A virtual prototype is a graphic 3D-representation of an object, whose geometry, surface and other characteristics can be directly manipulated. Virtual prototyping allows you to visualise objects and make them easily accessible. This is above all important for the drafting or the building of complex products like automobiles and aircrafts as critical points can be simulatively developed and tested in a very early stage of planing.

It is the main concern of virtual prototyping to produce better products faster and at lower cost.