A passenger car is driving on a state highway close to a construction
zone when a big gust of wind stirs up a large dust cloud that quickly moves
across the road ahead and obscures the driver's vision. Knowing several cars
are ahead he begins to slow. He carefully drives at reduced speed
watching for cars in the dust. Hoping no one is overtaking he glances rearward just as a large tractor-trailer rig rapidly emerges
from the dust. He has little time to brace for a collision.
S.E.A.L. has been
involved in accident reconstruction projects for more than 20 years. We can help you determine the why and how of accidents. Recent advances in
computer technology now make it possible to demonstrate in full motion how
an accident occurred. Click
on the truck to see a video of the truck emerging from the dust cloud.
S.E.A.L. began to use computers in
accident reconstruction over 15 years ago, and continues to utilize
state-of-the-art accident reconstruction software. S.E.A.L. was among the first
users of Engineering Dynamics
Corporation'snew PC version of HVE 3-D®. A 3-D vehicle
model library including hundreds of makes and year models is readily
available for projects. Additionally, if the library does
not include a particular foreign or domestic vehicle, S.E.A.L. can create custom
3-D vehicles, equipment, or scenery using our in-house graphics
department. We have created dozers, snow mobiles, motorcycles,
semi-tractor trailers, concrete barriers, crash attenuators, oil field
equipment, tanker trucks, and an entire oil drilling rig, just to name a
few. If the environment in which an accident took place is a factor, we can
visualize forests, trees, dust storms, rain, explosions, fire, or just about
any other condition necessary to depict an event.
Computer modeling to analyze vehicle accidents was started
decades ago by the federal government. Private companies have added to the
government research to write software that is suited for personal computers. Advances in personal computer
speed and capacity have allowed for more flexibility and greater variable analysis in
shorter periods of time. For example, automobile accident reconstruction
software uses enhanced graphics to help visualize
scientifically, the results of complex physics-based mathematical
calculations. Variables such as throttle, braking and steering input,
tire types, road surfaces, vehicle stiffness, engine size, transmission type, and other
parameters are all factors that may be included for specific passenger and commercial
vehicle accident analysis. The results of these data can be output in the form
of 3-D motion video.
Astonishing realism is now possible in 3-D scientific visualizations. Events depicted are based upon specific input from a
combination of physical evidence, witness testimony, and real world features
with key object
and environment geometry data source measurement. Computers then perform
calculations based on physics and the laws of motion to determine time and
distance relationships between objects to define movement.
Several levels of scientific visualization
presentation are available to meet customer needs.
Shown above are 3-D vehicles on a basic 2-D road drawing. An accurate
simulation model of motion and object perspective does not require detailed
color and texture rendering. An accident sequence may be shown in wire
frame only. These presentations employ the same physics as fully rendered
graphics.
Another solution to 3-D scientific visualization, including
3-D vehicles, such as passenger cars,
trucks, semi-tractor trailers, vegetation, road and road contours, may be
generated usingHVE-3D®. These physics-based models include variables
such as vehicle speed, weight, size, tires, road surface, driver steering, and
braking input, as well as hundreds of other data input factors. Click to view
Fully rendered 3-D environments including
extensive texture mapping of actual scenery and complex 3-D objects result in a high degree of
visual realism. Scientific visualizations of an event based upon input
from a combination of witness testimony and evidence using physics and
laws of motion to determine time and distance relationships between objects
to define motion. Click to view simulation
S.E.A.L. graphics are created at the S.E.A.L. offices
under the supervision of the project engineer. Color or texture can be
simple or complex. Click to view simulation.
3-D environment and objects are created from real world
dimensions and proportions. Motion or movement follows the laws of Newtonian physics.
3-D drawings for specific equipment can be created. Motion
in pictured motorized wheel barrow includes wheels, steering handle bars, and
rotation of the dump bucket.
Click to view
Custom 3-D wire frame models of objects or vehicles are
often needed to depict an accident. These may include fairly basic models
with hundreds of moving parts, as
seen above, to the highly complex. Equipment such as this are placed in
realistic environments to illustrate an event, or accident.
A scaled 3-D oil well drilling rig was created to simulate a
derrick collapse. Many thousands of movable sub-objects were used to create the
velocity curve necessary to depict the entire collapse. Because the rig was
created in 3-D, it may be viewed from many angles during the collapse.
Click to view
Above an example of the beginning stages of animating
parts of a snowmobile is pictured. Steering movement of handlebars and skis along with
track movement adds to realism. Mountain terrain with trees and snow
are used to create the necessary realism to depict the snowmobile accident.
