Animation of engineering processes using virtual reality (VRML)

Computational animation of large deformation processes, as metal forming, employed in automotive industry plays an important role for understanding and evaluating the numerical analysis. Several commercial softwares allow 3D animation of results obtained by numerical methods. However, these softwares are usually able to animate only the piece movement without showing the tools. In this article, the developing software VirtualVis that allows complete scientific visualization using VRML format (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) is presented. Visualization is provided by a free VRML plug-in installed on internet browsers. This work shows VRML details for animation and scientific visualization. Also, the animation of the hydroforming process is presented.