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Every product or graphic image starts with the sketch. Even the best engineers and Industrial designers make sketches to get their thought on paper. Sometimes called the napkin sketch, every great idea starts with a simple sketch. From this point we can move to creating a virtual prototype, but without it, we have nothing. This is a crucial part when developing or creating new products, and can sometimes get hazy when dealing with multiple parties. When developing a new idea and putting it on paper, is the act of copyrighting, once the image is on the paper it is said to be copyrighted. The idea it'self is unprotected and disclosures cannot safe guard an idea by any means, there must be some kind of image that pertains to the idea, only then can a person protect the idea from thievery, and even this is not a substantial safe guard. When working with different parties, these concepts are the main stepping stones in new product business collaboration. One person may have an idea and that person may not have any sketching or drafting experience and cannot produce sketches or even a basic design of the product, the idea is then commissioned to a sketch artist or industrial designer to create a sketch on paper of the prototype or a virtual prototype for the said client . From this point the parties involved can move to the legal or business model of the product.

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Prototypes are usually made from some type of plastic sometimes referred to as Polymers, not only are there many types of them, there are also many ways to produce them. Most of the time it depends on the product and the material your product is going to be made of. If you need to make a prototype; you will need an Industrial designer, which is basically an engineer mixed with an artist. These types of people can create the digital files needed for prototyping which is crucial to the manufacturing process. It also helps to have some kind of diagram or sketch of what you want made. If you don’t have one then you need a sketch artist or have the Industrial Designer create one for you. As you can see this is a real prototype of a virtual representation below. (Tolerances vary)

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Product Surfacing is a certain style of 3D CAD designing and it has a lot to do with the virtual prototype.

The outside surface is the starting point of 3D digital design. The surfacing phase of designing a product is crucial for aesthetic and ergonomic reasons. Endless hours of building prototypes are loss due to product changes in the research and development department.
Most of this is due to not using a single surface to convey the point and use of the product
characteristics. From this outside surface the rest of the design can be completed, or
engineered. The great thing about 3D surfacing is that the object can be viewed from
multiple directions, and presented before the design is complete, allowing a sort of flexibility
in design and engineering. 
 
Note: 2D art is like a photograph and is limited when creating presentation pieces.  

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A Virtual Prototype is basically an image of what the actual prototype will look like completed, these images will be the presentation of what is being made, without having to create the product first. By creating the virtual prototype we can then present the ideas to other parties that may invest or may have direct involvment in making the product. Problem solving at this point eliminates some of the issues that might arive from testing the actual prototype. 

Note: Virtual Prototypes are also used for web development
and Printing Graphics.

This is a virtual prototype of a clip that was made
for a child's product.