An overview of virtual reality within industrial design education
Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology
ISSN: 1726-0531
Article publication date: 14 May 2020
Issue publication date: 28 October 2020
Abstract
Purpose
With the release of headsets such as HTC Vive and Oculus Rift in 2016, fully immersive virtual reality (VR) technology has become available for industrial designers to represent and communicate design ideas. However, how this development will affect industrial design education practice is not clear enough yet. The purpose of this study is to reveal and discuss the current status of using VR in industrial design education and potentials of it.
Design/methodology/approach
In the first part of the study, the use of computer technology in industrial design education and how VR can be positioned in the existing system is discussed by the acceptance of “design” as “representation”. In the second part, the literature review carried out to unveil and analyse the efforts for using VR in industrial design practice and education is presented. The results of the review are interpreted together with the design process in industrial design education.
Findings
VR has the potential for changing the operating ways of not only sketching, visualising, modelling, prototyping, presenting, demonstrating and evaluating design ideas, but also getting inspiration and collaborating in industrial design education. However, it is first necessary to solve the issue of how it will be integrated into industrial design education.
Originality/value
This paper presents the preliminary presumptions regarding the integration of VR into industrial design education that can contribute to future studies.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study is part of an on-going doctoral dissertation of the corresponding author Ahmet Hamurcu, supervised by Professor Dr Şebnem Timur and Professor Dr Kerem Rızvanoğlu (the co-authors of the paper).
Citation
Hamurcu, A., Timur, Ş. and Rızvanoğlu, K. (2020), "An overview of virtual reality within industrial design education", Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Vol. 18 No. 6, pp. 1889-1905. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEDT-02-2020-0048
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited