INTERACT Release 2025.1

Introducing the Next INTERACT Release: Puppet Mode, Cable Grasping, and More!

INTERACT 2025.1 is packed with exciting new features, enhancements, and fixes to empower your VR workflows. This release brings significant improvements to ergonomic analysis, physics-based interactions, and scenario creation, making INTERACT an even more powerful tool for industrial simulations, training, and design validation. Let’s dive into the highlights of this release, with a special focus on two game-changing features: Puppet Mode for ergonomic analysis and Cable Grasping for enhanced physics interactions.

Puppet Mode

One of the standouts features of this release is the introduction of Puppet Mode, a new ergonomic toolset designed to streamline workstation validation and ergonomic analysis in VR. With Puppet Mode, you can now instantiate in the scene and manipulate a virtual manikin from a third-person point of view (POV) to assess workstation ergonomics—without the need for motion trackers. This makes ergonomic studies and workstation design more accessible and efficient.

Here’s what Puppet Mode brings to the table:

• Instantiate a Puppet Avatar: Easily add a puppet avatar for ergonomic analysis directly from the INTERACT menu in the Unity Editor or from the VR menu in Play mode.

• Flexible Positioning: Position the puppet and its platform using laser grabbing, giving you precise control over its placement in the virtual environment.

• Direct Limb Manipulation: Move the puppet’s limbs through direct manipulation, allowing you to simulate real-world postures and validate ergonomic conditions with ease.

In addition to the existing embodied ergonomic avatar, this new feature is a game-changer for industries, where ensuring operator comfort and safety is critical. By eliminating the need for external trackers, Puppet Mode reduces setup time and makes ergonomic analysis more intuitive, enabling teams to iterate faster and design better workstations.

Cable Grasping: Enhanced Realism in Physics Interactions

The second major highlight of this release is the introduction of Cable Grasping, a significant upgrade to INTERACT’s physics capabilities. Building on the power of the XDE physics engine (upgraded to version 25.02 in this release), cables can now be manipulated and snapped to VR hands. This allows for more realistic and interactive cable handling in VR, a crucial feature for training or design scenarios involving complex machinery, such as in the automotive or aerospace sectors.

Key improvements to cable interactions include:

• VR Hand Manipulation: Cables can now be grasped and manipulated directly with XR hands, with a snapping mechanism that ensures smooth and natural interactions.

• Cable Creation from CAD Lines: You can now generate cables directly from imported CAD lines, simplifying the process of integrating real-world designs into your VR scenarios.

• Performance Monitoring: The Editor now tracks cable node counts in scene stats helping you optimize performance.

• Pixyz action: Cables can now be generated upon CAD import using the Pixyz rule engine.

These enhancements make cable simulations more lifelike and user-friendly, enabling operators to practice handling cables in a virtual environment that mirrors real-world physics. Whether you’re training technicians on cable routing or simulating maintenance tasks, Cable Grasping brings a new level of realism to your VR workflows.

Other Noteworthy Updates

Beyond Puppet Mode and Cable Grasping, this release includes several other improvements to enhance your experience with INTERACT:

• Physics Enhancements: The XDE physics engine upgrade to version 25.02.00 improves overall performance and stability and comes with improvements such as the center property for Planar Joints or support for XdeBall joints in scenario.

• Editor Improvements: New features like moving mesh pivot points using shape detection, updated documentation URLs, and preferred version advice during package installation streamline the development process.

• Bug Fixes: we have addressed several issues, including installation compatibility with Unity 6 and Pixyz Plugin 3.1 (see the full list in the changelog).

Why This Release Matters

At LS GROUP, we’re committed to making INTERACT the go-to solution for industrial VR simulations, and this release is a testament to that mission. The introduction of Puppet Mode and Cable Grasping addresses key pain points for our users, offering more intuitive tools for ergonomic analysis and more realistic physics interactions. These features, combined with the other enhancements in this release, empower our users to create more effective training scenarios, validate designs with greater accuracy, and ultimately improve operational efficiency.

We can’t wait for you to try out this new release! Stay tuned and don’t hesitate to reach out to our team if you have any questions or feedback.