Post the IANE meeting featuring friend of Flashpoint Michael Collins (Founder of The Big Idea Group) I thought I’d do a post on virtual prototypes for physical inventions.  There are many different types of virtual prototypes, but basically its a product picture rendered on a computer.  We make virtual inventions all the time, but we tend to favor CAD and cheap rapid prototyping fabricators, because I think you get more value.

In its simplest form, a virtual prototype is a Adobe Illustrator / Phototoshop (Google Sketchup is free and ok) drawing of your new invention.  The drawing will use texture, shading and materials to make it look like it was a picture of the real thing.  This is a popular route for trying to license because it should cost a few hundred bucks max and you have something pretty to send around on a sell sheet to potential licensees.  While these pictures tend to make the product look more real, I always wonder how much more affective they are than a really good colored sketch by a talented artist.  The only measurable value that these prototypes provide is the lines.  Adobe Illustrator wire forms can be imported into a CAD project like Solidworks and essentially traced.

The next step up is animating these drawings.  I feel that if  you are going to go the virtual prototype route and actually giving licensing pitches, having something that actually demonstrates how a customer will use it can really help see what is going on.  During the presentation, Mike showed a rendering of a picture frame with a snow globe feature in front of the lens.  From the audience it was hard to see what the product was, it looked like a foggy picture lens.  However if there was a quick animation showing it shake and the snow flakes jumping around, we would have got it immediately and said, “wow that’s a great idea”.

The object of these virtual prototyping strategies is to make the product seem real, however they have made very little progress on actuall becoming real.  The way to bring them to life is through CAD like Solidworks (Alibre is free and very functional).  The benefits of using CAD are enormous, but it is a little bit more expensive than an animation (not that much and well worth it).  The benefits are:

• Integration of required features in design (circuit board, battery, plastic connection etc.).  Instead of a drawing dreaming up dimensions, these are actual accurate sizing for the product.
• Prototype ability:  With a CAD drawing you can get a cheap rapid prototype for a few hundred bucks and actually be able to hold it in your hands.  It won’t be the real material, but you can feel it in your hands and that is how you make your products real.
• Virtual testing:  CAD allows you to do engineering analysis to really understand where the product might break.  Stress analysis and Finite Element Analysis are great tools to make the best long term product.
• Actual Progress:  I believe that a licensee, is looking for a great idea that has made good progress.  If the licensee has done it in the past, having a CAD (which they understand is required to move forward) is a great selling advantage.
• Manufacturing quotes:  You can get accurate manufacturing costs from willing manufacturers. With a rendering they are guessing and a guess that is a few dollars of the actual could have really bad affects on the financial breakdown of a product.
• Does everything else:  A CAD drawing can use material textures, shading, animation very easily.

So CAD drawings will cost a little more than the animation of a rendering and you will get a lot more.  Most importantly, don’t rely on virtual prototypes to lead you to production.  Comfort, size, feel are all important aspects of a physical product and when you pursue a virtual prototyping strategy exclusively to production you will not have tested very import features of your invention.  If you are pursuing renderings for licensing, that is fine but realize the shortcomings and try to compensate with a truely accurate rendering that can be transfered into CAD.  As an engineer, product developer and former inventor I just love it when physical prototypes are made.  Holding your idea in your hand, having it work and showing people what you have accomplished is truely a rush.  If you need any help, if the costs seem outrageous, if you are uncertain about who to hire, if you are a first timer looking for some guidance, feel free to let us know (no cost or obligation).