Large-Scale CAD Model Visualization on a Scalable Shared-Memory Architecture

One of the most pervasive problems in large-scale engineering projects is the difficulty in properly fitting all individual parts together. The prohibitively high investment of using physical mockups has led to pre-assembly being performed almost entirely digital. Unfortunately, the vast complexity of full CAD datasets can not be handled by available highend graphics hardware. In this article we present a ray tracing based software system running on a scalable shared-memory architecture, which allows for interactive high-quality visualization and evaluation of huge CAD models. Special features like cutting planes, model interrogation, sophisticated shading, and collaborative remote visualization are also supported. The capabilities of our framework will be demonstrated on a practical example, the collaborative design review of a complete Boeing 777 airliner.