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.

SEAL 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.

SEAL began to use computers in accident reconstruction over 15 years ago, and continues to utilize state-of-the-art accident reconstruction software. SEAL was among the first users of Engineering Dynamics Corporation's new 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, SEAL 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 using HVE-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.

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.