Dassault Systèmes introduces interactive tools for aircraft design, manufacture, and marketing.

By Kathleen Maher

Dassault Systèmes brought some virtual reality (VR) pizazz to the recent Paris Air Show as part of its Build to Operate package of products and processes. Build to Operate has been developed around Dassault’s Delmia Apriso.

The company introduced its digital 3D mock up with Passenger Experi­ence. It’s a high-end visualization tool that combines real physical objects and digital objects to give designers a sense of how an aircraft’s interior will work for passengers.

The company says that the aircraft industry is going through a strong cycle of design and build as aircraft are being retired and new models cycle in. For manufacturers, cabin design is an important service for customers. Das­sault’s Passenger Experience tool brings customers into the design process in a personal way. The large airline companies have also used CAVE installa­tions to get an immersive and life-size feel for an airplane interior. VR is ob­viously much more portable and less expensive.

Using Passenger Experience custom­ers can see how an interior is working with life-size digital characters. Custom­ers can work dynamically with design­ers to create interiors that are attractive and ergonomically comfortable for pas­sengers and crew. In addition to enhanc­ing the design and verification process, Dassault says the models continue to be useful after the completion of the air­plane—they can be used for marketing, to create training modules, and to de­velop safety procedures.

Dassault says their Passenger Experi­ence tool automates the cabin comple­tion process with tools to conform to rules and requirements. The ability to experience the cabin design reduces en­gineering changes.

Michel Tellier, Dassault’s VP Aero­space & Defense, said, “Allowing air­craft customers to experience their choices as they make them, to appreci­ate the beauty, effect, practicality, feasi­bility, cost, and benefit in real time as they make these choices, is a key goal for ‘Passenger Experience’.”

Dassault also announced its 3D digi­tal mock-up and PLM Build to Operate set of tools for aerospace and defense, which helps OEMs and large suppliers build more efficient manufacturing op­erations. Like the Passenger Experience tool, Build to Operate helps compa­nies configure the production facilities from the level of the plant, line, station, cell, and individual. Tellier said their customers can expect to see a 25% re­duction in errors, 20% less waste, and up to 15% improvement in first-time quality. The Build to Operate system is also based on Dassault’s Delmia Apriso software.