This season, Quentin wanted to add a sapphire case to the design of the watch MTV 4N-01. The concept was to display the movement of this exceptional timepiece with transparency.
"I wanted to create a new Sapphire case to magnify the three-dimensional movement of the watch. The idea was to highlight the mechanism. Transparency was the key of this new project", explains François Quentin.
He worked closely with the FashionLab to develop this new model, using Dassault Systèmes 3D design software. The aim was not only to manage this material and its impact on visual effects, but also to calculate the impact generated on the shape of the case.
The project became live in two steps: the first was dedicated to the design of the new case in 3D, based on the new material (sapphire) and the impact on the overall shape of the case. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform on Cloud was used to imagine, design and build this new version of the watch. My Product Portfolio on Cloud technology enabled fast deployment and integrated 3D digital continuity to cover all stages of development of the watch.
The second step was to validate the effects of transparency, while maintaining a reliable rendering quality. For that, the FashionLab and the designer combined forces with the company's NVIDIA experts in visual computing, to adopt a high-performance tool dedicated to graphic quality and faster calculation time.
"It was a real technical challenge because a sapphire case requires hundreds of hours of processing. . . It was therefore essential to digitally validate the shape before starting manufacturing. In addition, 3D modeling of transparency is a real challenge because it brings calculation complexity", said Quentin.
Thierry Rouf, 3D Expert at the FashionLab by Dassault Systèmes explains: "The Visual Computing Appliance (VCA) tool provided by NVIDIA is materialised by a 3D calculation server installed in our office near Paris. During Basel World, we will access this through an Internet connection. Through this physical calculation platform and the developments in our 3D CATIA design software, we will be able to remotely and dynamically view, in photorealistic quality, all components of this new watch."
The sapphire cased watch will be presented during the BaselWorld 2015 through a physical prototype and a 3D photo realistic display.