Focus on man and the automobile – Imagina 2009

IMAGINA 2009 – the European 3D Community Event – is slated to be held early next year in Monaco. This 2008 year’s edition of Imagina started on 31st January and ended on 1st February in Monaco and witnessed a 15 per cent increase in attendance compared to 2007. The focus at IMAGINA 2008 was on four sectors – Industry, Architecture, Landscape and Territory, and Media and Entertainment.

“This year over 40 % of our exhibitors have a direct link to the automotive industry. We are setting up a village SCANeR™ Partners which will feature such major players in driving simulation such as Oktal (France), Antycip (Great Britain), Innosimulation (Korea), Rexroth (Holland) and Smarteye (Sweden). The list of participants includes, among many others international actors into 3D technologies, such names as Craft Animations (Sweden), Autodesk (Europe), Bionatics (France) and also major actors or IGN (France), Immersion (France), Forum 8 (Japan)” said Laurent Puons, general manager, Monaco Mediax/IMAGINA right after the 2008 show.

IMAGINA 2008 had 1668 participants from 45 countries. Over 70 firms exhibited their technologies. In partnership with Renault, the show was hosting the 9th Driving Simulation Conference at IMAGINA 2008. “The goal of this international conference is to propose to a scientific, research and engineering audience, whether they are suppliers or end users of driving simulators a complete and pluridisciplinar (technology, humans factors, applications… 😉 state-of the-art panorama about driving simulation. This partnership is a clear indication of the high regard in which IMAGINA is held throughout the car industry and we will develop this type of partner for the next edition” said Laurent Puons to AI.

The Automotive sector was particularly well represented with numerous manufacturers involved in the development of 3D technologies present such as:
• Swedish based Craft Animations which developed the Craft Director Tools took part in IMAGINA 2008. Craft Animations started out in 2002 as a master’s thesis project. Luigi Tramontana needed to create a mechanism that would simulate physically correct motion in the 3D environment, and not finding any tools that would do the job correctly he decided to program one of his own.

Craft Director Tools is the application of that core technology that combines real-time simulation with a unique application of motion capture technology, proposed as series of plug-ins for 3ds Max and Maya. This innovative technology enables the control of objects such as cameras and vehicles to be maneuvered with input devices. During the recording, the Hyper Physics Engine simulates physically realistic movements calculating accurately how objects react to the terrains and cameras convey the human touch to all projects. Craft Animations’ products are the result of cutting edge Swedish research into advanced neural networking, artificial intelligence and autonomous control techniques. Craft Animations’ aim is to help customers benefit from the research by enhancing realism, cutting costs and improving production pace.

Craft Animations Tools are used by the VFX Industry, Automotive Industry, Architects, Film Industry, Gaming Industry and many more.
Another participant at IMAGINA 2008 and the next year’s edition as well, is the Japan-based Forum8.
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The company’s flagship product is UC-win/Road. This is an easy to use, real time 3D virtual reality (VR) software package for the personal computer. Dynamic 3D spaces can be controlled in real time. The program gives the ability to view the surrounding landscape; provide design and construction consultation; allow the visual examination of alternative project options; animation of vehicle movements; and driving simulation. Forum8’s other product is UC-win/Road Drive Simulator which customizes booths that utilize real car components are now available to create a driving simulator for use in road design and safety research.
• OKTAL (www.oktal.fr), one of the major simulation software editors and driving simulator suppliers worldwide. This French SME specialized into simulation and virtual reality is involved into automotive field of activities from more than 10 years. Its software solution SCANeR™
• (www.scanersimulation.com) is a worldwide reference in car manufacturer and suppliers (Audi, Hyundai, Nissan, Renault, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Valeo, VOLVO Trucks…), research centers and Universities into Europe, Asia or North America. The benefit for using OKTAL’s technology are to reduce vehicle cycle of development, to enhance performance of ADAS equipment and to improve driver behavior in driving tasks. During this edition of IMAGINA, OKTAL announced its new generation of product called SCANeR™ Studio.
Automotive Industries caught up again with Mozart Consulting, headed by Victor Waknine – senior consultant and Claude Denoun, Automotive & Industry consultant for Imagina event.
AI: What’s new at IMAGINA for the automotive industry?

MC: Imagina [www.imagina.mc] is the 3D community event which devotes its efforts towards cross-market synergies & benefits, as past years surfaced vivid cross needs being served by 3D based technologies.

Imagina 2009 will then propose more emphasis on 3D contribution into Automobile design & production cycles highlighted by conferences on Digital mock-up’ extended scope, Simulation …, Hyper-realism & Real Time, animated by experts, professional, witnessing through cases & evidences.

AI: How does IMAGINA highlight CAD software expertise and innovation in design and engineering solutions – particularly for the automotive sector?

MC: CAD solutions are further highlighted by welcoming larger number of CAD actors. In addition, Imagina enables “non-geometrical based” modeling solutions to participate, such as Optics [www.optis.fr] with his flagship product Speos for light analysis & simulation based on physical & optical fundamentals, A-Volute [www.a-volute.com] with its Nahimic 3D sound solution being a very advanced spatialized sound technique, 3Dconnection [www.3dconnexion.com], from Logitech Group, having developed and promoting innovative & performing 3D mice. To name a few, those solutions directly apply into very various domains of automotive, bringing higher value in terms of design, safety, comfort.

AI: This year, IMAGINA had a partnership with Renault – what kind of automotive partnerships will your 2009 show have?

MC : Renault partnership mostly applies to DSC [Driving Simulation Conference] while most of European automotive manufacturers already shown up at Imagina, as speakers or visitors, reflecting serious interests into the value brought by our event

AI: What are the dates for IMAGINA 2009 and how is it likely to be different from earlier shows?

MC: Imagina 2009 will be held again at Monaco, from 4th to 6th of Feb, 2009. More activities are proposed in the aim of enabling industrials [buyer profile] and exhibitors [seller profile] to meet in more effective manners. At this effect, Imagina 2009 innovates by proposing Master Class sessions.

AI: What percentage of participation in IMAGINA comes from automotive exhibitors and visitors? Is it expected to go up in 2009 and if so why?

MC: Automotive represents around 40% of Imagina’ exhibitors & visitors and we do expect registering 15% growth in 2009. Reasons relate to the market evolution making our western countries reinforcing its positions and values upwards in a project cycle: Styling, Engineering Design, innovations, while industrialization & production show clear movements towards eastern & said emerging markets.

Western automotive industrials [car manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, tiers, etc … have been now exploiting 3D solutions [CAD, specific applications, etc ..] from past 20 years and reach a recognized level of maturity.

Since industrial “3D world” also involves virtual reality techniques, immersive environments, imaging & aspect rendering, simulators, multi-modal devices, etc … it is witnessed from market that those techniques to be increasingly applied into daily works in early product design cycle stages.

Above considerations militate into the need of gathering & meeting such valuable practices – for the sake of our [Automotive] industries – for which Imagina is the privileged and unique promoting event around 3D.

Automotive Industries spoke to Pascal Couchat of OKTAL.

AI: Will you exhibit to IMAGINA 2009 and for which reasons? What are the new products you plan to showcase in IMAGINA 2009?

OK/PC: The business concept of Imagina mixing exhibition, conferences and private interest meeting (PIM) with industrial decision makers is very attractive and maybe unique in Europe. IMAGINA succeeds in the great challenge to renewing its concepts opening to cross-markets applications of 3D technologies especially the Automotive Industry. Furthermore, hosting the Driving Simulation Conference (DSC), IMAGINA is focusing on the core of our market and applications (design, safety and comfort, human factors researches). So, yes we will exhibit with an another SCANeR™ village. At Imagina 2009 we will showcase our new product SCANeR™ Studio. I am convinced that it will be a great success because this is the product that all users of testing and driving simulation software are waiting for!
In addition, we will announce several strategic partnerships which will increase the leadership of SCANeR™ Studio and bring it at the standard solution in testing and driving simulation.

Automotive Industries spoke to Jacob Runnerström of Craft Animations.

AI: Why is participation in events like IMAGINA important for your company? What are some of the new technologies you plan to showcase in IMAGINA 2009?

CA/JR: Marketing! Imagina attracts people who are in the right segment for us. Craft Animations have customers in all four segments that Imagina focuses on. The event is an excellent forum to meet our users and people in the industry.
We had a lot of fun attending Imagina last year, not only because of the wonderful and professional Imagina staff but we also got to display our technology at the main 3D event in Europe.

Craft Animations has put a lot of effort in developing tools that increase quality and speeds up the 3d animation process. This year we will show something special which will make users in the automotive industry very happy.

Automotive Industries also spoke to Joyce Lim of Forum8

AI: How did participation in IMAGINA impact your business? What are some of the new technologies Forum8 is developing for the automotive industry?

F8 / JL: IMAGINA was a good platform for us to network and meet professionals and individuals all over the world who are interested in these technologies. Forum8, the developer of UC-win/Road, 3D real-time VR software, is currently active in the driving simulator market, providing the high quality driving software environment that is available in the driving simulators. We work together with Automobile partners to deliver this state of the art solution. This easy-to-use platform is widely used by engineers all over the world and increasingly gaining popularity in traffic psychology arenas during phobia therapy and other research studies.

Visit IMAGINA 2009 – The European 3D Community Event, 4th – 6th February 2009

http://www.imagina.mc/