Integration of Virtual Reality Technologies into the Design Process: Taking Sketching to the Third Dimension

In the first stage of the design process, after the completion of the conceptual search of the design by making a sketch, three-dimensional modeling technologies are currently used in the stages of detailing, developing and preparing the design for production. Although these stages are called Computer-Aided Design, the designer generally continues the process in a computer environment with three-dimensional modeling interfaces in order to complete the remaining stages of the designed object such as development and preparation for production after the conceptual design stage. The most effective method used in the conceptual design stage of the design process is for the designer to develop design ideas by making sketches (unstructured pictorial representations). Today, the sketching stage in the design process has gained a different dimension, and with the development of technology, with three-dimensional modeling software and three-dimensional virtual reality devices, the designer has not only made two-dimensional representations of the three-dimensional object, but also gained the ability to transfer the three-dimensional mental description directly to three-dimensional virtual reality. In this section, the use of virtual reality technologies in the sketching stage of the design process will be discussed. By determining the cognitive and physical needs of designers at the sketching stage, the extent to which virtual reality technologies developed to date meet these needs of designers will be investigated and future predictions will be conveyed.