Hi, it’s me again, fresh from the Agora this time. And what fun! I FINALLY got to manipulate a 3D mouse!

I didn’t really know what to expect so was surprised you’re to use the 3D mouse in one hand, and a regular mouse in the other. I’m right-handed, so I used the 3D mouse with my left hand.

I was told that it’s kind of like holding a potato and manipulating it with one hand, while cutting or doing the precision operations with the other. I also couldn’t help but think of an accordion, whereby you move the instrument up, down, in or out, while playing the notes with your other hand.

Using the 3D mouse was quite . . . enjoyable, dare I say. My favorite part was getting the 3D car to levitate; felt almost like having a super power.

Here’s a video that gives you a better idea of how these 3D mice (hee hee!) work. I’ll give you a hint: 6 degrees of freedom allowing you to pan, zoom and rotate simultaneously.

Also, there’s some serious benefit to be gained by using one of these thangs: 20 percent productivity gain for one. You can read more on the benefits in this productivity/proficiency study here.

Many thanks to the folks at 3Dconnexion for sharing their goods!

Before I leave you I can’t help but slip in some bragging. The F1 folks told me (and I have witnesses) that I whopped all the other contenders so far today in the mini F1 race. Seems my “reaction time” is much higher than the others’ at 0.008. Who knew? Aurelian and Valerie in the photo below were shocked, but we had fun so they forgave me.

Also, interesting factoid. The mechanism used to power the mini F1s is inserting an air compression chamber into the rear, and when you push the button, the system punctures the chamber with a needle, flying the car down the track in the time it takes to gasp. These are the same compression chambers, so I’m told, used in whipped creme cans. Voila! Factoid of the day.

So there you have it, my experience with Mickey and Mini at Disneyland Paris this afternoon . . .

A demain,

Kate

Back during the age of Pac-man and Pong, when ATARI was king, and the better games were all at the arcade, my mother would tell me that my excessive video game playing would make me cross-eyed.  I’ll never forget the day my father told my mother that playing video games would improve my hand-eye coordination and visual spacial ability.  Finally, my mother began to realize that I wouldn’t  suffer  Donkey-Kong induced brain-damage, or go cross-eyed from playing Pitfall.  Video-games might actually be good for me???

I’m sure many of you are like me, and your love of computer graphics began when you started playing video games as a child.  I watch my children and the 3D media that they are exposed to today, and I wonder what the future will be like for them.  Bernard Charlès says, “Our children will communicate in 3D”, and I agree, but will all of this new 3D technology improve the next generation’s lives, or visual spacial abilities?

“What would I do if I had the 3D games and design tools that my children have access to today”

I talk to many 2D artists and designers who say they are “intimidated” by 3D, and prefer 2D tools.  Will this change for the next generation?  I encourage my oldest son (9 yrs old) to use 3DVIA Shape as much as possible, and he was not intimidated one bit, but will this actually increase his visual-spatial ability?  Will he and the next generation prefer working in 3D over 2D?  I also wonder, “What would I do if I had the 3D games and design tools that my children have access to today”.  Would it actually make me a better designer or artist, or would I just be more cross-eyed?

 Have you ever heard of the Formula Student  competitions?  They’re run by the The Institute of Mechanical Engineers .  The objective is to:

[Build] future engineering talent by [having students] design and produce a single-seater racing car, not just in design and manufacture, but in many of the management, marketing and people skills so vital in the modern world, across all sectors of employment.

Amongst the European universities involved in designing, building and running cars for the Formula Student competitions, one team stands out as the  a serial winner.  Their reputation?  They’re high performers known for doing things differently.

The Delft University of Technology (DUT) Racing Team and their latest winning project, DUT08, in a few words:

- 60 enthusiastic students
- More than 1600 parts designed with CATIA
- 90 % of the parts are produced by the team
- More fuel-efficient, better and faster car
- Known for its very lightweight and agile single cylinder engine
- Runs on E-85 (85% bio-ethanol)
 
I had the opportunity to interview some members of the DUT team. Their race car was exposed dressed with its beautiful coachwork and painted with the original Delftware pattern.

Nothing seemed unusual from the outside until I asked to see under the hood.

Here is what makes the DUT Racing Team famous across the continent and beyond:  While many teams tended to increase the power of their cars, the Delft students designed their car as aerospace engineers would design a flying machine.

Their first target was weight optimization and adjusting the power solution to achieve this goal. This strategy has led the Delft students to accumulate a world-class knowledge on carbon fiber technology.

The lightweight car body in combination with its 1-cylinder engine is so efficient that the fuel consumption is 2-3 times lower than that of the other teams!
 
The DUT success story began in 2008, when the team won all the prizes for the most fuel efficient vehicle, using  Bio-Ethanol. A well-deserved reward for their innovation and research… Congratulation guys!

I think the DUT Racing Team’s  work proves that we can combine sustainability and performance.  You can find the full story and interview here. 

Are automotive OEMs making similar progress?  Will they be ousted by the DUT students? 

What do you think?

Best,

Olivier

Olivier Ammoun works in the Dassault Systèmes education team.