Cloud-Based Design Approach to Virtual Design Review of Complex Assemblies: A Case Study on DTT Fusion Reactor

Design review is a tool used to identify errors in products before their physical prototype is realized. Currently, 2-dimensional (2D) Computer Aided Design (CAD) digital or paper drawings are used to conduct design review. There is the risk that users who are not practical with CAD software may be excluded from this process. In addition, the dimensions and scales of CAD models may be lost due to the complexity of displaying them on a PC screen. VR technologies overcome these limitations. The idea of “Virtual Design Review” (VDR) allows users to live an immersive experience and see, manipulate, test, examine, and identify errors of virtual products in real-time, realistically and in total safety already in the early design stages, without undertaking the time and costs of building them. The objective of this work is to propose a proper workflow for conducting VDR sessions on complex assemblies, whose design process is developed over a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform like 3D Experience. VR modules offered by this platform to execute VDRs are explored and tested. The advantages provided by including VDRs in a multiuser, cloud-based design approach are also presented.