This paper describes how a link between Virtual Reality and Rapid Prototyping was established at Clemson to enhance the designer’s understanding of manufacturing issues. It surveys the literature in the area of virtual reality and discusses some of the issues of translating an STL model into the appropriate format for Virtual Reality. The paper then speculates on the usefulness of such a tool f...

An overview of issues concerning current methods of rapid prototyping (RP) processes is presented. This paper establishes a basis for categorizing the models developed by both commercial RP systems and conventional means, in particular, CNC machining. Model accuracy in both representation and testing capability is described based on a set of three defining levels, Form, Fit, and Function. This ...

†Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bath University, Bath BA2 7AY, UK ‡Faculty 5, Department of Biomimetics/Biological Materials, Hochschule Bremen, University of Applied Sciences, Neustadtswall 30, D-28199 Bremen, Germany §Bits From Bytes Ltd., Unit 17 Hither Green Industrial Estate, Clevedon, North Somerset BS21 6XU, UK ¶Diamond Age Solutions Ltd., 72 Warner Park Avenue, Laingholm, Waitake...

A programming approach to the rapid prototyping of architectural design is discussed in this paper. This is done with particular reference to the early steps of design development, where a number of preliminary design alternatives should be generated and evaluated. At this purpose we show that the generation of the 3D shape of each design alternative can be automated starting from the 2D layout...

Optically driven micromanipulators with submicron probe tips are proposed and developed by using two-photon microstereolithography. The micromanipulators are worked by maneuvering their movable component with a focused laser beam, and an actual pair of microtweezers was opened and shut precisely. We also propose an effective method of controlling movable micromachines with great freedom of move...

We study the relationship between regulatory regimes and pharmaceutical firms’ pricing strategies using a unique policy experiment from Norway, which in 2003 introduced a reference price (RP) system called “index pricing” for a sub-sample of off-patent pharmaceuticals, replacing the existing price cap (PC) regulation. We estimate the effect of the reform using a product level panel dataset, cov...

Die Spezi kation analoger und analog digitaler Systeme durch informelle Mittel wie Blockdia gramme und umgangssprachliche Beschreibungen ist durchaus ublich Derartige Spezi kationen k onnen zu schwerwiegenden Entwurfsfehlern f uhren die erst sp at etwa beim Vorliegen des fertigen Produktes entdeckt werden Dar uberhinaus k onnen informelle Spezi kationen nur schwer als Ausgangsbasis eines automa...

We present several methods for the analysis and visualization of vessel systems in 3D CT and MR image datasets, including segmentation, skeletonization, topological and morphometrical analysis methods. We describe a number of clinical and medical applications, including quantitative vessel diagnostic, automatic detection of aneurysms, liver surgery planning, and simulation of vascular trees. Th...

This paper reports work exploring the relationship between solid modelling, mesh generating and flow solving in the general context of design optimisation. In particular, the work is interested in the opportunities derived by tightly integrating these traditionally separate activities together within one piece of software. The near term aim is to ask the question: how might a truly virtual, rap...