VR Concept and Lenovo Explorer: a universal approach to prototyping in virtual reality
Far from all Russian IT specialists are asleep and see how to go abroad to work as soon as possible. Many people prefer to create something new in the familiar and native market, and some of them have truly demanded and even somewhat amazing products. This happened to the heroes of our current publication: for many years they were engaged in the delivery of software for VR to the Russian market, and during this time they realized that there is not a single truly universal solution for prototyping in virtual reality in the world. This is how the VR Concept appeared. That it develops, why at all this huge perspectives and and here Lenovo Explorer helmet, we will tell directly under a cat. Welcome!
The concept idea of ​​the VR Concept came from its co-founders, Ilya Viger and Denis Zakharkin, long ago. Together, they have worked for almost 10 years at the VE Group, which is still engaged in the integration of foreign integrated VR solutions into various enterprises. During this time, future partners have implemented many projects in various fields, tried several generations of hardware and software for virtual reality and came to a disappointing conclusion: there are no universal and well-suited solutions for virtual prototyping for the Russian market. The most correct thing that could be done in such a situation and with such a rich experience in the background was to invent it yourself.
First of all, all the shortcomings of the competitors' solutions were studied: their correction formed the basis of the software product of Ilya and Denis. As a result, a list of potential key advantages was formed:
')
The first phase of development began about three years ago. It was then that it became clear that, unlike all previous generations of VR gadgets, whose history begins in the middle of the 20th century, this time everything is serious and for a long time. And so it happened: Oculus, HTC and Windows Mixed Reality helmets were able to become commercially successful products, and now, after the manufacturers of devices for working with VR, software developers have reached the new market.
As a result, the combination of the right moment to start and the correct approach, as they say, is a “shot”. Today, VR Concept employs 15 people. There are a lot of sales and active marketing; all proceeds are immediately reinvested in further business development. In addition, Ilya, Denis and their team regularly participate in major international events: from CeBIT to ART Day, the local Munich event, very significant for the VR industry and everything related to this technology.
The main focus of VR Concept is virtual prototyping. The company's software gives customers the opportunity to interact with the virtual counterpart of the future product in the virtual space as with a real object. If this is a car, then you can go around it from all sides, look into the interior, open the hood and check how all the components are arranged or visualize whether it is convenient to reach for the buttons on the dashboard while driving.
It is necessary not at all to have fun, but in order to identify mistakes and shortcomings before the stage of mass production, at which to change anything for a long time, expensive, or is impossible at all, comes. So a well-built prototyping process saves companies a whole bunch of money.
However, many corporations still create for this purpose full-scale mock-ups of plywood, foam, and other materials. The advantage here is that everything can literally be felt with your own hands. But there are plenty of minuses: the more accurately a model is needed, the more expensive it is and the longer it is created. Working with models in virtual reality is cheaper, faster, and almost always more visible. In addition, a virtual model can be accessed from anywhere in the world: in large design offices, it also saves business trips and saves precious time from leading experts.
In short, there are many advantages. And VR Concept customers appreciate it. The company has large customers from the airline industry who, in virtual reality, work with prototype engines and visualized engineering calculations of the operational characteristics of future aircraft. There are customers from shipbuilding. With the help of VR Concept software, they solve the ergonomic issues of employees' workplaces and design entire shipyards, having the opportunity to look at all future buildings and structures, taking into account the surrounding landscape.
Of course, there are customers from the construction sector, and the demonstration of future interiors in VR here is just the tip of the iceberg. The VR Concept software allows you to view the entire designed building as a whole, as well as to test fire resistance on its virtual model or to work out some other emergency situations. You can work with very large groups of objects - up to entire blocks. Transmashholding and several Russian automakers have an interest in the project.
With the task of creating a simple and functional interface, the developers of VR Concept managed a solid top five. This is evidenced by the fact that the company's software is already quite actively used in teaching, not only in universities, but also in high schools. It’s no secret that future engineers and designers also need access to the models of the products they design during training. But, of course, neither students, nor the university, nor the teacher have money and time to create them. So VR prototyping here becomes a real salvation: with the VR Concept software, the entire class can interact with the finished model at once, and this is extremely convenient. Including for the teacher - in one lesson he can show students a whole line of different prototypes, give an emphasis on certain components and demonstrate the mechanics of their work.
But that's not all. VR Concept developers are actively mastering the second line of activity - the creation of virtual simulators. There is a great demand from oil and gas companies for this. Instead of taking employees to real equipment in difficult terrain or collecting expensive counterparts in a training center, they simulate it in virtual reality. And it is there that the specialists work out the processes of interaction with it: from tuning to preventing and eliminating the consequences of emergency situations at work.
A separate interesting story in the VR Concept portfolio is a tactical infantry simulator, which was demonstrated at the Army 2017 exhibition. Working area - 3x4 meters. Two people enter it, put on virtual helmets and backpacks with computers, to which the gadgets are connected. In the hands of the trainees, they take two real, okholoshchennyh AK-103 submachine guns, specially modified so that the simulator's engine can remove all data from them: the change in magazine, the number of cartridges in it, the fuse removed or not removed, and so on.
In the VR-helmet, both “fighters” see each other, their weapons and the entire territory of the checkpoint, surrounded by virtual sandbags. The task is to defend a strategically important object against opponents from all sides. It looks very impressive and as realistic as possible due to the use of real weapons with all their real properties, including recoil. And it works: ordinary people at the exhibition fell into virtual enemies every once in a while, and the regular military took up automatic weapons and successfully hit all the targets without complaining about anything.
But back to virtual prototyping. What is the secret behind VR Concept success? Besides the fact that the founders of the company entered the market on time and made a program convenient for Russian customers, the matter is in the native support of a huge number of CAD-formats. In fact, this is the most important thing. The problem is that in the world there is just an incredible number of different CAD-systems. Apart from the fact that the company implementing the project entirely works in several of them, it usually also has contractors who have their own CAD zoo. It would be frankly unnecessary to be engaged in converting there and back so that all this could also be launched in the virtual space. Fortunately, the solution of the VR Concept does not require this: the user simply opens the already prepared file and immediately gets the opportunity to fully work with it.
The second important point is that the VR Concept software works absolutely with all currently popular virtual reality helmets. Want an oculus? You are welcome. Prefer Vive? No problem. Is Windows Mixed Reality more suited? You can too. It all depends on the needs of the business. VR Concept employees are trying to study in detail the needs of each of their customers and advise the most appropriate "hardware".
For example, Mixed Reality and helmets created for this VR system, like our Lenovo Explorer, VR Concept specialists recommend using where you need the easiest connection and quick integration. After all, in order to configure Lenovo Explorer and start working on it, it takes hardly more time than 15-20 minutes. There is nothing complicated with the connection: the controllers are already included, no additional sensors are required, and the gadget is connected to the computer using only two wires - USB and HDMI. However, in detail about all the advantages and features of Explorer, we have already told in a separate large material.
If we talk about the technical requirements of the VR Concept software solution, here everything comes down to the specifications that the manufacturer of the VR-helmet chosen by the customer claims to be the minimum. First of all, of course, this is a video card: you need something from the GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX570 and older. Lenovo Explorer works seamlessly with simpler maps, but we are still talking about modeling. Plus, it is important that the PC has a more or less decent amount of RAM - at least 16-32 GB.
However, the VR Concept is not directly involved in the sale of hardware - there is no point in entering into competition where the market has long been divided. It is much more interesting to work with large integrators who sell the domestic system of three-dimensional virtual prototyping as part of serious integrated business solutions.
At the moment, VR Concept specialists have implemented the basic version of their software product as originally planned. Now it's up to adding new functionality and even better optimization: in theory, there is a margin to “squeeze out” even greater productivity of the prototyping system from simpler graphics accelerators.
Hitting the near future several. First, the developers plan to add photorealism. In CAD-models, after all, everything looks simple and “faceless” in a layman’s opinion. And the product often needs to be shown at exhibitions - the appearance of high-quality textures will make the prototype image more realistic and interesting.
Secondly, there is an idea to add the ability to test customer's software directly on the virtual model to the VR Concept software solution. Suppose someone is developing a car, and there is a lot of electronics in it, which is controlled by a specific software algorithm. The point is that you can set certain characteristics - auto speed, downforce, temperature, etc., to see how this software algorithm will behave in different conditions.
There will certainly be new features. For example, the ability to take photos and videos while the working group conducts a model mockup. Then the program will automatically build it into a single single file, which will be sent to all participants of the meeting by mail. Or the ability to "stream" video directly into virtual reality: when the five experts in VR helmets view the model from all sides, but they need the help of a sixth colleague who cannot fully connect to them. The image with his face or the technical documentation that he shows can be displayed as a floating window directly in the VR space.
Of course, there are certain plans for the development of business as a whole. This is an even greater expansion of the pool of customers, access to foreign markets and, possibly, the search for a strategic investor who will help with expansion or radically increase sales. Personally, we are in the fact that the VR Concept will succeed, we have no doubt: the project is excellent, there is a demand from customers, and the prospects for the VR industry as a whole are clearly very serious.
Convenient Russian development instead of expensive foreign solutions
The concept idea of ​​the VR Concept came from its co-founders, Ilya Viger and Denis Zakharkin, long ago. Together, they have worked for almost 10 years at the VE Group, which is still engaged in the integration of foreign integrated VR solutions into various enterprises. During this time, future partners have implemented many projects in various fields, tried several generations of hardware and software for virtual reality and came to a disappointing conclusion: there are no universal and well-suited solutions for virtual prototyping for the Russian market. The most correct thing that could be done in such a situation and with such a rich experience in the background was to invent it yourself.
First of all, all the shortcomings of the competitors' solutions were studied: their correction formed the basis of the software product of Ilya and Denis. As a result, a list of potential key advantages was formed:
')
- Adequate price
- Good optimization and high performance
- Mandatory native support for the widest possible range of CAD-formats and work with models that include thousands or tens of thousands of details
- Ability to work together several people with the same model in VR
- The simplest, most understandable and, at the same time, functional interface
The first phase of development began about three years ago. It was then that it became clear that, unlike all previous generations of VR gadgets, whose history begins in the middle of the 20th century, this time everything is serious and for a long time. And so it happened: Oculus, HTC and Windows Mixed Reality helmets were able to become commercially successful products, and now, after the manufacturers of devices for working with VR, software developers have reached the new market.
As a result, the combination of the right moment to start and the correct approach, as they say, is a “shot”. Today, VR Concept employs 15 people. There are a lot of sales and active marketing; all proceeds are immediately reinvested in further business development. In addition, Ilya, Denis and their team regularly participate in major international events: from CeBIT to ART Day, the local Munich event, very significant for the VR industry and everything related to this technology.
From aircraft to tactical infantry simulators
The main focus of VR Concept is virtual prototyping. The company's software gives customers the opportunity to interact with the virtual counterpart of the future product in the virtual space as with a real object. If this is a car, then you can go around it from all sides, look into the interior, open the hood and check how all the components are arranged or visualize whether it is convenient to reach for the buttons on the dashboard while driving.
It is necessary not at all to have fun, but in order to identify mistakes and shortcomings before the stage of mass production, at which to change anything for a long time, expensive, or is impossible at all, comes. So a well-built prototyping process saves companies a whole bunch of money.
However, many corporations still create for this purpose full-scale mock-ups of plywood, foam, and other materials. The advantage here is that everything can literally be felt with your own hands. But there are plenty of minuses: the more accurately a model is needed, the more expensive it is and the longer it is created. Working with models in virtual reality is cheaper, faster, and almost always more visible. In addition, a virtual model can be accessed from anywhere in the world: in large design offices, it also saves business trips and saves precious time from leading experts.
In short, there are many advantages. And VR Concept customers appreciate it. The company has large customers from the airline industry who, in virtual reality, work with prototype engines and visualized engineering calculations of the operational characteristics of future aircraft. There are customers from shipbuilding. With the help of VR Concept software, they solve the ergonomic issues of employees' workplaces and design entire shipyards, having the opportunity to look at all future buildings and structures, taking into account the surrounding landscape.
Of course, there are customers from the construction sector, and the demonstration of future interiors in VR here is just the tip of the iceberg. The VR Concept software allows you to view the entire designed building as a whole, as well as to test fire resistance on its virtual model or to work out some other emergency situations. You can work with very large groups of objects - up to entire blocks. Transmashholding and several Russian automakers have an interest in the project.
With the task of creating a simple and functional interface, the developers of VR Concept managed a solid top five. This is evidenced by the fact that the company's software is already quite actively used in teaching, not only in universities, but also in high schools. It’s no secret that future engineers and designers also need access to the models of the products they design during training. But, of course, neither students, nor the university, nor the teacher have money and time to create them. So VR prototyping here becomes a real salvation: with the VR Concept software, the entire class can interact with the finished model at once, and this is extremely convenient. Including for the teacher - in one lesson he can show students a whole line of different prototypes, give an emphasis on certain components and demonstrate the mechanics of their work.
But that's not all. VR Concept developers are actively mastering the second line of activity - the creation of virtual simulators. There is a great demand from oil and gas companies for this. Instead of taking employees to real equipment in difficult terrain or collecting expensive counterparts in a training center, they simulate it in virtual reality. And it is there that the specialists work out the processes of interaction with it: from tuning to preventing and eliminating the consequences of emergency situations at work.
A separate interesting story in the VR Concept portfolio is a tactical infantry simulator, which was demonstrated at the Army 2017 exhibition. Working area - 3x4 meters. Two people enter it, put on virtual helmets and backpacks with computers, to which the gadgets are connected. In the hands of the trainees, they take two real, okholoshchennyh AK-103 submachine guns, specially modified so that the simulator's engine can remove all data from them: the change in magazine, the number of cartridges in it, the fuse removed or not removed, and so on.
In the VR-helmet, both “fighters” see each other, their weapons and the entire territory of the checkpoint, surrounded by virtual sandbags. The task is to defend a strategically important object against opponents from all sides. It looks very impressive and as realistic as possible due to the use of real weapons with all their real properties, including recoil. And it works: ordinary people at the exhibition fell into virtual enemies every once in a while, and the regular military took up automatic weapons and successfully hit all the targets without complaining about anything.
Maximum unification: work with many CAD-formats and all popular VR helmets
But back to virtual prototyping. What is the secret behind VR Concept success? Besides the fact that the founders of the company entered the market on time and made a program convenient for Russian customers, the matter is in the native support of a huge number of CAD-formats. In fact, this is the most important thing. The problem is that in the world there is just an incredible number of different CAD-systems. Apart from the fact that the company implementing the project entirely works in several of them, it usually also has contractors who have their own CAD zoo. It would be frankly unnecessary to be engaged in converting there and back so that all this could also be launched in the virtual space. Fortunately, the solution of the VR Concept does not require this: the user simply opens the already prepared file and immediately gets the opportunity to fully work with it.
The second important point is that the VR Concept software works absolutely with all currently popular virtual reality helmets. Want an oculus? You are welcome. Prefer Vive? No problem. Is Windows Mixed Reality more suited? You can too. It all depends on the needs of the business. VR Concept employees are trying to study in detail the needs of each of their customers and advise the most appropriate "hardware".
For example, Mixed Reality and helmets created for this VR system, like our Lenovo Explorer, VR Concept specialists recommend using where you need the easiest connection and quick integration. After all, in order to configure Lenovo Explorer and start working on it, it takes hardly more time than 15-20 minutes. There is nothing complicated with the connection: the controllers are already included, no additional sensors are required, and the gadget is connected to the computer using only two wires - USB and HDMI. However, in detail about all the advantages and features of Explorer, we have already told in a separate large material.
If we talk about the technical requirements of the VR Concept software solution, here everything comes down to the specifications that the manufacturer of the VR-helmet chosen by the customer claims to be the minimum. First of all, of course, this is a video card: you need something from the GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX570 and older. Lenovo Explorer works seamlessly with simpler maps, but we are still talking about modeling. Plus, it is important that the PC has a more or less decent amount of RAM - at least 16-32 GB.
However, the VR Concept is not directly involved in the sale of hardware - there is no point in entering into competition where the market has long been divided. It is much more interesting to work with large integrators who sell the domestic system of three-dimensional virtual prototyping as part of serious integrated business solutions.
Big plans for the future: photorealistic and software testing in VR
At the moment, VR Concept specialists have implemented the basic version of their software product as originally planned. Now it's up to adding new functionality and even better optimization: in theory, there is a margin to “squeeze out” even greater productivity of the prototyping system from simpler graphics accelerators.
Hitting the near future several. First, the developers plan to add photorealism. In CAD-models, after all, everything looks simple and “faceless” in a layman’s opinion. And the product often needs to be shown at exhibitions - the appearance of high-quality textures will make the prototype image more realistic and interesting.
Secondly, there is an idea to add the ability to test customer's software directly on the virtual model to the VR Concept software solution. Suppose someone is developing a car, and there is a lot of electronics in it, which is controlled by a specific software algorithm. The point is that you can set certain characteristics - auto speed, downforce, temperature, etc., to see how this software algorithm will behave in different conditions.
There will certainly be new features. For example, the ability to take photos and videos while the working group conducts a model mockup. Then the program will automatically build it into a single single file, which will be sent to all participants of the meeting by mail. Or the ability to "stream" video directly into virtual reality: when the five experts in VR helmets view the model from all sides, but they need the help of a sixth colleague who cannot fully connect to them. The image with his face or the technical documentation that he shows can be displayed as a floating window directly in the VR space.
Of course, there are certain plans for the development of business as a whole. This is an even greater expansion of the pool of customers, access to foreign markets and, possibly, the search for a strategic investor who will help with expansion or radically increase sales. Personally, we are in the fact that the VR Concept will succeed, we have no doubt: the project is excellent, there is a demand from customers, and the prospects for the VR industry as a whole are clearly very serious.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/371201/
All Articles