在機械設計過程中,工程圖是設計者非常重要的工具,工程圖以圖像方式記錄設計,提供設計者視覺上的參考,以構思、檢查、驗證其設計,並可據以與其他設計者乃至於製造、組裝人員溝通設計概念。設計物件的視覺表現由手繪工程圖、二維電腦繪圖、到三維實體模型,但都仍然是在二維環境下表現設計物件。 “虛擬設計(Virtual Design)”的概念,乃是身處於虛擬環境中,利用虛擬實境技術從事設計的工作,設計者可融入於虛擬環境之中從事組裝虛擬物件之構成元件、操作各種設備及與虛擬物件產生互動。本研究的目的即是在建立一個具有景深且具一般性之三維虛擬設計環境,在此環境中設計者對設計物件的觀察與互動方式,均與真實物件完全相同。
Engineering drawing is a very important tool in mechanical design process. It records the design, provides designers with visual reference to construct and verify the design, and it is a media to communicate with other designers and manufacturers. This visual representation of the design object evolves from hand drawing, two-dimensional computer drawing, to three-dimensional solid model. However, the design object is always represented in a two-dimensional environment. The concept of virtual design is to use virtual reality technologies to enable designers to interact with the design object in a three-dimensional virtual environment. The purpose of this research is to construct a three-dimensional virtual design environment. In this environment, designers can observe and interact with the design object exactly the same way as they observe and interact with real objects.