Natural VR modeling: a viable alternative to freehand sketching for preliminary design?

Harlan J, Götz S, Wartzack S (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Design Science Cambridge University Press

Book Volume: 11

Article Number: e6

DOI: 10.1017/dsj.2025.1

Abstract

The ideating phase of product design is critical, as decisions made here influence the rest of the product’s lifecycle. Usually, early preliminary designs in engineering are created with pen and paper, which are incompatible with the subsequent digital design process. In an effort to find a modeling tool for early designs that provides the creative flexibility of freehand sketching but also the further processability of digital models, this research investigates natural modeling in virtual reality (VR). To do so, a VR modeling method allowing the intuitive creation of preliminary designs as simplified computer-aided design (CAD) models is presented. The main contribution is the evaluation of this natural VR modeling method against freehand sketching in an extensive user study.

Authors with CRIS profile

Jakob Harlan Chair of Engineering Design (KTmfk) Stefan Götz Chair of Engineering Design (KTmfk) Sandro Wartzack Chair of Engineering Design (KTmfk)

How to cite

APA:

Harlan, J., Götz, S., & Wartzack, S. (2025). Natural VR modeling: a viable alternative to freehand sketching for preliminary design? Design Science, 11. https://doi.org/10.1017/dsj.2025.1

MLA:

Harlan, Jakob, Stefan Götz, and Sandro Wartzack. "Natural VR modeling: a viable alternative to freehand sketching for preliminary design?" Design Science 11 (2025).

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