Product category:
3D CAD software
News Release from: SGI (Silicon Graphics) | Subject: SGI Reality Centre
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 30 September 2002
Ford installs design visualisation
system
Ford Motor Company has purchased and installed SGI Reality Centre technology for its North American car visualisation facility.
Ford Motor Company has purchased and installed SGI Reality Centre technology for its North American car visualisation facility Design and engineering teams at Ford's Michigan headquarters will be able to compile three-dimensional, immersive representations in real time from multiple data sources and formats for critical design and assembly reviews
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 12 Nov 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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As a result, Ford can optimise product design and performance, thus helping to reduce time to market of products.
The SGI Reality Centre system at Ford integrates an SGI Onyx 3000 series visualisation system with three InfiniteReality3 graphics pipes, eight 64bit processors and three high-brightness digital projectors, letting teams of up to 30 people collaborate on the design process in an immersive stereo viewing environment.
Working closely with Ford to address its specific requirement for multiteam design reviews, SGI Professional Services designed the turnkey Reality Centre solution to seamlessly generate virtual models in real time from 3D design applications, video, digital images and other data sources.
Fakespace Systems (Kitchener, Ontario) provided an 8ft-high by 24ft-wide edge-blended flat wall display system for the Reality Centre facility.
This stereoscopic WorkWall enables true three-dimensional viewing of large-scale computer-generated models.
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With the powerful capabilities of the SGI Reality Centre system, teams will now be able to: conduct appearance reviews more efficiently; perform digital assembly reviews to assess parts' fit and function; collaborate on marketing strategy even as designs are under development, thus reducing planning time; reduce the need for more costly and time-consuming physical models; and improve efficiency and effectiveness through collaboration between different discipline experts in an immersive environment.
"Ford's selection of SGI technology validates our core strengths in high-performance computing and large-data visualiation", said Dr.Eng Lim Goh, chief technology officer, SGI.
"Our long-standing relationships with companies such as Ford, a valued customer of nearly 15 years, allow us to develop practical solutions that contribute to give customers the power to innovate.
The goal is to arrive at better or faster decisions".
In December 2001, Ford purchased an SGI Origin 3800 server with 68 processors to undertake the high-performance computing necessary for other design-related operations, including: data analysis for crash impact research; computational fluid dynamics research on wind flow, emissions flows and heat dispersion; and multidisciplinary design optimisation (MDO), the resolution of conflicts between such design and physical requirements as increased safety and reduced weight.
SGI high-performance computing systems have led to the increased adoption of techniques such as MDO, which ultimately helps accelerate the design cycle.
MDO takes into account the analysis solutions of multiple disciplines, which each optimise the design based on different competing best compromise.
The SGI Origin 3000 server series, with its highly scalable, single-system image architecture allows complex MDO problems involving very large-scale, high-fidelity modelling and analysis to be solved in a matter of days versus years.
More than 580 SGI Reality Centre facilities are installed worldwide and help users arrive at better decisions in less time, providing enormous cost savings while enhancing productivity.
SGI Reality Centre facilities deliver the highest levels of realism, image quality and performance available today.
These state-of-the-art systems offer the ultimate in flexibility by supporting multiple independent users, high-performance users, group decision making in an immersive visualisation facility environment and collaboration in a Visual Area Network environment.
They are widely relied on for real-time, highly interactive working sessions for: design review and engineering; complex data analysis; critical and/or hazardous training; sales and marketing; scientific research, education and analysis; decision support; and command-and-control operations.
SGI visualisation technologies play key roles in areas such as styling, digital mock-up and assembly, ergonomics, sales and marketing, and collaborative design review.
Today, all of the automotive collaboration centres in operation around the world are powered by the SGI Onyx family of high-performance visualisation systems.
SGI Professional Services has played a key role in the design and installation of these and other systems based on SGI technology to meet specific requirements, from server performance to the physical display.
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