Design with a touch of Cinema Verite
Digital cinema comes to Audi with a new system that presents computer-aided designs in high resolutionAudi has adopted digital cinema projection technology from Sony to display future projects in high definition Virtual Reality.
The projector presents computer-aided design models in a resolution four times higher than today's High-Definition TV format.
Models are displayed on a 'Powerwall' which is 6m wide and 2.3m high. Each car displayed can constitute as much as 7.4 megapixels in size.
This new method of establishing the end product's style and presence bridges the gap between typical computer-aided design technology and the necessity to build 3D models.
It allows responsible persons to sign off a new design without the need to build models in three-dimensions, necessarily.
The Powerwall is situated in Audi's Data Monitoring Centre and is driven by the Sony SRX-S110 4K projector, which was originally developed for cinemas. It's a system entirely dependent on networked computers working through a "pixel processor".
Audi has configured the actual computerised processes to dovetail with a staff management process named 'design check'. In 'design check', staff can visualise and make decisions based on the results displayed on the Powerwall, from the earliest concepts through to the production line reality.
"Without needing to carry out any edge blending, we can now obtain a seamless image and can control even the smallest of details thanks to the high image quality and outstanding contrast", says Christian Ziller, 'Design check' coordinator.
"The entire visible vehicle surface is examined to guarantee the quality look that the customer perceives and expects", says Carsten Huschka, who developed the Virtual Reality system for Audi.
In viewing the model on the Powerwall, users can conduct close-quarter inspections of every aspect of the vehicle, including the measurement of panel gaps, the shine in the paint and the grain of the leather trim.
Viewed from any angle, the model on the Powerwall will reflect glare and shadows in the appropriate context.
The single projector replaces six projectors that would have been necessary previously to achieve the same result.
But will we see Audi execs rolling Jaffas down the aisle?
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