Silicon Graphics

Ford

Clay-the-Master Meets . . .
CAD-the-Master

The automotive styling process being implemented
at Ford now begins with hand-drawn or
electronic Alias StudioPaint sketches.

The traditional method of automobile styling at Ford, as at other automobile companies, uses a clay model as the foundation for the design process. "Clay-the-master," as the process is called, is limited by its sequential nature, and developing the look of a new car this way is a long and costly process. In an attempt to streamline the design cycle and integrate the stylists' work into the larger engineering and manufacturing picture at Ford, a "CAD-the master" approach is being implemented. Here, computer-generated math data, not clay, will be the master for product design definition. Although clay models will always be used to some extent, they will be numerically controlled outputs of the math data.

This approach is made possible by a technology called Computer-Aided Industrial Design (CAID). The designers at Ford are now undergoing a tremendous mind-set change as they are introduced to the use of powerful Silicon Graphics Onyx RealityEngine(TM) workstations, Alias StudioPaint software from Alias(R) Research in Toronto, Canada, and the Conceptual Design and Rendering Software(TM) (CDRS) from Evans & Sutherland, Salt Lake City, Utah. With these new tools, designers can produce 2D electronic sketches and 3D mathematical surface data of proposed designs at the start of a new car program, carrying the evolution of that data through until the release to manufacturing.

The data produced by Ford designers is compatible with other CAD, analysis, and manufacturing systems in use at Ford. Now, throughout the entire vehicle development cycle, geometry files can be transferred both to and from the industrial design group, saving a great deal of time by eliminating the need to scan clays in order to make any kind of engineering assessment. And since a computer model can be updated much faster than a physical model, the use of CAID technology will expedite the interactive feasibility process considerably.

From hand-drawn or electronic sketches, ideas
are selected for modeling on CDRS software
from Evans & Sutherland.

The automotive styling process being implemented at Ford now begins with hand-drawn or electronic Alias StudioPaint sketches. From these sketches, ideas are selected for modeling on CDRS. Ford designers are able to create sophisticated, precise, and complex 3D shapes and generate images of the shapes with photorealistic quality. Before a CAID model is begun, however, large amounts of existing engineering data is imported from PDGS, Ford's in-house CAD system. This provides what is called the "people and cargo package," including the geometry of the chassis, passenger accommodations, power train, tires and wheels, vehicle attitude, and bumper bands. This information is represented and controlled three-dimensionally on the screen. If the project is a revision of an existing design, surface data from the production vehicle is imported as well. If it is a new car program, all new surfaces are created using CDRS.

Since CDRS produces mathematically accurate surfaces, CDRS models can be output in nonuniform rational B-Splines (NURBS) format and transferred to engineers for various kinds of analysis. Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis, for instance, is used for aerodynamics and engine cooling studies. The math model is also used for noise, vibration, and harshness studies, crash tests, and joint stiffness analysis. Rather than waiting until the feasibility process is completed to begin CAE work, analysis can be done in parallel with the ongoing design. As a consequence, the company is looking at increasing its use of computer simulation in many areas, including automotive safety and ergonomics.

While they are still in the beginning phase of implementing the new approach, Ford designers say that the benefits are already apparent. The design group estimates that when the potential of CAID technology is fully realized, and applied to a "CAD-the-master" approach in a simultaneous engineering environment, it should greatly reduce the time it takes to bring a product to market. Since new car programs are at least three years long, the use of CAID will take several months off the total cycle time. Another advantage is that the new approach will make it possible to generate more alterations, which should result in better designs. CAID is proving to be what Ford envisioned back in 1984--a way to speed the styling process and to integrate design with engineering and manufacturing, without limiting creativity.