The Brief:
Work closely with BAE's in-house communications specialists to design an interactive experience that can distil BAE's complex multi-divisional offerings into persuasive, relevant and engaging stories.
Something different
BAE Systems came to us with an interesting requirement, an interactive system that was more engaging than just a touchscreen.
That left us wondering just what sort of technology we could employ here. VR and AR were interesting technologies but difficult to develop for, plus a set of headsets around a table was hardly a crowd drawing attraction. BAE also wanted a system that could cover, not just their maritime division, but also their other interests such as land, sea and communications.
On top of all this, BAE wanted something that was capable of being used at multiple events so this meant no show specific branding and a design that stood by itself rather than being integrated into an exhibition stand.
The concept
Our idea was to utilise object recognition technology to introduce 3D printed models to the touchtable.
This would offer an engaging way for people to experience the content and a visually interesting display to draw them in. With this agreed upon by BAE, I set about designing the table itself. The design had to incorporate a main 75 inch touchscreen, a secondary screen, a large circular LED tower as an attraction piece along with the 3D printed models and storage.
After some back and forth on various shapes and sizes, the client agreed upon a design where the tower unit was detachable so that it could be removed if it wasn’t needed.
Occam's razor
There is no point reinventing the wheel. I am a strong believer in Occam’s razor as a concept and I apply it to every problem first.
So for the base of this touchtable, we elected to use a resource we already had available and one we had experience in. Aluvision’s modular system is something we had used many times before for exhibition stands. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, goes together without the need for tools and has an available Sketchup library.
Using that library of pieces, I constructed the base in Sketchup, generated a list of the components used and had this sent to Aluvision to order our parts.
Our friends
For the more complex upper section, we commissioned our friends over at Protec metal work to take our base shape and turn it into a working product.
I supplied them with my Aluvision base model so they could align their design to it’s mounting points and we collaborated on how elements like the 3D models and inner electronics for the touchscreen glass needed to be integrated. Our contact there suggested a few ways we could improve our concept including a storage draw for the models and created a full CAD model for us to see.
Taking this CAD model from Protec, I integrated it with our Sketchup base and produced visuals of the final design for BAE systems to approve.
With this final design approved, Protec began fabrication of the upper sections whilst I built our first lower section.
Troubled waters
Our 3D printed pucks idea was becoming an issue.
Initially, one of my colleagues had agreed to 3D print these himself as he had a personal interest in 3D printing, we’d even bought a fancy resin printer to get a better result. However, having had a job offer, my colleague decided to part ways with us which left the dilemma of our most important component with me.
To add to our problems, our initial attempts to paint our test models had resulted in poor results, this wasn’t something we could do ourselves anymore.
I spent a considerable amount of time researching places that could do the printing and painting for us, and whilst there were some options locally, none could do so in our ever decreasing time frame. I settled upon a website that offered users the ability to define their requirements and then offer up companies that could achieve those, ours turned out to be in Hong Kong.
My final hurdle was learning how to prep 3D models for printing. Our chosen models were too small and detailed, and Meshmixer, the program I had chosen to check the models suitability, showed multiple issues. I ended up having to remesh all the models, removing extra detail to ensure a proper print.
The Result
The touchtables came together in the end. Whilst a few minor issuse remained, these were eventually ironed out in subsequent updates. One table has been shipped to multiple exhibitions whilst the second is stationed in their offices.
The 3D printed pucks have proven to be a huge draw to exhibition attendees with BAE staff commenting on how military dignitaries in particular enjoy the tactile feel of picking them up and placing them on the table. Ouno has provided content updates and fixes to reported issues with BAE systems commissioning further content scenarios to expand the usability and function of both touchtables.
Take a look at the content below including a video of Ouno Director, Simon Pipe, giving a quick overview of the project and some further insight into it’s design.