Ford partners with Gravity Sketch to bring 3D VR design tool into its design studios

Ford’s new partnership with Gravity Sketch wants to put its customers first—starting right from the design process. The automaker is the first one to use Gravity Sketch’s 3D virtual reality tool so its designers can skip 2D sketches and jump right into creating 3D models of their designs. According to Ford and Gravity Sketch, this approach prioritizes the people who will be using the cars. Using VR headset and controllers, the designers can anchor a driver at the center and start creating the 3D design around them, or they can even choose to “step inside” the vehicle and begin designing around them.

Across five global Ford design studios, both interior and exterior designers are using Gravity Sketch to see how the software can be used for real-time collaboration. The hope is this approach will change the entire design process by reducing development time and allowing for more 3D representations in the evaluation stage.