OREANDA-NEWS. September 13, 2011. Fujitsu Semiconductor’s CGI Studio received the 2011 Frost & Sullivan Europe Product Differentiation Excellence Award in the automotive human machine interface (HMI) market. It was presented to Fujitsu Semiconductor Embedded Solutions Austria GmbH (FEAT) for CGI Studio, a software platform for the development of hybrid 2D and 3D graphical interfaces (HMI/GUI) for automotive systems.

“Fujitsu’s HMI tooling software is set to play a major role in the design of new generation automotive HMI in the future,” notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Krishna Jayaraman. “In comparison to currently available solutions, the CGI Studio clearly distinguishes itself as the solution that has 2D and 3D software rendering that can be handled using a single HMI tool, eliminating the need to switch the tooling each time.”

In addition, the CGI Studio can be integrated into the existing tool environment, while another advantage is that the time required for integration of the graphical interface to the car’s infotainment system hardware is very short.

Fujitsu’s CGI Studio has an open interface, which allows for easy customisation of 2D and 3D graphical interfaces to the HMI designers. The Candera 2D and Candera 3D rendering engines offer many customisable effects, such as shadows and transparency, and the features of both engines can be handled by one single tool.

“The technology is independent of vehicle hardware and display,” states FEAT’s head of business development and sales, Reinhard Fьricht. “This means that it can be used for any car range, whether small, medium or premium. We also offer customised solutions, where the tooling serves as a base and an interface is designed to meet customers’ demand for specific features.”

“The depth of information offered by Fujitsu’s CGI Studio is commendable,” said Jayaraman. “Especially because the scene composer provides real-time scene visualisation that helps HMI designers build a safe interface with minimised distractions.”

“The 2D and 3D graphical interface options provided by CGI Studio focus on addressing the need for advanced graphical interface for the next generation HMI system,” remarks Fьricht. “It primarily works on improving driver comfort and convenience, making the driving environment more interactive and intuitive.”

CGI Studio will help to project information provided by infotainment systems to the driver in a highly organised and efficient way. Adoption of such a technology will result in improved customer satisfaction and reduced distractions.

“The HMI created using CGI Studio can be interfaced with the infotainment system’s hardware in very short time,” concludes Jayaraman. “This shortens the development time of HMI, resulting in reduced costs.”

The Product Differentiation Excellence Award is presented to the company that has excelled in the following criteria: unique features/functionality, quality/complexity, customisation, matched to target markets’ needs and brand perception of the uniqueness of the product.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.