CAD Data Representations for Haptic Virtual Prototyping

Abstract

Abstract For many years designers have relied on visual feedback and two-dimensional pointing devices to interact with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models. The “sense of touch”, that is fundamental to interaction and manipulation in everyday life, is not yet a part of the standard human-computer interface. An on-going project at the Ford Research Laboratory has created an immersive virtual prototyping system with which a designer can not only visualize a CAD model but also “touch” it using a force-feedback device. This paper will briefly introduce human perception of haptic information and then describe the process of haptically rendering an object. Then the issues involved with the correct selection of a data representation for haptic rendering will be addressed. Lastly, a brief description of the experimental system implemented at the Ford Research Laboratory will be given.