Predicting product aesthetic quality using virtual environments

This paper describes a previously unreported application of virtual environments, the prediction of product aesthetic quality. Successful prediction of aesthetic quality without the production of a physical prototype requires the integration of a number of 'software' models: an assembly model representing the manner in which the product is put together; an environment model providing a real world graphical context for the product; a behavior model representing how the product moves and deforms under use conditions; and a tolerance model representing the allowable variation in the product due to manufacturing variation. This paper presents the results of applying these models within an automotive design and manufacturing process during the development of a new automobile.