Envisioning the Outcome

This article focuses on the importance of virtual reality in computer-created environment. The ability that CAD software grants us to see how an end product will look long before it is machined is a form of virtual reality. The moving forward toward more and more advanced computer capabilities means that engineers can expect to use their computers to be able to visualize the final outcome of a design or project much earlier in the process. Obviously, the ability to see an object three-dimensionally as an engineer designs it is a boon over two-dimensional rendering. Soon technology may add another sensation to the design process—the ability of an engineer to feel the object as he or she creates it, although the object exists only on a computer screen. This is called haptic technology. The ability to translate hard numbers and complex mathematical formulas into something that looks like a human version of reality is upon us. The ability to touch that computerized version is quickly approaching.