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Welcome to CAD-style virtual reality.
Can Tony save the world?
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, USA — In an era where video
game technology allows video gamers to trounce through elaborate
3D worlds in order to destroy the latest threat to mankind,
CAD users are utilizing that same technology to ensure their
buildings and manufacturing facilities are designed correctly.
Walkinside, MicroStation's premier 3D-visualization
tool, allows users to create interactive 3D environments quickly
and easily from their MicroStation design files, without ray
guns blazing.
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| Tony — Walkinside’s interactive guide
— can freely walk, crawl, run, swim and fly, allowing
users to have unrestricted movement in their 3D models. |
Walkinside is a complete visualization tool, offering
the ability to create still shots of rendered objects and
also movies while still allowing a user to have complete control
of their experience within the 3D model. Using Walkinside,
engineers are able to interactively walk through a converted
3D MicroStation file and easily spot trouble areas and recommend
modifications.
A one-man show
All navigation in Walkinside is done using a character
nicknamed Tony. Tony must first be placed as a cell within
the MicroStation design file prior to converting the file
into Walkinside. Once the conversion process is completed,
Tony then becomes the star of Walkinside.
Offering this human perspective in a MicroStation model is
one thing which differentiates Walkinside from other
3D visualization tools. Tony has the capability to walk, run,
jump, fly and swim through a Walkinside model.
Users can control exactly where Tony moves at all times,
so there is no need to rely on predetermined camera paths,
as with a prerecorded fly-through. Also, unlike a flythrough,
Tony can interact with objects inside the model. Using real-time
collision detection (Tony's ability to interact with solid
objects within the model) and gravity simulation technology,
Walkinside enhances the walkthrough experience. Both
collision detection as well as gravity can be toggled on or
off while inside the model. Turning off collision detection
will allow Tony to pass through solid objects. Once gravity
is turned off, Tony will fly through the model.
While inside the Walkinside model, a user can choose
between first person and third person perspectives. In the
third person perspective, the user sees Tony move through
the file. In first person mode, the user looks through Tony's
eyes. While utilizing the first person mode, a host of tools
are available to the user that will enhance interaction with
the model. These tools include a measuring device that can
measure distances within the model, a tool that can interrogate
objects linked to an external database, the ability to tag
objects for future review and a tool allowing a user to zoom
in on questionable elements. Also, Walkinside allows
users to move objects in the Walkinside file that were
placed as references files in the original design file. For
example, if a desk was placed inside a design file as a reference
file, after the design file is exported to a Walkinside
file, the user could move the desk in order to determine its
best location.
Aside from these tools, the user can instantly record movies
as they walk through a model. The recording is started after
pushing the <F7> button; movement is recorded and is
then output to an AVI file. Still shots can be created from
any view instantly by pushing the <F12> button.
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| Users can set the sea level in their models to increase
realism. Here, Tony is inspecting an underwater structure. |
Walkinside has networking capabilities as well. Networking
features allow multiple users to log into a host model and
simultaneously walk through it. This virtual networking allows
people from all over the world, or just inside your office,
to consult one another on large design projects at the same
time.
Facility managers and safety managers can also benefit from
Walkinside's ability to create simulated emergency
situations. With a 3D model of the proposed facility, employees
can be trained on evacuation routes and safety routines long
before the construction of the facility, ultimately saving
time and money.
Saving the world
Tony may not be saving a princess or rescuing the world from
alien invaders, but in the CAD world Tony saves time and money
when it comes to facility design and management. Walkinside
offers a fast, easy method to convert 3D models into fully
interactive environments while providing users with an easy
to use interface reminiscent of a video game, while offering
staggering functionality. Finally, a way to play video games
at work!
Call Now!
For more information on Walkinside
contact an Axiom MicroStation Consultant today! Call 727-442-7774
extension 9319 or e-mail 9319@axiomint.com.
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