VIRTUAL MODEL

A Virtual Model, in the general sense, is a model of a physical object, be it a person, a room, a house, a city or a planet. This model is a digital description of the object (typically greatly simplified) that can be used in a computer simulation or Virtual Reality.
The most common examples of Virtual Models are those created in 3D for the purpose of visualisation. The field of architecture has greatly popularized the use of virtual models to animate fly-throughs of yet-to-be-built buildings.
The first known example of a virtual model is the Utah Teapot.
The first widely available commercial application of human Virtual Models appeared in 1998 on the Lands' End web site. The human Virtual Models were created by the company My Virtual Model Inc. and enabled users to create a model of themselves and try on 3D clothing.
Virtual Modeling has recently been applied to spectacles and sunglasses, allowing users to see what they'd actually look like in a pair of glasses. The more sophisticated versions (eg. the FocusFix Virtual Modeling System, 2005) also incorporate correct scaling and are able to extrapolate the measurements required by the laboratory for accurate glazing.