VR-BESO: A VR-based structural design tool

Welcome to the VR-BESO user guide.

VR-BESO is a novel interactive structural design tool based on virtual reality (VR) [1,2]. This tool integrates VR sculpting and topology optimisation techniques to generate innovative, lightweight, and efficient 3D structural designs. VR-BESO allows designers to immersively and intuitively observe and interact with 3D models. By alternatively using VR sculpting and executing topology optimisation, a human–computer collaboration is established to improve the efficiency of design exploration and the quality of optimised structures.

Unique features:

1. Immersive modeling environment

2. Intuitive interaction experience

3. Rich design freedom

4. Iterative design exploration

5. Reliable structural performance

This guide covers all the basics, such as installation, GUI instruction, and detailed tutorials.

Have fun with VR-BESO :)

VR-BESO: A VR-based structural design toolYouTube

*Another software related to VR-BESO is called iBESO, which is used for 2D structural design [3–6].

Download

Windows x64

Contents

• Installation – detailed installation instructions

• GUI – a description of the graphic user interface

• Tutorial – VR-BESO tutorials

Authors

Zhi "Albert" Li, Ting-Uel "Jeff" Lee, Yi Min "Mike" Xie

Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Australian Research Council (FL190100014).

License

VR-BESO is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Reference

[1] Z. Li, T.-U. Lee, Y.M. Xie, Interactive 3D structural design in virtual reality using preference-based topology optimization, Computer-Aided Design 160 (2025) 103532.

[2] Z. Li, T.-U. Lee and Y. M. Xie, “Exploring and optimizing innovative structures in virtual reality,” in Proceedings of the IASS Annual Symposium 2024: Redefining the Art of Structural Design, Zurich, Switzerland, Aug. 25–30, P. Block, G. Boller, C. D. Wolf, J. Pauli and W. Kaufmann (Eds.), 2024, pp. 1–10.

[3] Z. Li, T.-U. Lee, Y. M. Xie, "Interactive structural topology optimization with subjective scoring and drawing systems," Computer-Aided Design, vol. 160 (2023) 103532.

[4] Z. Li, T.-U. Lee and Y. M. Xie, “Topology optimisation considering subjective preferences: current progress and challenges,” in Proceedings of the IASS Annual Symposium 2023: Integration of Design and Fabrication, Melbourne, Australia, Jul. 10–14, 2023, Y. M. Xie, J. Burry, T.-U. Lee and J. Ma (Eds.), 2023, pp. 2430–2440.

[5] Z. Li, T.-U. Lee, Y.M. Xie, iBESO: An interactive topology optimization design tool, RMIT University (Apr 2023).

[6] Z. Li, Interactive Structural Topology Optimisation Considering Subjective Preferences, RMIT University, 2024.

BibTex

@article{Li2024VRBESO,
author = "Zhi Li and Ting-Uei Lee and Yi Min Xie",
title = "{VR-BESO: A VR-based structural design tool}",
year = "2024",
month = "3",
url = "https://rmit.figshare.com/articles/dataset/VR-BESO_A_VR-based_structural_design_tool/25469278",
doi = "10.25439/rmt.25469278.v1"
}