Simulation software supplier OPTIS are turning 25 this year. The company say their software is uniquely able to simulate human vision, enabling to visualise the product as it will be seen in its ultimate environment, both lit and unlit and in any given weather conditions, day and night. In doing so, virtual prototypes can be improved and multiplied. Thus the positions of these lighting elements, their intensity, the choice of on-board materials and sources can be simulated and optimised.
OPTIS software allows manufacturers to model & optimize lighting performance, and simulate the heads-up displays or HUD as it will really be seen in the driving environment. So surroundings and outdoor lighting, as well as glare from oncoming headlights or sun can be taken into account. OPTIS also say that since drivers perceive and interpret visual data and make critical decisions based on what they see, designing human-machine interfaces must be done as realistically as possible. The company’s simulation results show, for example, how dashboard instrumentation and GPS screens will be perceived depending on environment and time of day.
