A Review of Prototyping in Extended Reality: Linking Immersive Design to Physical Fabrication

Extended Reality (XR) shows great potential in the manufacturing industry. It can help designers make initial proposals and iterations at low cost before manufacturers and investors decide whether to invest in research, development or production. According to the literature, prototyping in XR is easier to use than three-dimensional (3D) modelling with a personal computer and more capable of displaying 3D structures than paper drawing. In this comprehensive review, we systematically surveyed 68 manuscripts that met our search criteria on prototyping in XR, and discussed the possibility of transferring created virtual prototypes from XR to physical fabrication. We addressed five research questions about the main elements, display devices, user interaction methods, fabrication links, and future challenges. Based on these questions, we identified a clear technology trend with Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) being used in more than half the studies (53%). Our analysis also shows that nearly half the literature (32 of the 68 articles) focus on 'Model Construction and Rendering', whereas the crucial 'Link to Fabrication' is addressed in only 10% of studies, highlighting a critical gap. In view of these latest developments and gaps, we speculate on the challenges and opportunities in the field of prototyping in XR, especially in linking extended reality to fabrication, with the aim of guiding researchers towards new research directions.