增強(qiáng)現(xiàn)實技術(shù)（AR）、混合現(xiàn)實技術(shù)（MR）與虛擬現(xiàn)實技術(shù)（VR）無處不在。在過去12個月至18個月中，與AR、MR以及VR相關(guān)的新設(shè)備與新應(yīng)用大量涌現(xiàn)。而包括蘋果、谷歌、微軟、索尼、三星、HTC、Facebook、惠普等公司在內(nèi)的所有科技巨頭，也都將目光轉(zhuǎn)向了AR、MR與VR市場。
雖然這些新興技術(shù)是由游戲與社交媒體巨頭所開發(fā)的，但它們最終都會不可避免地進(jìn)入工程業(yè)與制造業(yè)中，其中包括商用車、卡車以及非公路車輛等行業(yè)。
那么，將這些讓你能夠在虛擬環(huán)境中進(jìn)行賽車、射擊外星人，或是捕捉口袋精靈的技術(shù)應(yīng)用于卡車、工程機(jī)械以及非公路用車或防務(wù)車輛的設(shè)計與建造中，會帶來怎樣的影響？
VR技術(shù)應(yīng)用于工程與制造領(lǐng)域已經(jīng)有了相當(dāng)一段時間了。CAVE系統(tǒng)以及Powerwall系統(tǒng)也已經(jīng)投入使用達(dá)數(shù)十年之久。不過，在VR技術(shù)尚未普及之前，行業(yè)中只有少部分“擁有特權(quán)”的企業(yè)（主要是汽車與航空航天OEM）才能使用這些造價驚人的數(shù)據(jù)可視化系統(tǒng)。
AR、MR或VR技術(shù)在商用車、卡車與非公路用車工程制造中的應(yīng)用仍處于早期階段。大部分相關(guān)企業(yè)仍在探索采用AR、MR或VR設(shè)備的原因與必要性，以及這些設(shè)備在工程制造中的具體應(yīng)用。不過，一旦它們深入了解了這些技術(shù)，就會看到它們在復(fù)雜產(chǎn)品與大規(guī)模生產(chǎn)中的顯著優(yōu)勢。
游戲圖形引擎在工程數(shù)據(jù)處理中的應(yīng)用
一款游戲能否成功，很大程度上取決于游戲的3D畫質(zhì)如何。如果畫質(zhì)不高，那么玩家就體驗不到游戲的真實性，游戲外觀與質(zhì)量都會大打折扣。游戲開發(fā)者利用圖形引擎與一些包括動作捕捉技術(shù)在內(nèi)的附加技術(shù)，可以設(shè)計出鮮明的畫面，從而提升游戲的互動式與沉浸式體驗。從游戲圖形較高的質(zhì)量與性能來看，游戲圖形引擎完全能夠勝任CAD數(shù)據(jù)的處理工作。
圖形引擎性能的提高以及AR/MR與VR頭盔成本的下降，使得CAVE或Powerwall等系統(tǒng)的價格從原先的數(shù)十萬美元，甚至數(shù)百萬美元，下降到了數(shù)萬美元。
三十多年來，許多汽車公司都選擇了采用3D CAD繪圖軟件進(jìn)行汽車設(shè)計。如今，利用低成本、高性能的AR、MR與VR設(shè)備來顯示CAD數(shù)據(jù)也已經(jīng)成為了可能。
沉浸式體驗在設(shè)計與生產(chǎn)中的應(yīng)用
汽車工程師們?nèi)缃穸歼x擇采用沉浸式AR、MR與VR體驗平臺以及AR、MR與VR設(shè)備來進(jìn)行汽車設(shè)計與制造。
在汽車工程領(lǐng)域，VR技術(shù)可應(yīng)用于汽車設(shè)計的虛擬審查、原型制作、搭建與組裝，以及維修與培訓(xùn)中。有了VR技術(shù)的幫助，工程師們可以在虛擬現(xiàn)實環(huán)境中與他們的可視化設(shè)計數(shù)據(jù)進(jìn)行互動，而不必花費(fèi)額外的人力物力去制造大量的汽車實物模型。而當(dāng)該模型所對應(yīng)的是一輛40噸重的卡車時，采用VR技術(shù)的好處就更加顯而易見了。此外，在模擬辦公室、工廠或是露天環(huán)境的數(shù)字化場景（即虛擬現(xiàn)實的工作環(huán)境）中，工程師們還可以看到所有的原始設(shè)計數(shù)據(jù)。
相較于擁有30年發(fā)展歷史的VR技術(shù)，AR技術(shù)與MR技術(shù)這兩大“新興”技術(shù)能夠給使用者帶來全新的視覺體驗。因此我們?nèi)粘Ｊ褂玫谋銛y式設(shè)備，如筆記本電腦、智能手機(jī)或免提耳機(jī)以及頭戴式顯示器，都配備了AR與MR功能。
由于AR技術(shù)是一種在現(xiàn)實中疊加3D內(nèi)容的技術(shù)，因而AR場景中的3D數(shù)據(jù)相當(dāng)于現(xiàn)實物體所對應(yīng)的數(shù)字孿生體。這些3D數(shù)據(jù)不但能夠幫助維修人員更好地修理構(gòu)造復(fù)雜的工廠與機(jī)械裝置，而且還能夠減少人員培訓(xùn)的開支。總之，AR技術(shù)通過將3D內(nèi)容展現(xiàn)在真實的工廠環(huán)境中，來幫助工程師們評估整個汽車制造工藝流程、工廠培訓(xùn)以及服務(wù)工作的開展情況。
MR技術(shù)與AR技術(shù)類似，也是一種在現(xiàn)實中疊加數(shù)字內(nèi)容的技術(shù)。不過，與AR技術(shù)不同的是，通過MR頭罩所生成的MR內(nèi)容，會以實時全息圖的形式出現(xiàn)在現(xiàn)實世界中。因此，工程師可以在全息圖中四處走動，也可以坐在里面，就仿佛置身于一個實體中一樣。而這一切并非發(fā)生在數(shù)字化世界，它們就發(fā)生在現(xiàn)實的辦公室、工廠或是測試工廠中。
在現(xiàn)實世界的環(huán)境中，工程師能夠以自然直觀的方式解讀MR內(nèi)容，因而也能更好地理解產(chǎn)品數(shù)據(jù)，并迅速確定產(chǎn)品規(guī)格尺寸與裝配關(guān)系。有了該技術(shù)，工程師就能夠在實體部件或工廠正式建成前進(jìn)行修改，若在建成后才修改錯誤，變更成本將非常高昂。
數(shù)字化數(shù)據(jù)在真實環(huán)境中的顯示
工程師們只需將CAD設(shè)計數(shù)據(jù)導(dǎo)入游戲圖形引擎中，就可以通過裝有AR、MR或VR功能的智能手機(jī)、平板電腦或耳機(jī)直接瀏覽這些設(shè)計數(shù)據(jù)，并在產(chǎn)品運(yùn)作的現(xiàn)實世界中體驗產(chǎn)品。
采用了AR、MR或VR技術(shù)后，工程師們能夠在一個近乎“真實”的環(huán)境中，與自己的設(shè)計數(shù)據(jù)進(jìn)行互動，并對產(chǎn)品設(shè)計早期階段的數(shù)據(jù)進(jìn)行修改，這既節(jié)省了時間，也節(jié)約了成本。
低價智能手機(jī)、平板電腦與耳機(jī)的日漸普及，意味著用戶不用購買CAVE及Powerwall VR顯示系統(tǒng)也能享受到AR、MR與VR體驗。
雖然AR、MR與VR硬件與軟件仍處在發(fā)展的早期階段，但敢于接受這些新理念的工程與制造公司更有望保持行業(yè)領(lǐng)先地位。新技術(shù)能夠為許多的傳統(tǒng)工藝提供新思路，幫助工廠更好地完成生產(chǎn)任務(wù)。
Augmented, mixed and virtual reality (AR, MR and VR) are everywhere. Over the past 12-18 months the number of new devices and apps being released has risen significantly and all of the big tech players like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, HTC, Facebook and HP (among others) are getting in on the action.
Although these new technologies have been developed by the gaming and social media giants, it was inevitable that the technology would eventually work its way into the engineering and manufacturing world, including the commercial vehicle, truck and off-highway industries.
So how does using technology that usually lets you race cars, shoot aliens and capture Pokémon characters translate into designing and building trucks, construction machinery and off-highway or defense vehicles?
The use of VR in the engineering and manufacturing space is nothing new, with CAVEs and Powerwalls having been used for decades. However, it has always had an enormous price tag and only a few are in the “privileged” position (mainly large automotive and aerospace OEMs) to be fully able to utilize the technology for visualization—until now.
Using AR, MR or VR technology in commercial, truck and off-highway engineering and manufacturing is still very much in its infancy. Most organizations are just starting to figure out if, and why, they need these new devices and how they can potentially harness the technology. Once the technology is understood, the benefits of using it in an industry where the products are complex and the production is large scale, are obvious.
Gaming graphics for engineering data
Gaming relies on the quality of its 3D graphics—without good graphics, games look and feel unrealistic, and lack quality. The use of graphics engines, along with additional technology such as motion capture, allows gaming developers to create incredibly sharp graphics that feed such interactive and immersive experiences. Gaming graphics’ quality and performance are more than capable of handling the complex needs of CAD data.
These high-performance graphics engines, combined with low-cost AR/MR and VR headsets, have resulted in a price point of tens of thousands, rather than the hundreds of thousands, or millions of dollars for the CAVE or Powerwall.
With 3D CAD having been in use for 30 years by many companies in the automotive industry, the CAD assets that have been created can now be used by these new low-cost and high-performance devices.
Immersive experiences for design and production
Immersive experience platforms such as augmented, mixed and virtual reality, and the devices that deliver them, are being adopted by engineers to help with design and production.
For engineering, VR on the new devices can support: virtual design reviews, prototyping, building, assembly, service and training use-cases. It enables engineers to visualize and interact with their data in a far more realistic environment, without having to spend time and money on producing numerous physical models—and when the model is a 40-tonne truck, the benefit of not having to repeatedly create physical models is clear to see. The original data can be seen in the context of a digital scene representing the office, factory or open-air environment—a virtual reality work environment.
In comparison to VR’s established 30-year history, the “newer” AR and MR technologies offer totally new visual experiences, on portable “everyday” devices such as tablets and smartphones, or hands-free headsets and head-mounted displays.
Using AR—where the digital 3D content is overlaid onto the real world—means your 3D data can be used for Digital Twin applications, to aid maintenance personnel to repair complex plant and machinery, and train personnel at much lower cost. AR allows engineers to assess processes by overlaying 3D content in the factory environment and evaluate training and serviceability practices in situ.
MR is similar to AR in that it is an overlay of digital content onto the real world, but the MR content appears in the form of a hologram which sits in the real world, in real time, through a headset. Being a hologram, an engineer can walk around it and sit inside it just like a physical product, and this is done not in a digital world but rather in an office, factory or test facility.
Being in the real world means it is far more intuitive and natural, which improves understanding and enables decisions about form and fit to be quickly made. Changes can be made before any physical parts or plant is built, when mistakes are expensive to rectify.
Digital data, real environment
Passing CAD design data through a gaming graphics engine and then viewing it in an AR, MR or VR experience on a smartphone, tablet or headset, enables engineers to experience their products in the environments they design for and work in.
Using AR, MR or VR provides engineers with optimized capabilities on how best to use and interact with their design data in a close to “real” environment, while products are still in the early design stage, saving time and costs.
The growing accessibility of low-cost smartphones, tablets and headsets means that augmented, mixed and virtual reality technologies are no longer only available to those with VR CAVEs and Powerwalls.
Whilst it is still early days with the new hardware and software, undertaking proof of concepts now will enable engineering and manufacturing organizations to be ahead of the game. Many existing processes can harness the new technology, enabling new ways of performing established tasks.
Stuart Thurlby, CEO of Theorem Solutions, wrote this article for Truck & Off-Highway Engineering as part of our annual Executive Viewpoints series.
Author: Stuart Thurlby
Source: SAE Automotive Engineering Magazine
在智能手機(jī)創(chuàng)造的AR環(huán)境中，用戶可以看到汽車發(fā)動機(jī)渦輪3D模型。（圖片來源：Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock.com）
在VR/MR技術(shù)中呈現(xiàn)的一個發(fā)動機(jī)部件的橫截面，可用于生產(chǎn)和調(diào)試。（圖片來源：Monstar工作室 / Shutterstock.com）
有了AR技術(shù)，工程師就能夠在實體部件或工廠正式建成前進(jìn)行修改，若在建成后才修改錯誤，變更成本將非常高昂。（圖片來源：Theorem Solutions公司）