CAD SYSTEMS HELP: The Future in 3D

If you’ve been following CAD Systems Help you may have seen some of the amusement park ride 3D computer models we have been working on in our spare time (I promise this blog will have more CAD examples than just roller coasters). In those earlier posts, all we presented you with were 2D pictures of the rides. You could only view the model from the view that we gave you. What if you wanted to view the model from a different angle? Well now you can. We have converted all of our original Catia models to 3D XML format and uploaded them to 3D VIA. Several of our works-in-progress are embedded below for your enjoyment. Feel free to explore the actual 3D models yourself!

For those who are not familiar, 3D XML is a universal, lightweight XML-based format that enables users to share live, accurate 3D data quickly and easily. A free player is provided by Dassault Systemes (you will need to install a plugin in order to view our creations). The models come with no history, meaning you can’t see exactly how they were built, just what the end result is.

One of the coolest features of 3D VIA is the ability to integrate high quality 3D models within Word and PowerPoint documents, which is as easy as dragging and dropping the 3D XML file into the Office document. This also enables users to view interactive, real-time 3D applications in a Web browser or stream them from a website.

What does this mean for the amusement park industry? These tools can be a great resource for ride design and would enable more efficient communication between the manufacturer and the amusement park. Gone are the days of carrying around huge sheets of plain, two-dimensional drawings that take money to print and time to revise. It’s much easier to visualize a new attraction if you can see a model in 3D and even better if the park can zoom in on specific features and view it from any angle. This software enables the park to give instant feedback on what they do or don’t like about their upcoming ride. The biggest advantage of 3D VIA is that it enables all of this to be achieved without the park having to own expensive CAD software.
In fact, another great feature is the complete three-dimensional models can even be viewed on your iPhone! 3D Via’s new mobile app allows you to position and overlay 3DVIA models on your iPhone photos and e-mail or share with friends. Check out an example video:

evisions can be made and viewed in real time, again increasing efficiency and communication. This could help the park and manufacturer save money by decreasing design time. Attractions can be realized quicker and would need less lead time. The parks could save additional money because they wouldn’t need to hire a separate company to build a model of the ride for marketing purposes as they would already have exactly what they needed. It’s a win-win-win situation for operators, designers, and customers.