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When developing concepts for new products, we frequently work with clients who have
in-house engineering and marketing groups. Their team usually involves a
mix of technical and non-technical people anxious to make meaningful
contributions.
Animations make great visual aids.
During the development
process we may present many ideas, some easy to understand, others
requiring explanation. We have found that attempting to demonstrate
complicated or unusual concepts can render even a well-prepared verbal
presentation meaningless without good visual aids. Our team does their
best to bring ideas to life with sketches and computer images, but it is
nearly impossible to convey the mechanical functions of a concept with a
single-perspective (2D) format.
A good way to demonstrate a how a
device works to non-technical people.
One way to streamline
the visualization process is to create design concepts with a program like
SolidWorks™ (our primary modeling program), and construct 3D computer
renderings. On our projection screen, we can then rotate the solid model
to view it from all sides. In terms of understanding how a device looks,
these representations are effective, but when designers need to show how a
device works or demonstrate a mechanical action, the best computer-based
visual aid tools we have are 3D animations.
Animations add a sense of reality
that's easy to grasp.
Animations are moving
images that make it possible to see the workings of simple or complicated
devices, adding a sense of reality and comprehension to the mechanics of a
design. We began rendering animations years ago with 3D Studio™. Now,
our tool-of-choice is the latest version of the program named 3D StudioMax™.
Years of experience with the software enable us to reveal workings of
mechanical devices in a format easily understood by anyone, even if they
aren't familiar with engineering terminology.
One major customer
benefit is the saving of time and money.
A well-crafted
animation can enlighten an audience in a way that previously required the
use of costly prototypes. The lifelike presentations permit the entire
development team to work together to identify problems early in the design
process. Because little interpretation is necessary, fewer unanswered
questions arise. A major use for the CD-based animations is for marketing
persons, who can easily show product ideas to investors and non-technical
people. We frequently hear clients say that our animated product
presentation played a key role in the sale of their concept to interested
prospective parties.
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