Design Model Image Presentation

CAD systems offer new and improved techniques for the presentation of designs. This paper presents several of these techniques that are based upan computer-generated images of a 3-dimensional computer model of a design. These new techniques include holography, animating and virtual reality. Some of the techniques that can be improved by CAD systems are paper scale modelling and stereoscopy. The paper describes: - presentation purposes, such as showing a design or explainingfunctional or technical - presentation activities, such as modelling a design or generating images; - presentation techniques, as mentioned above. There exists a relationship between the purpose of a presentation, the presentation techniques employed and the production activities. Because production activities can be very time consuming, the purpose of the presentation and the preferred techniques should normally be well specified at the beginning of a presentation production to make the latter creative productive. However, since most of the comnputer-basedpresenlatian techniques are still new to most designers, ii will be verry difficult to make the right specifications of purpose, techniques and activities at the beginning of the production process. That means that there is a need for a better understanding ofthe techniques and for a more flexible way of producing presentations of designs.Calibre has developed tools to make the production ofpresentations more flexible. One of the tools is a program (ModelCom) that converts different 3-dimensional computer models of designs (design models) into models for different prograins that are able to generate images. Another tool is a program (ImageCom) for converting different generated images into image descriptions for different presentation techniques. These tools are of great importance for Calibre's exploration of various techniques for the presentation of design models. This exploration gives Calibre the unique opportunity to present a varied menu of presentation techniques and related future expectations.