Computer generated design cut Commodore development time in half, and may be used to sell cars too. GLENN BUTLER reports.
Welcome to the automotive world of Virtual Reality (VR) Design, Holden style.
Holden calls its $6 million design studio "state-of-the-art", and you can see why. Virtual reality visualisations like this allow Holden's designers to get their ideas across without having to bend metal or sculpt clay.
Virtual reality has revolutionised the way cars are designed and developed. It has allowed Holden to cut design time down from the VT Commodore's 200 weeks to just 110 weeks on the VE.
Martin Wood, the business and technology manager for Holden, says the VR story kicked off back in 1995.
"Back then the design department had 10 computers," said Wood. "Most weren't networked and there was no infrastructure in place. Today we have over 150 of the latest CAD workstations, all integrated and connected to the GM design network around the world."
This means that designers working on the new VE Commodore – or the Chevrolet Camaro, for example – can be working virtually side-by-side in different countries and on different continents. Changes and modifications to existing designs can be seen almost instantly on the other side of the world.
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