Design

The idea of Virtual Reality was created for specific reasons and applications by individuals who had the money to fund the creation of new technologies. At first, due to the limited research and the lack of technological advances, VR was only used for specific applications. It took some time and some commercialism before the idea of VR could be applied to other applications. VR was created as a means of training people in situations that previously were hard to explain. There was very little done with VR other than online training. Lack of technology was holding back the growth and expansion of VR.
With each increase in the technology that VR uses, another application for VR is created. With the creation and improvements in technology the application of using VR for purposes of design came into possibility. The concept of the application of designing things using VR is when people or groups use VR to design things before they are physically built. There are a few different ways of using VR to design things and there are also different platforms for using the design application.
When VR was beginning people tried to think of ways in which VR could aid them in their lives. Architects were among the first to see the future of VR being able to aid them in designing their structures. Architects believed that if they could create a three dimensional image of a structure which could be manipulated then this new visual would be easier for customers to understand than blueprints. Architects were not the only ones to see the possibilities of being able to create objects visually before they are actually created. The military hardware companies were among some of the others which liked the idea of creating an object in a three dimensional picture as opposed to describing what they might make. In the beginning stages of using design as an application of VR there were few ways of designing things in three dimensions. Originally, architects used VR to create a three dimensional version of their building using things like the code seen in VRML and a computer screen to display the structure. Most things were done in code and were simple, involving few factors. For example in VRML the only real external factors are lighting and gravity both of which can be altered. Attention was paid to detail, but very little attention was paid to detail. Less attention was paid to detail because the technology did not exist to create high definition images at the speeds needed. Other commercial industries were later to follow in the idea of creating objects before they are made tangible. Some of those commercial industries include car companies, plane companies, train companies, and any other company that creates something rather large.
Technology did not stop creating new toys after the creation of VR. Newer, faster computers came into creation, and with the added speed the idea of design was altered to do more than create viewable images. The idea of design came to incorporate more detail in the images designed. With more detail companies began to use this application as a means of checking the product before it is built for possible errors. This is why I have stated that design is traditionally used with objects that would be rather large. A large object, like a building or an amusement park, can be put together in virtual space and looked over for complications while once the object is actually built there is little that can be done to correct complications. With these innovations companies began to not only save money by using VR to sell a product before it is created, but they saved money by preventing very costly errors in the products created.
Most recently companies have gone even further than just finding mistakes with a product through VR. Through the use of even greater technology product makers can get a better idea of what consumers might want before even making one tangible example. Using different displays like CAVE, or HMD, or wraparound screens, product makers can view a possible product. The maker of the product can use the viewer to make sure there are no problems with the product as stated in the above paragraph. One good example of checking for errors in a product would be how car companies, like Chrysler use VR. Chrysler creates a car in Virtual Space and then checks it over for possible conflicts. One example of a possible conflict could be a view blocked by a hood which is too high. By spotting the hood that is too high in a virtual environment as opposed to on a model, the error can be changed quickly and inexpensively. Besides checking for possible errors with the product the company can judge possible customer reactions to a new product. With this information the company can change the product and retest reactions without ever creating anything ever that is tangible. Traditionally companies used to create prototypes of products that would take a lot of time and money to create. If a product had a problem that needed to be fixed than a new costly prototype needs to be created. By creating things in a virtual environment excessive spending on prototypes has been cut out, and large amounts of time have been saved.
Unfortunately not everyone has access to the advantages of VR as of yet. The technology and equipment has become more widely available and affordable, but it is still rather costly. I believe that in the future the basic technologies are going to become more available to more companies. Also, in the future I believe that better technology will become available. That prior statement is very obvious, but specifically I believe that faster processors will become available along with higher resolution displays. Instead of just improving the quality of the technology around, I think that there is going to be a better quality VR system. This new system, I believe, will move design even further ahead just like how it moved ahead early on.