Lanner simulation software to get Virtalis virtual reality boost

According to Virtalis managing director David Cockburn-Price, Lanner will license Virtalis technology and the two companies will collaborate to develop enhanced 3D, 3D stereo-enabled and VR-enabled capabilities for Lanner's Witness 13 simulation system, scheduled for release later this year. "VR is all about decision making and so are Lanner's products," comments Cockburn-Price. "Lanner is a pioneer that created the world's first visual interactive simulation tool and we also have made many technological breakthroughs in advanced visualisation," he continues. "Ultimately, we both help our customers to communicate, to make better informed business decisions and to improve business efficiency." The Quick3D capability within Witness will be extended by Virtalis technology, offering manufacturing users the option to visualise their models in enhanced 3D or stereoscopic 3D. Later this year, however, Visionary Render for Witness will be launched, according to Ian Dabney, Lanner's head of products, which will also deploy all the most advanced VR techniques in Virtalis' arsenal. "To the professional operational analysts who form the majority of our user base, modelling capability and efficacy is key," states Dabney. "When you are spending hundreds of millions building a gas pipeline, constructing a hospital or planning the manufacturing facilities for a new model of car, the critical factor is whether the model accurately predicts future performance," he continues. "However, once the model has been verified and an optimal solution found, then this has to be communicated to the stakeholders, which often requires presenting the results visually. "We approached Virtalis, because we wanted to partner with a company that has both the technology and skills to equip Witness with powerful and flexible 3D and VR capabilities."