HONDA LEADS INDUSTRY-FIRST DEVELOPMENT OF VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY TO ADVANCE STUDY OF CRASH TEST SIMULATIONS

June 25, 2014 by Honda

06/25/2014 - RAYMOND, Ohio -- In its constant pursuit of designing and building safer vehicles for all road users, Honda is pioneering the use of a groundbreaking new three-dimensional, crash-simulation visualization technology based on DELTAGEN, the leading high-end 3D visualization software by 3DXCITE (formerly known as RTT).

The technology takes the output from a commonly-used advanced simulation software package, known as LS DYNA CAE, and renders the event in a three-dimensional presentation. The visualization technology, which was first designed for use in the animation and film industry, enables Honda engineers to more easily study the results of a crash simulation, test different design approaches and implement design changes with greater speed and efficiency.

Honda engineers are able to manipulate the rendering, rotate the view in any direction and strip away parts of the vehicle to isolate a section or component for more thorough analysis. The crash barrier can also be rendered transparent in the virtual environment so the immediate effects of a crash can be viewed from multiple points of view, including the driver's seat.

The visualization software was co-developed by Honda R&D Americas, Inc., the North American research and development arm of Honda, and 3DXCITE.

'With this technology, we have gained the potential to improve the quality of decision making and reduce the time required for finalizing a vehicle design by greatly increasing the ease of communicating and understanding the results of a crash test simulation,' said Eric DeHoff, Technical Leader for CAE in the Crash Safety Group of Honda R&D Americas, Inc. 'This tool will promote a more complete understanding of vehicle safety design amongst all engineers involved in our vehicle development process.'

Honda engineers challenged developers at 3DXCITE to integrate the DELTAGEN software with Honda's existing LS-DYNA CAE crash simulation data to deliver a detailed 3D rendering of the simulation. Honda engineers provided detailed parameters of the tool and oversaw its development.

'This technology would not have become a reality without the vision and leadership of Honda engineers,' said Tom Celusnak, Solutions Architect for 3DXCITE.

'Past efforts at creating this kind of highly realistic rendering involved weeks of concentrated effort by engineers and rendering specialists and would result a single simulation with fixed viewing parameters,' added DeHoff. 'With this new technology we can create and manipulate the simulation at the push of a button, and we can do it in hours instead of weeks.'

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Honda R&D has been utilizing LS-DYNA non-linear crash simulation technology since 1998 as part of its new-model development process and has used the technology to help develop new safety designs, including its next-generation Advance Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, now being applied to every new Honda and Acura vehicle, and the innovative one-piece hot-stamped door stiffener ring first applied to the HRA-developed 2014 Acura MDX. Today, as a result, Honda has more vehicles achieving an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating than any other automaker, including the Honda Accord sedan and coupe, the Civic sedan, Odyssey minivan, Acura RLX sedan and Acura MDX sport-utility vehicle.

About Honda's Commitment to Safety

Honda has a long history of leadership in the development and application of advanced technologies designed to enhance the safety of all road users, including automobile occupants, motorcycle riders and pedestrians. American Honda leads the industry in third-party crash test ratings, with more Honda and Acura automobile achieving top safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) than any other automaker. The company is also broadly applying advanced driver-assistive technologies, such as Forward Collision Warning and Lane Departure Warning, to its product lineup. Also, American Honda has applied rearview cameras as standard equipment to all of its light truck models and 95 percent of its passenger cars for model year 2014, and will achieve 100-percent application by 2015.

About 3DXCITE

3DXCITE software, solutions, and CGI services provide high-end 3D visualizations in real-time for high-impact storytelling across all media channels. Leveraging your source data, 3DXCITE opens up creative freedom to deliver emotional assets for digital, interactive marketing and sales experiences. From consulting to workflow to final visualization assets, 3DXCITE transforms engineering data into powerful visual experiences which we call engineered excitement. For more information, please go to www.rtt.ag.