Lattice Technology XVL Blog

Elevating Design Review: Easily Engage Any Stakeholder

Written by Chris Hughes | Thu, 02 May, 2024 @ 06:09 PM

Innovation doesn't happen in isolation. It's a collaborative effort, a symphony of minds working together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. For product design, this meeting of the minds occurs in the design review process. It's where ideas are refined, concepts are scrutinized, and excellence is pursued.

In this post we will explore how XVL can elevate your design review process.

The Evolution of Design Review

Design review isn't a new concept. For decades, engineers, designers, and stakeholders up and down the product lifecycle have gathered around tables strewn with drawings and prototypes, discussing, debating, and iterating. However, as technology has advanced, so have the tools at our disposal.

Enter Lattice3D. With our leading-edge solutions, we have transformed the traditional design review into a dynamic, immersive, and collaborative experience available to any stakeholder.

Breaking Down Barriers

One of the most basic requirements in design review is communication. Engineers speak one language, designers another, and stakeholders another. Misinterpretations abound, leading to costly errors and delays.

XVL breaks down these barriers by providing a common platform where everyone speaks the same language: visual communication. With intuitive tools, complex CAD models are transformed into interactive 3D representations that anyone can interact with and understand, regardless of their technical background. No complicated 3D CAD systems or licenses are required. 

Enhancing Collaboration

Design review is a team sport. XVL solutions facilitate collaboration allowing geographically dispersed teams to work together.

Annotations, markups, and comments can be added directly to the 3D XVL model, fostering meaningful discussions and capturing valuable feedback. Decisions are made swiftly, iterations are quicker, and progress is made.

Streamlining Workflows

In the fast-paced world of product development, time is of the essence. Traditional design review processes are often bogged down by cumbersome workflows, stifling innovation and impeding progress.

XVL streamlines these workflows, by enabling ANY stakeholder the QUICK and EASY access to complete product data that is visual-based and with CAD-level precisions, with ALL of the metadata using only standard web browser.

Empowering Decision-Making

At the heart of every design review is the pursuit of excellence. Every decision, no matter how small, has the potential to shape the final product. That's why it's crucial to equip teams with the right tools and insights to make informed choices.

Lattice3D empowers decision-making by providing unparalleled visibility into the design. Armed with this knowledge, teams can make data-driven decisions that propel their projects forward.

Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality

With XVL, the same data model can be put directly into these systems.  Since with XVL, data sizes are ultralightweight, approximately 1/100th, the size of the original CAD models, no data manipulation is required. Often times CAD model data must be “dumbed down” for use in VR, AR, MR which is a waste of time and leaves you with less accuracy (and the loss of metadata from the originating CAD system), not with XVL.

Embracing the Future: Digital Transformation

With initiatives such as Model-Based Enterprise, Model-Based Definition, and Industrie 4.0, we stand on the cusp of a new era of innovation, and the role of design review has never been more critical. It's where ideas take flight, where dreams become reality, and where the future is shaped.

Let us show you how XVL can be a powerful tool for embracing Digital Transformation - one step at a time.

Example: TechFab, Inc. 

This is a fictitious company. I just wanted to give you some specific ideas of how XVL can aid Design Review.

TechFab Inc. specializes in precision machinery for the automotive industry. With a reputation for innovation and quality, they constantly push the boundaries of what's possible. However, they faced a significant challenge: streamlining their design review process to keep pace with their ambitious goals. Do any of these scenarios fit your company?

Enter XVL from Lattice3D.

Technology Challenged

Many Design Review meetings were done with screen sharing of the 3D CAD models. This was cumbersome for many reasons, namely:

Design Engineers were the only ones who could explore the model - others had to rely on them.

As with many designs, the final product is comprised of many CAD files, sometime hundreds.  And sometimes these files were in different formats. They could not be combined together because the resulting file was just too large.

Sometimes they would use viewers but these were far too simplistic for real work, and they did not carry forward all of the metadata from the originating 3D CAD system/s.

Geographically Disbursed Teams

TechFab's design teams, spread across different locations, struggled to collaborate effectively. Review meetings were plagued by technical jargon and misunderstandings, leading to delays and frustration. 

With XVL, these barriers evaporated. Engineers, designers, and stakeholders could now interact with 3D models easily, regardless of their location or technical expertise. Annotations and markups provided clear, actionable feedback, fostering meaningful discussions and driving consensus.

Enhanced Visualization

TechFab's products are complex, with intricate components and precise tolerances. Communicating design intent was challenging, often resulting in costly rework and errors on the shop floor.

XVL's advanced visualization changed the game. Complex CAD models are transformed into immersive 3D representations, allowing teams to explore every detail from every angle. And any stakeholder can "drive" (exploring the virtual product), even non-technical  (regarding computer skills) people like assembly workers.

Furthermore, this can also be done in Virtual Reality, providing newfound clarity and minimizing misunderstandings. It has empowered manufacturing teams to execute tasks with precision.

Tangible Results

The impact of Lattice3D on TechFab's bottom line was undeniable. Design review cycles were drastically reduced, allowing for more time and resources to be allocated towards innovation. Rework and errors were decreased as well, resulting in lower costs and improved product quality. Most importantly, TechFab's reputation for excellence experienced tremendous growth, solidifying its position as a

As previously mentioned, TechFab is a fictitious company used to illustrate the real-world benefits that your company could achieve by using XVL for Design Reviews.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the power of Lattice3D solutions extends far beyond the scope of traditional design reviews. XVL is not just a tool, but a catalyst for change that enables innovation - Digital Transformation.

Let's have a discussion on how XVL can aid your company to achieve better collaborative design reviews.