CAD for Virtual Prototyping
CAD is used to create virtual prototypes to test ideas and gather insights that inform the development of a product.
Why Designers Use Virtual Prototypes
- Cost Efficiency: Reduces the need for physical prototypes, saving materials and resources.
- Time Savings: Accelerates the design process by enabling rapid iterations.
- Risk Mitigation: Identifies potential issues early, minimising costly errors in later stages.
- Enhanced Collaboration: Facilitates communication among stakeholders through visual representations.
Modelling Methods
Surface Modelling
- Represents the outer form and aesthetic appearance of a product
- Often used in automotive, consumer product, and concept design
Solid Modelling
- Represents volume, mass, and internal structure
- Supports functional testing, CAD/CAM, and FEA
In automotive design, surface models are used to refine the car's exterior, while solid models ensure structural integrity and component fit.
Generative Design
- Uses AI algorithms to produce optimised model variations based on inputs like strength, material, or weight
- Builds on solid modelling to create innovative structural solutions
Generative design often results in organic, complex structures that maximize performance while minimising material use.
Tools to Test or Simulate Virtual Models
Digital Humans
Digital Humans
Virtual representations of human bodies used to simulate real users interacting with a product or environment.
- Can represent different user groups (e.g. elderly, children, people with disabilities).
- Help test products before physical interaction.
- Often used in workplace design, transport, and safety-critical products (e.g. vehicle interiors).
Motion Capture
Motion Capture
A technique that records human movement using sensors or cameras to apply realistic motion to digital models.
- Common in sports equipment, gaming, and wearable tech design.
- Helps identify awkward movements or ergonomic flaws.
- Often used with digital humans for accurate animation or simulation.
Haptic Technology
Haptic Technology
Technology that simulates the sense of touch by applying vibrations, forces, or motions to the user.
- Used in medical training, VR prototyping, and remote control devices.
- Gives users physical feedback, such as vibrations or resistance.
- Helps test user interaction without needing a real product.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual Reality (VR)
A fully immersive digital environment where users can interact with a 3D model or simulation using a headset or interface.
- Ideal for experiencing scale and space (e.g. architecture, vehicles, workstations).
- Supports early-stage user feedback without producing a prototype.
- Can reduce costs for design presentations and training environments.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented Reality
A technology that overlays digital information or models onto the real world, usually through a phone, tablet, or AR glasses.
- Useful for overlaying designs into real-world environments (e.g. how a product looks in a room).
- Often used in marketing, retail, and product configuration.
- Combines digital elements with physical context, helping with scale and suitability.
Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
A computerised simulation method that breaks down a model into small elements to analyse how it responds to physical forces.
- Used to test loads, deformation, thermal stress, fatigue, and vibration.
- Saves money by reducing the need for multiple physical prototypes.
- Helps identify overengineering, which can reduce material use and weight.
- Often used in automotive, aerospace, sports equipment, and tooling.
- Don't assume that virtual prototypes eliminate the need for physical testing.
- They complement each other, with virtual models identifying potential issues and physical prototypes validating final designs.
Explain one advantage for Nike of using finite element analysis (FEA) before producing physical shoe prototypes. [3]
Solution
- Finite element analysis is a computer-based simulation method that predicts stress, strain and deformation in component designs
- it enables designers to identify structural weaknesses and optimise shoe geometry in the CAD stage without manufacturing
- which reduces development time, lowers prototyping costs and minimises material waste compared to building multiple physical models.
Award [1] for identifying an advantage of using FEA and [1] for each linked explanation, up to [3].
