Ford has announced a partnership with Gravity Sketch – a virtual reality company that allows designers to draw up new models.
With current design processes starting in 2D drawing then made into detailed 3D sketches, the new process would allow designers to draw up the new cars in 3D straight away.
The creator would need to wear a virtual reality headset – either the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift – and then be able to draw out the new cars.
Each design can be rotated through 360 degrees and perfected by stepping inside each 3D model to get a sense of how the car will look and feel – helping to place the customer inside the vehicle from the very start of the design process.
With this new drawing-up procedure, cars will take weeks or even months less to design and will be better suited to the people inside from the beginning.
See Available Ford deals
Michael Smith, Ford design manager, said: “Jumping right into 3D gives us a 360-degree view of a vehicle as it is being created.
“This application has the potential to help ensure we are delivering the very best vehicle designs for our customers. It moves the entire process into the world of virtual reality, giving us greater options for reviewing more models in the 3D environment to create the best possible vehicles.”
Oluwaseyi Sosanya, Gravity Sketch chief executive officer and co-founder, said: “Our collaboration with Ford designers has enabled us to get immersed in their creative process and discover ways to help fine-tune this application to better suit their needs so they can build the best possible vehicles for their customers.”
