Using multimedia and virtual reality in engineering and manufacturing

New visual technologies like virtual reality and multimedia that expand the computer graphics "tool kit" have been often associated with "fringe" applications in art and entertainment. However, there are a growing number of actual and potential applications in engineering and manufacturing such as: automotive design, industrial design, mechanical design, architecture, computational fluid dynamics, human factors analysis, telepresence (remote manipulation), training/simulation, documentation, and marketing. For example, forecasters estimate that VR and multimedia applications in engineering and manufacturing will account for about 1/3 of the $11.1 billion revenues developed in 1994. This paper will update you on what's happening with the new visual technologies, help you understand what virtual reality and multimedia are, how they are related, review for what applications virtual reality and multimedia are now being used in engineering and manufacturing, separate what's real from what's hype, discuss what products and services are available and from whom, discuss the markets sizes, review what are the impediments to growth, and discuss what we can expect in the near future.<>