Digital MockUp or DMU is a concept that allows the description of a product, usually in 3D, for its entire life cycle. Digital Mockup is enriched by all the activities that contribute to describing the product. The product design engineer

Design engineer

Design Engineer is a general term that covers multiple engineering disciplines including electrical, mechanical, industrial design and civil engineering, architectural engineers in the U.S...

s, the manufacturing engineers, and the support engineers work together to create and manage the DMU. One of the objectives is to have an important knowledge of the future or the supported product to replace any physical prototype

Prototype

A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...

s with virtual ones, using 3D computer graphics

3D computer graphics

3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...

 techniques. As an extension it is also frequently referred to as Digital Prototyping or Virtual Prototyping. These two specific definitions refer to the production of a physical prototype, but they are part of the DMU concept. DMU allows engineers to design

Design

Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...

 and configure

Product Structure Modeling

Product structure is a hierarchical decomposition of a product, typically known as the bill of materials .As business becomes more responsive to unique consumer tastes and derivative products grow to meet the unique configurations, BOM management can become unmanageable.Advanced modeling techniques...

 complex products and validate

Engineering validation test

An engineering validation test is performed on first engineering prototypes, to ensure that the basic unit performs to design goals and specifications.-Tests:Tests may include:* Functional test * Power measurement* Signal quality test...

 their designs without ever needing to build a physical model.
Among the techniques and technologies that make this possible are:

• the use of light-weight 3D models
  Polygonal modeling
  In 3D computer graphics, polygonal modeling is an approach for modeling objects by representing or approximating their surfaces using polygons. Polygonal modeling is well suited to scanline rendering and is therefore the method of choice for real-time computer graphics...
  
   with multiple levels of detail
  Level of detail
  In computer graphics, accounting for level of detail involves decreasing the complexity of a 3D object representation as it moves away from the viewer or according other metrics such as object importance, eye-space speed or position....
  
   using lightweight data structures such as JT
  JT (visualization format)
  JT is a 3D data format developed by and is used for product visualization, collaboration, and CAD data exchange. It can contain any combination of approximate data, exact boundary representation surfaces , Product and Manufacturing Information , and Metadata either exported from the native CAD...
  
   XVL
  XVL
  XVL is a lightweight 3D file format for 3D computer graphics data. XVL is developed by Lattice Technology Inc.Like U3D and other open and standard 3D formats, XVL supports compression of 3D data. The company claims compression rates of between 1:50 - 1: 200 for typical mesh objects...
  
   and PDF allow engineers
  Design engineer
  Design Engineer is a general term that covers multiple engineering disciplines including electrical, mechanical, industrial design and civil engineering, architectural engineers in the U.S...
  
   to visualize, analyze, and interact with large amounts of product data in real-time on standard desktop computer
  Desktop computer
  A desktop computer is a personal computer in a form intended for regular use at a single location, as opposed to a mobile laptop or portable computer. Early desktop computers are designed to lay flat on the desk, while modern towers stand upright...
  
  s.
• direct interface to between Digital Mockups and PDM systems.
• active digital mockup technology that unites the ability to visualize the assembly mockup
  Mockup
  In manufacturing and design, a mockup, or mock-up, is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes...
  
   with the ability to measure, analyze, simulate, design and redesign.

Methodology and process

The implementation of a DMU implies that specific methodologies and process are put in place. The methodologies contribute to transform the product in representation manageable by the organization. The process to put in place these methodologies requires to manage at the same time the organization of the company, the information technology solutions and the product representation. Usually two implementation processes are available in the market. Some best practice processes available through software suppliers, and some activity processes available through consulting companies.

Goals

• Reduce time-to-market by identifying potential issues earlier in the design process.
• Reduce product development costs by minimizing the number of physical prototypes that need to be built.
• Increase product quality by allowing a greater number of design alternatives to be investigated before a final one is chosen.

Technologies

• Product Life Cycle Management
  Product life cycle management
  Product life-cycle management is the succession of strategies used by business management as a product goes through its life-cycle. The conditions in which a product is sold changes over time and must be managed as it moves through its succession of stages.Product life-cycle Like human beings,...
  
  
• Visualization
• Collaboration
  Computer-supported collaboration
  Computer-supported collaboration research focuses on technology that affects groups, organizations, communities and societies, e.g., voice mail and text chat. It grew from cooperative work study of supporting people's work activities and working relationships...
  
  
• Large Model Rendering
  Rendering (computer graphics)
  Rendering is the process of generating an image from a model , by means of computer programs. A scene file contains objects in a strictly defined language or data structure; it would contain geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting, and shading information as a description of the virtual scene...
  
  
• Interference Checking (aka Clearance Analysis or Clash Analysis)
• Measurement Tools
• Cross Sectioning
  Cross section (geometry)
  In geometry, a cross-section is the intersection of a figure in 2-dimensional space with a line, or of a body in 3-dimensional space with a plane, etc...
  
  
• Path Extraction & Swept Volume Analysis
• Constraint Management
• Product Structure Modeling
  Product Structure Modeling
  Product structure is a hierarchical decomposition of a product, typically known as the bill of materials .As business becomes more responsive to unique consumer tastes and derivative products grow to meet the unique configurations, BOM management can become unmanageable.Advanced modeling techniques...
  
  
• Product Data Management
  Product Data Management
  Product data management is the business function often within product lifecycle management that is responsible for the creation, management and publication of product data...
  
   (PDM)

Software

• CATIA
  CATIA
  CATIA is a multi-platform CAD/CAM/CAE commercial software suite developed by the French company Dassault Systemes...
  
   from Dassault Systèmes
  Dassault Systemes
  Dassault Systèmes S.A. is a leading company specializing in 3D and PLM software.Dassault Systèmes develops and markets PLM application software and services that support industrial processes and provide a 3D vision of the entire lifecycle of products from conception to maintenance to recycling...
  
  
• Gpure from DeltaCAD
  GPure
  GPure is software application to prepare 3D scenes from Digital mockup for :* project review,* 3D animation,* content editing,* training tools ,* interactive technical documentation* physical simulation,...
  
  
• Orealia from Onesia for Interactive 3D Digital MockUp
• Showcase from Autodesk