thus saving both time

and money. In the course of our research work the cost effective software platform

has developed for easy visualization of the mechanical components without much

intricacies of the sophisticated computing platform. A significant advantage of

visualization is that it enables user to navigate easily in 3D space and hence position

the user at any convenient position during the visualization process. The capability

of visualize the future planned designs in 3D will facilitate greater understanding

about the model among the designers. It is much more cost effective to make

changes on a virtual prototype as opposed to reworking a traditional prototype.

Our research work demonstrates how a low end, inexpensive viewing

technique can be used as a quick trick to produce many of the same affects as high-

end stereo viewing. Although such software readily available in the market, they

require sophisticated computing platforms that are out of the reach of the small

firms and independent designers. The main reason for the small firms or

independent designer is difficult to compete with the big players is lack of such

software. The proposed research work solves this problem. It aims at designing a

general-purpose software platform for visualization of the mechanical components

executable on fairly available computer architecture. This is a major contribution of

our research.

5.9 Scope for Future Work

The additional features and further improvement that have to be done in our

visualization suite are,

� Should openly support other CAD file formats such as STEP, XML,

IGES etc.

� Supply assembly, disassembly animations

� Implement auto stereoscopic vision i.e., perceiving 3D effect without the

use of any external interface

� Provide mass property calculation

� Interface with other VR devices

� Picking and selection of desired part of the component

� Changing the material properties, light color etc., should be allowed to be

done on the parts displayed