Pick-n-Place Virtual Reality Tool

A sequence of photos in the CAVE demonstrates how the Pick-n-Place virtual reality tool can be used to assemble and analyze mechanical components.

Pick-n-Place is a virtual reality assembly and disassembly application developed by David Pugmire and the HPC-5 Scientific Visualization Team at Los Alamos National Laboratory using CAVELib [1], an industry-standard virtual reality platform. The application is able to read and display CAD models as well as texture-mapped polygonal models to provide realistic environments, such as an assembly bay. Assembly constraints can also be given to specify how parts are able to be mated. Collision detection [2] is used to determine interpenetration of parts, and the stereo sound system is used to play a thud sound when parts collide. The application communicates with the motion tracking system through the Trackd interface. Entering the CAVE, the user can visually inspect the components of the assembly, grab them, and try to assemble them. If parts do not fit together or are obstructing one another, both visual and auditory cues are used. This tool proved valuable while exploring various design alternatives with personnel at DOE plants and LANL designers to integrate safety studies with plans for their assembly and disassembly procedures.

[1] CAVELib

[2] T. Hudson, et al., “V-COLLIDE: Accelerated Collision Detection for VRML,” Proceedings of VRML 97 (1997).