During his time at Leonardo, Henry worked on improving the 3D graphics rendering, which contributed to multiple important projects. The render time for large models was reduced by 90 times and the quality of the graphics substantially improved. This made diagnostics of 3D results much easier and gave way to new tools; for example, an existing route-planning tool was updated with significantly enhanced 3D graphics. This allowed for rendering of complex terrain in a 3D environment, as well as animation of vehicle routes.
The Year in Industry programme invites pre-university students to spend 12 months with top industrial employers, to gain valuable business experience and work on real commercial projects, which also benefit their companies.
Henry was also commended for work he completed on a classified project to visualise complex data in an innovative form. This will form part of a submission to next year’s Leonardo Innovation Award.
Commenting on Henry’s time at Leonardo, his manager, Systems Engineer Stephanie Cairney, said: “It was clear from the start of his placement that Henry would excel in his year at Leonardo. He is very versatile and adapted well to any task we gave him. When Henry first started, he had some prior coding experience but had never used the coding language we use. Learning a new coding language is never easy, but it was a task that Henry put his best efforts into, and because of this, he thrived during his placement. As well as extending his knowledge on 3D graphics, he also was keen to learn about many other topics.”
Reflecting on his success, Henry added: “I have learned a tremendous amount during my placement at Leonardo. I have a much better understanding of the day-to-day experience of an engineer, and of life working in the aerospace and defence industry. My ability to program and my knowledge of large software development processes will be an asset for the rest of my career.”
“Working with Leonardo this year, my approach to problem solving, my teamwork skills and my confidence have greatly improved. I feel much more comfortable working with a small team and providing input to help solve complex engineering problems. I have discovered the importance of perseverance and problem solving within the job, as well as the need for good communication. This placement has given me the opportunity to develop all of these skills.”
