Research Initiation Award Grant: Advancing the Complex Product Design Using Virtual Reality Techniques

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Prairie View A&M University's Research Initiation Award entitled - Advancing the Complex Product Design Using Virtual Reality Techniques - has the goal to advance the ability of complex product design especially freeform shape modeling with Virtual Reality techniques. The objective is to investigate a virtual sculpting modeling and simulation technique for freeform geometry design with heterogeneous material. By introducing material heterogeneities, the freeform can obtain anisotropic properties, achieve advantages of various materials, and avoid the problem of material incompatibility. The approach is to apply a virtual sculpting method by interactively carving a workpiece using a virtual tool. Boolean operations between the model and the tool are executed to change the geometry and materials of the design model simultaneously. Haptic interface is incorporated to reflect the interaction between the tool and the model during the sculpting process. The virtual sculpting process is then integrated into the large scale PowerWall virtual environment.The project presents a new method of creating a freeform model with heterogeneous materials in an intuitive and interactive manner using virtual sculpting. By integrating the process with haptic interface and PowerWall virtual environment, the product design quality will be improved and the product design cycle will be shortened. The research has potential applications in composite materials, nano-technology, bio-engineering, and medical simulations. The education goal is to enhance the quality of engineering students and increase the number of African-American students pursuing engineering careers at Prairie View A&M University. This will be accomplished through curriculum development, student mentoring, and outreach activities.