Model Augmentation and Display Tool for Immersive Analysis (MANDOLIN)

Computer-aided design (CAD) and Modeling and Simulation (M&S) software provide significant benefits (e.g., reduced cost, iteration time, increased accuracy) to military vehicle design by enabling engineers to evaluate vehicle survivability, lethality, and vulnerability. However, current CAD and M&S interfaces require specialized technical expertise to operate and can make it difficult for engineers to communicate investigation results to non-specialized technical staff, especially in collaborative settings. Virtual reality (VR) technology can provide immersive exploration of designs within a virtual environment and is starting to be used in multiple domains for design visualization (e.g., architecture, industrial design, automotive design, facility layout). Fusion of CAD/M&S and VR can enable collaborative exploration of simulation results and both technical and non-technical staff to understand the real world implications of design decisions. To obtain the benefits of fusing CAD/M&S with collaborative VR, Charles River Analytics proposes a Phase I effort to design and demonstrate a Model Augmentation and Display Tool for Immersive Analysis (MANDOLIN).