Visualisation of a simple beam under a load in virtual environment

Visualisation is generally considered to be a problem in structural design. Being an iterative process, structural design is time consuming for engineers, and results are difficult for clients to visualize. Current numerical methods have slow dynamic visualisation capability, which is usually separate from the calculation phase. The paper investigates whether an analogue virtual reality (VR) model of a structure can integrate calculation and visual representation. Early results of this research show that it is possible to have analogue virtual reality models of structures capable of real time user interaction. The paper shows how the user can interact with a VR analogue model of a simple beam, move a concentrated load along the length of the beam, change the value of the force, and visualise deflection of the beam using the analytical solution of the problem.