How can you validate the ergonomics, lighting, and design of a multi-ton truck with millimeter precision? Renault Trucks, a manufacturer of industrial vehicles, has been tackling this and other challenges for more than two decades thanks to immersive simulations.

In Saint-Priest, near Lyon, their Powerwall a 1:1 scale stereoscopic LED wall enables engineering teams to collaborate in real time on physically realistic 3D models. The renovation of this system by Immersion marks a real technological and functional upgrade. It also paves the way for a wider range of uses, offering new possibilities for collaboration and visualization for teams.

A story of pioneers

At Renault Trucks, XR has been integrated into engineering processes for over 20 years. We head to the Lyon site, where Frédéric Rabellino, Senior Expert “Advanced Visualization & Interactive Simulation” at Renault Trucks, and his team have developed a laboratory equipped with an LED Powerwall and a Virtual Reality platform with immersive headsets.

The solution: a full-scale LED Powerwall for collective and technical immersion

High-end equipment for industrial validations

The Renault Trucks immersive room is equipped with an LED wall, offering stereoscopic visualization of vehicles on a 1:1 scale. This device allows for collective immersion of up to twelve people simultaneously, without headsets, which is essential for collaborative technical reviews.

  • Display technology: High-resolution LEDs ensure unparalleled visualization, with advanced brightness and color space management.
  • Simulation software: A real-time 3D visualization tool has long been used by the brand to display its data in a physically realistic manner.
  • Calibrated environment: The room faithfully reproduces the viewing conditions of a real vehicle, with accuracy validated by correlation tests between the virtual and physical worlds.

“When you enter this room, you can’t even see the edge of the LED wall” says Frédéric Rabellino. “The quality is such that some people have been under the impression that they were looking at a physical vehicle, not a simulation.”

Custom integration by Immersion

To modernize this room, Immersion provided:

  • Consulting: on technologies and room layout by our architect
  • Complete technical integration: integration into the Renault Trucks ecosystem, room layout.
  • Training for teams on the use of the Powerwall and associated tools.
  • Ongoing support to ensure continuity of use and the possibility of upgrading the solution in line with industrial needs.

“The quality of Immersion’s response to our call for tenders and its rigorous support were important factors in our choice”, explains Frédéric Rabellino.

Practical uses: perceived quality, light, and collaborative validation

This tool is used during play and outcrop reviews, with a level of accuracy that correlates with reality. While this use case is now commonplace, the Powerwall now covers nine other use cases.

1– Game and outcrop reviews: technical validation at scale 1

The immersive system is used during game and outcrop reviews. Thanks to scale 1 visualization and realistic real-time rendering, teams from different disciplines can exchange ideas, eliminate uncertainties, and make faster, more informed decisions.

“We have carried out a correlation study between decisions made in front of a physical vehicle and those made in front of the Powerwall”, emphasizes Frédéric Rabellino. “The results are excellent, and we are preparing a scientific publication on this subject.”

2– Light and lighting simulation: precision and realism for industrial validation

“We don’t work with simple images, but with real-time simulations based on the physics of materials and light”, explains Frédéric Rabellino. “This allows us to adjust the lighting as if we were inside the vehicle.”

Thanks to this technology, teams can test headlight performance in a variety of environments without waiting for real-world conditions, and validate the ergonomics of controls by simulating different interior lighting configurations to ensure optimal visibility.

3– Color/material evaluation: an unexpected and promising use

The quality of the Powerwall’s LED wall, coupled with a physical color/material capture process, opens up new possibilities for color and material evaluation.

“The quality of the rendering opens up new perspectives for us, such as color and material evaluation, a use that we had not initially anticipated for this system, but which was already being exploited in the fashion industry with XR headsets”, says Frédéric Rabellino.

4– A versatile tool, adopted by engineering and other departments

Initially designed for engineering, the Powerwall has attracted interest beyond the design department. Use cases have been implemented in the communications department, for example.

“Other departments have been won over by the quality of the visualization, to the point of requesting more usage time”, emphasizes Frédéric Rabellino. “This benefit demonstrates the attractiveness of the solution, even if engineering remains its primary use”, he explains.
The result: a tool that is highly praised for its simplicity and efficiency, adopted well beyond its initial use cases, and which has established itself as a lever for cross-functional collaboration.

The benefits: more reliable, collaborative, and innovative validations

  • Accelerated design
  • Quality and ergonomics guaranteed from the design stage
  • Proven correlation between virtual and real
  • Technology that takes a back seat to expertise

“In addition to the traditional benefits associated with our engineering processes (reduction in the number of physical models and acceleration of design loops), we are able to ensure an optimal level of perceived quality in our Renault Trucks vehicles, as well as ergonomics from the design stage, which provides a guarantee of quality well ahead of manufacturing”, explains Frédéric Rabellino.

Why Renault Trucks chose Immersion: expertise and tailor-made support

  • A long-standing partnership
    Renault Trucks and Immersion have been working together for over 20 years, distinguished by a deep understanding of industrial challenges and an ability to offer tailored solutions.
  • Technical and human support
    “Immersion won us over with the quality of its response to our call for tenders, but also with its rigorous support”, explains Frédéric Rabellino. “We carried out an in-depth benchmarking exercise with six manufacturers and four integrators. Immersion won the integration part. We chose Barco for the LED technology.”
  • Ongoing support
    “Immersion provided us with high-quality technical and human support”, says Frédéric Rabellino. “The quality of support on technical choices during the pre-sales phase and the level of technical expertise during the implementation of our immersive room were decisive factors. I was particularly impressed by some of the highly skilled profiles.”

A bold and pioneering project

“This LED Powerwall, the first of its kind on such a large scale, has been a source of shared pride”, says Marc Audonnet, XR Products Sales Officer and Renault Trucks Account Manager at Immersion. “Renault Trucks made a visionary choice in opting for LED technology, which is relevant to their industrial needs. Initially designed for extremely technical use, the system, which combines aesthetics and functionality, has evolved into much broader applications, delivering an accelerated return on investment. Immersion pushed the boundaries of what our partners and suppliers knew: at the time, no one else had dared to do this.”

Would you also like to validate your designs with unparalleled precision? Speed up your team’s decision-making processes? Benefit from expert, tailor-made support, from needs assessment to integration?

Contact us to discuss your project and discover how our solutions can transform your industrial processes.