#Forensic Software
I just read an article by Terry Day of Engineering Dynamics Corp about
their new 3D software for accident simulations that is under development. The
article is about 8 months old but in talking with EDC the program is nearing
completion. It is called HVE (for now) (Human-Vehicle-Environment) and it is
very impressive the only problem (for me and alot of other people) is that it
runs on Silicon Graphics workstations. It uses Mannequin people and Viewpoint
vehicles so nothing new there, but it does have an editor which is equipped
with five tools, Road Builder,Intersection Builder, Landscaper, Friction Zones
and Highway Furnishings.
These and other supplied tools according to Mr Day make putting
together a motor vehicle simulation/animation very easy. This combined with
their EDSMAC and CRASH front end programs for 2-D reconstruction of single and
two car collisons makes for some pretty stiff competition for 3DS for this type
of forensic work.
Mr Day mentions that this system has about a ten to one advantage in
speed over a 486/3DS system. Suggesting that even with the higher costs of the
SG machines the cost per animation will be lower than with 3DS.
The reason I am mentioning this is that although I believe this is
going to present some challenges for those companies using 3DS and competing
against HVE or whatever it's finally called, some great new IPAS routines yet
to be released could give us some powerful tools to level the playing field
again. So to all of you IPAS programmers who are interested in this type of
development, as soon as you get the new developers toolkit please work
overtime. We need them sooner than later. Nick