The Future of Design

Summary

The script discusses integrating gestural interfaces with 3D computer-aided design software to enable more intuitive and natural user interactions. It traces the evolution from manipulating a wireframe model of a rocket engine with hand gestures, to interacting with a full 3D model, to projecting and visualizing designs in augmented/virtual reality. This technology promises to revolutionize the design process by allowing users to quickly translate concepts from their imagination into physical objects using 3D printing. Overall, it paints a future where virtual prototyping and rapid manufacturing enabled by gestural interfaces and VR will transform 21st century design and production.

Takeaways

• 😊 They started by integrating Leap Motion and Siemens NX software to manipulate a 3D wireframe model of a rocket engine using hand gestures
• 👆🏻 They advanced to manipulating an actual 3D CAD model of the engine using hand gestures
• 📺 They experimented with different 3D projection techniques like glasses, holograms, and virtual reality
• 🚀 They used intuitive 3D modeling to design a cryogenic valve housing for the rocket
• 🖥️ The intuitive modeling allows translating a concept from your mind into a 3D computer model more easily
• 🔨 They 3D printed the metal valve housing from the computer model using a laser metal printer
• 👷🏻‍♂️ The printer builds up metal parts layer-by-layer by melting metal powder with a laser
• 💡 This process revolutionizes going from concept to physical product via 3D modeling and printing
• 🌟 It allows applying intuition to create physical objects from your mind far more easily
• 🚀 They believe this breakthrough will transform rocket design and manufacturing

Q & A

What new technology is being used to interact with 3D models?

The technologies being used are the Leap Motion controller for hand gesture recognition and Siemens NX CAD software for 3D model design.

How does interacting with 3D models using gestures differ from traditional methods?

It allows for more natural and intuitive manipulation as opposed to mouse and keyboard. You can rotate, zoom, and translate the 3D models fluidly using hand gestures.

What are some of the different 3D projection methods explored?

Some projection methods explored include polarized 3D glasses, free-standing glass projection used in Iron Man movies, and Oculus Rift virtual reality goggles.

What specific rocket component was used to demonstrate the 3D design workflow?

A cryogenic valve housing component from the rocket was used.

How is the process of taking a design from imagination to physical reality being revolutionized?

Intuitive 3D CAD modeling coupled with 3D printing allows for faster and more seamless translation of a conceptual design into a tangible manufactured part.

What materials can the 3D metal printer work with?

The 3D metal printer can work with titanium or inconel alloys.

How does the layer-by-layer 3D printing process work?

Fine metal particles are laid down and a laser melts them onto the prior layer, building up the 3D object incrementally.

What are the expected benefits of gesture-based 3D design workflows?

It is expected to revolutionize and significantly accelerate design and manufacturing in the 21st century.

How can gesture control enhance the CAD design process?

It allows designers to apply their intuition more easily and translate concepts from imagination to physical designs with greater fluidity.

Why is a more natural interface important for 3D design tools?

It facilitates creativity, experimentation and avoids the unnatural feel of using 2D inputs like mouse and keyboard to create 3D objects.

Outlines

00:00

😄 Interacting with 3D Models Using Hand Gestures

Paragraph 1 discusses interacting with a 3D wireframe model of a rocket engine using hand gestures and motion tracking. It allows rotating, zooming, translating and spinning the model intuitively. This evolved from 2D interactions to more natural 3D interactions.

👍🏻 Manipulating a Full 3D CAD Model of a Rocket Engine

Paragraph 2 talks about advancing from wireframe to manipulating a full 3D CAD model of the Merlin rocket engine using only hand gestures. This enables applying intuition to transform ideas to physical objects easily.

📺 3D Projection Methods for Visualizing Models

Paragraph 3 discusses different 3D projection methods tried - 3D glasses, free-standing glass projection as in Iron Man movies, and Oculus Rift virtual reality for an immersive experience.

🔧 Interacting with a Cryogenic Valve Housing Component

Paragraph 4 involves interacting with a cryogenic valve housing component for the rocket using the same intuitive hand gestures and 3D projection.

🖨️ 3D Printing the Designed Component

Paragraph 5 talks about 3D printing the final component design using a laser metal printer which builds it layer-by-layer out of titanium or inconel particles.

⏩ Revolutionizing Design and Manufacturing

Final paragraph summarizes how this enables taking concepts from mind, converting them intuitively into 3D models on computers, and then 3D printing physical objects. This can revolutionize design and manufacturing.

Keywords

💡3D projection

The video discusses using 3D projection technologies like those seen in Iron Man movies to visually render and interact with 3D models. This allows for more intuitive and immersive manipulation of complex designs.

💡3D printing

3D printing is used in the video to physically realize designs after manipulating them in the computer. A laser metal 3D printer prints models layer-by-layer out of metals like titanium and inconel.

💡CAD model

A CAD (computer-aided design) model refers to a 3D model of a part created with CAD software. The video shows interacting with a CAD model of a rocket engine using hand gestures.

💡cryogenic valve housing

The video prints a real cryogenic valve housing - a rocket part - after designing it virtually using the intuitive tools demonstrated.

💡design

Intuitive and immersive 3D design techniques could revolutionize how products are conceived and developed according to the video.

💡gestures

The Leap Motion device tracks hand positions and gestures, allowing for manipulation of 3D models through natural human movements.

💡immersion

More immersive and intuitive interfaces like 3D projection and virtual reality lead to greater ease in realizing creative ideas.

💡manufacturing

3D printing enables on-demand manufacturing directly from digital designs produced with these new techniques.

💡Merlin engine

The Merlin rocket engine, which powers SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets, is shown as an example CAD model that is interacted with in the video.

💡Siemens NX

Siemens NX software is mentioned as the specific CAD package used to design parts like the Merlin rocket engine rendered in the video demos.

Highlights

Using hand gestures to manipulate a 3D model of a rocket engine

Advancing from a wireframe model to a full 3D CAD model

Projecting the 3D model using 3D glasses and free-standing glass

Using Oculus Rift for immersive virtual reality

Applying intuition to take an object from mind to physical form

3D printing the designed part with a laser metal printer

The 3D printer builds up layers of metal particles

Revolutionizing design and manufacturing using these new techniques

Interacting with complex models in an intuitive, natural way

Translating concepts into 3D objects from the mind to the computer

Catching and spinning the 3D model for fun interaction

Manipulating an actual rocket component using the techniques

Moving the model around, zooming, translating for flexible interaction

Integrating Leap Motion and Siemens NX software

Taking the designed part from virtual to physical via 3D printing

Transcripts

right now we interact with computers in

a very unnatural sort of 2d way and

we're try to create these 3d objects

using a variety of 2d tools and it just

it doesn't feel natural doesn't feel

normal the way you should do things so

we started playing around with the idea

and using a few of things that are

available out there such as the leap

motion and Siemens NX which is what we

use to design the rocket and we wrote

some code to integrate the two and we

started off with what you see here which

is a wireframe of the merlin rocket

engine and and what I can do is I can

I'm going to grab it and I can rotate it

in multiple dimensions and then what I

can do is I can put another hand in

there and I can zoom oh I can zoom in

and out on the on the wireframe and then

I can also translate it so I can move it

around the screen and then zoom and

translate and this is what we we started

off with a few months ago Annie can you

can also spin it and then catch it so

this is kind of fun a fun way to

interface with what is really a very

complex model

now we'll go to go from this to what

we're able to advance to a few weeks

after the wireframe which is to to

actually use a a full 3d CAD model of

the engine so here what you're seeing is

the actual interaction with the CAD

software manipulating the real 3d model

of the Merlin engine just using hand

gestures if you can just go in there and

do what you need to do just

understanding the fundamentals of how

the things should work as supposed to

figure out how to make the computer make

it work

then you can you can achieve a lot more

in a lot shorter period of time so then

we went to a 3d projection we started

off with the kind of 3d projection that

you familiar with in the movies we use

3d glasses we also did a free-standing

glass projection which is what the sort

of technology that was used in the Iron

Man movies and then finally we used the

oculus rift which is immersive virtual

reality that actually tricks your head

position and you really are moving

around the object and feels like it's

right there in front of you now let's

use this for an actual component on the

rocket which is a cryogenic valve

housing you can really apply your

intuition and take something from your

mind to a physical object with far

greater ease than we currently do now

that we've gotten it the object out of

our head and into the computer how do we

get it out of the computer and into

reality so we're actually going to print

this with a 3d laser metal printer so

the way that the 3d printer works is it

lays down fine particles of either

titanium or inconel and then it goes

over with a laser and melts that those

tiny particles onto the prior layer so

it builds it up like just layer by layer

so I believe we're on the verge of a

major breakthrough in design and

manufacturing in being able to take the

concept of something from your mind

translate that into a 3d object really

intuitively on the computer and then

take that but virtual 3d object and be

able to make it real just by printing it

so it's going to revolutionize design

and manufacturing in the 21st century

you