Xstudio - a Collaborative Metaverse-Based Tool for Automotive Design and Engineering

This work addresses the limitations of traditional 2D collaboration tools in automotive design, where complex 3D model reviews require immersive spatial interaction. We developed a metaverse-based collaborative platform for automotive design processes using Unreal Engine 5, addressing three research directions: (1) core requirements for automotive design collaboration, (2) effectiveness of immersive technologies in such professional workflows, and (3) an empirical user study of test scenarios comparing the platform as a conventional PC application to an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) experience. Xstudio enables real-time interaction with 3D models and advanced functionalities for design teams. We evaluated the effectiveness of the tool through user studies and technical performance analysis. The expert study of 11 employees, who were part of the engineering department of BMW (a European car manufacturer), was designed to evaluate the usability of the features using the System Usability Score (SUS), which scored a promising value of 76 (VR) and 74 (PC). The NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) resulted in 40.1 for VR and 37.7 in PC mode. A set of quantitative analyses with factors such as task completion time (TCT), error rates (ER), and user interaction metrics (UIM) were applied in the comparison of VR and PC modes. The result shows that the VR mode has higher TCT than the PC mode, but in contrast, VR has a higher interaction rate to complete the task, input precision, and the multi-step manipulation can be optimized. We summarize the findings in guidelines for future research in the collaborative car design process. Key technical contributions include a modular Entity-Component-System architecture for dynamic tool customization and hybrid VR/PC interactions. In the domain-specific automotive engineering space, both application types complement each other, offering efficiency (PC) or immersion (VR) for specific tasks. Future work will focus on UI/UX refinements with rigorous validation in follow-up studies. Specific improvements will include streamlined menus, snap-based selection aids, and pointer-locking tools to address precision challenges.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality

• Publication date

  2025-10-08

• Fields of study

  Computer Science, Engineering

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1109/ISMAR67309.2025.00166
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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