3D visualisation

The process of ‘fine tuning’ your new Audi down to the smallest detail and trim option is about to get significantly simpler with Audi’s new Visualisation Engine.

The first automotive manufacturer to employ this new technology in its product configurator, the new interactive experience will ultimately replace the traditional static images of a customer’s car and give an unprecedented view of exactly how the new vehicle – with all of its options, colour schemes and finishes – will look.

A 360 degree view of an animated vehicle in real time, produced directly via the Audi website will show the customer their new vehicle in extraordinary detail, allowing them to do everything from turn on the lights or open the doors – everything to get a real sense of how the vehicle as per their specifications will look and feel. Customers can, with a simple click, even place their vehicle against different backdrops – say against a lush green field – or home in on small details to see exactly how they will look as a whole.

The benefits of such a system are obvious, given that in pathetical terms, there are literally several hundred million possibilities for models and equipment variants available.

“Particularly when it comes to the individual equipment options, our new 3D visualisation in the configurator provides customers with an extremely comprehensive, detailed image of the desired model and supports their purchasing decision,” says Thomas Orenz, project manager for the Audi Visualisation Engine at AUDI AG. 

Using the same rendering techniques as those used in the video game industry, along with virtual Audi data models, the vehicle is rendered in real time on any device directly via the Audi website, with no need for an additional app or plug-in. 

This new application in the configurator is Audi’s next step toward a digital customer experience, an area the brand has long been refining in an attempt to give customers the best and most comprehensive purchasing experience. Audi’s virtual tools and virtual showrooms such as the Audi City concepts and MyAudi Sphere, have long changed the way customers visualise their finished vehicle, and this new visualisation tool will add a further dimension to the process.

The Audi Visualisation Engine is being rolled out for all available models in major European markets such as Germany, the UK, France and Spain as well as in the USA and Japan. In the future, plans include upgrading image quality to 4K, as well as additional country-specific environments for the vehicles and customised use of the solution for dealerships.