A new tool from Patrick Industries could change how future RVs are designed before they ever reach a dealer lot.
The Elkhart, Indiana-based RV supplier has unveiled “The Experience,” a new digital design studio built around a massive 50-foot-wide by 14-foot-tall LED screen. The setup allows manufacturers to design and visualize RVs at full 1:1 scale, making it possible to test ideas in real time without building as many physical prototypes.
How Does the Digital Design Studio Work?
According to Patrick, the studio uses technology similar to what is used in video-game environments, letting designers quickly swap materials, colors, layouts, and lighting while seeing the changes immediately on screen. The company says that can dramatically shorten the design process and help manufacturers make decisions faster.
That matters because the traditional RV design process can be slow and expensive. Manufacturers often build multiple full-size prototypes as they work through different design choices, a process that can take weeks or even months. Patrick says some manufacturers using this new system are now doing in two to three days what previously took two to three weeks.
Patrick says “The Experience” is intended to serve manufacturers in the RV, marine, and powersports industries, with the RV side likely drawing the most attention in Elkhart, where so much of the industry is based.
This story was part of the March 30th RV and Camping News Roundup.
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