CFD has become an important design tool in nearly every industrial field because it provides values for fluid velocity, fluid temperature, fluid pressure and species concentrations throughout a flow domain. But CFD analysis to date has been limited by post-processors that provide results relative to a fixed user position that discourage discovery. Virtual Vantage software harnesses the power of virtual reality to convert the flow domain into a computer-generated world that the user can immerse himself or herself within in order to bring their fullest potential of human thought and skill to bear on the problem.

The data can be explored with a wide range of virtual reality environments. The user can maneuver through the design using a joystick, SpaceBall or SpaceMouse from 3Dconnexion, or keypad. The addition of an emitter and a pair of stereoscopic glasses can enhance the sense of depth and realism of the simulation. The virtual environment can be projected onto a wall to collaborate with designers, customers and managers. Projectors for wall displays can be for mono or stereovision and use LCD or DLP technology. Projection on multiple walls results in the creation of a virtual reality theater, of which the CAVETM produced by FakeSpace Systems is a common example.

Interactive visualization of a mixing vessel.