Toyota Motorsport flies its design on 3D XML

Toyota Motorsport in Germany says it expects to significantly improve and speed up its collaborative design processes by integrating 3D XML with its Catia V5 CAD/CAM. 3DXML is the emerging web XML-enabled 3D files communication standard that’s succeeding VRML (Virtual Reality Markup Language). “We predict it will greatly aid our long-term goal of being a race-winning team,” says Magnus Lidström, VPM Parts Manager for Toyota. “We are in no doubt that 3D XML will improve our fast-paced design process, allowing us to rapidly communicate design development to our mechanics on the track, and bringing far more accurate transfer of information,” he adds. In tests, Toyota Motorsport found that 3D XML helped improve its approval processes around technical changes, and now plans to implement it throughout design development. With engineers sending one 3D representation instead of multiple 2D images, all aspects of a part can now be visualised quickly and easily by the mechanical team. Hence the time savings, and since all team players can access that data simultaneously on laptops right at track-side, it’s always on and reliable. “3D XML will revolutionise the way the Toyota F1 team modifies its racing cars,” comments Denis Senpéré, general manager, PLM (product lifecycle management) software at Catia developer Dassault Systèmes. “Being able to share information in 3D will bring tremendous advantages over using traditional 2D data.” Moving up to Catia V5 with 3D XML fits well with Toyota Motorsport’s approach of breaking down barriers to create total integration across departments – its ‘one-roof’ concept. The company says it has already seen many benefits from gathering data on the production of its racing cars in one location – something only a handful of Formula 1 teams are able to do.