Visualizing Standardized Model-Based Design and Inspection Data in Augmented Reality

Augmented reality (AR) has already helped manufacturers realize value across a variety of domains, including assistance in maintenance, process monitoring, and product assembly. However, coordinating traditional engineering data representations into AR systems without loss of context and information remains a challenge. A major barrier is the lack of interoperability between manufacturing-specific data models and AR-capable data representations. In response, we present a pipeline for porting standards-based design and inspection data into an AR scene. As a result, product manufacturing information with three-dimensional (3D) model data and corresponding inspection results are successfully overlaid onto a physical part. We demonstrate our pipeline by interacting with annotated parts while continuously tracking their pose and orientation. We then validate the pipeline by testing against six fully toleranced design models, accompanied by idealized inspection results. Our work (1) provides insight on how to address fundamental issues related to interoperability between domain-specific models and AR systems and (2) establishes an open software pipeline from which others can implement and further develop.