How do you reduce the effort, time and costs normally associated with preparing a 3D model for visualization? And how do you get the full potential out of 3D data, which is available anyway? Threedy’s answer is to use 3D streaming instead of downloading and converting. And the virtualization of the results of almost any calculations made in 3D space. For this purpose, Threedy offers the instant3Dhub solution. For all data, as it is, in whatever PLM, no matter how large and complex.
The report was based on discussions with (from left to right) CEO Christian Stein, Business Development Director Thomas Barthel and Stefan Domdey, Vice President Sales. (Photos Threedy)
The Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics (IGD), founded in 1987 by Prof. José Luis Encarnação, was one of the first and is still obviously one of the important pioneers in computer graphics. Many spin-offs have come out of this institute at TU Darmstadt, most recently Visometry GmbH in 2017, which is active in the field of industrial augmented reality solutions and with which Threedy incidentally works closely.
The latest offshoot is Threedy GmbH, which was founded at the end of 2020 and has quickly grown to around 40 employees. Based on state-of-the-art container and web technology, the company offers visual computing of all kinds with its technology platform, which can apparently immensely increase the value of digital 3D twins for industrial companies. At least that’s what a number of well-known customers who have been relying on the young team in Darmstadt for years say. These include BMW, Daimler, EDF, Porsche, Siemens, Trumpf and others.
The normal case for such companies has so far been expensive and by no means efficient enough: Huge amounts of data, for example, have to be pulled from a PLM system onto a graphics server or a client computer and converted into the format of a visualization system. This is by no means something that every employee who would like to enjoy such visualization can do. This requires specialists with special knowledge, special systems and a lot of time. Not to mention the sophisticated security mechanisms that have to prevent the wrong people from getting hold of this data. Threedy offers a solution for this.
This is how you know visual computing: download, convert, prepare, use exactly in this environment. (Image Threedy)
Visual computing was not yet known in this way. Fast, hybrid computation and then streaming with instant3Dhub instead of downloading (Image Threedy)
And unlike many solutions that are already on the market for faster visualization and use of 3D data, instant3Dhub is distinguished by the fact that the data can not only come from any source, but above all that they are calculated and displayed in exactly the accuracy that they have and must have in the industry. The system achieves this astonishing speed by displaying only the interesting and necessary part of a data model of any size at any given moment. And only on the basis of the original accuracy can all kinds of calculations and analyses be carried out with this data, which are necessary in the industrial core processes.
With API’s instant3Dhub fits into the existing heterogeneous IT landscape. (Image Threedy)
Threedy says his technology platform is something like “Google Maps for industrial 3D data”. This means a double comparison. On the one hand, the simple and fast representation of the data required in each case with the required accuracy. And on the other hand, the offer to easily integrate this visual computing technology into any software with input and output API, just as a hotel homepage can integrate Google Maps for the purpose of directions.
An idea of what this will enable the industry to do and how it works was given by CEO Christian Stein at the Digital Product Forum 2022 in July at the ECS in Stuttgart during the presentation of the Digital Augmented Reality CAx (DARC) project implemented by Mercedes-Benz with Threedy. (Video of the presentation on Threedy’s blog).
From repair instructions to cross-domain collaboration, DMU to VR and AR – the range of use cases is extremely broad. (Image Threedy)
Instant3Dhub is a typical example of new application software that is no longer monolithically shielded and for which licenses must be purchased. The visualization and calculation jobs with 3D data are charged according to actual usage time. Scaling, platform independence, easy portability and high security guarantees have absolute priority for the developers in Darmstadt. No matter how large the 3D model, the user only sees the part of it for which he has the right. All the security rules and access authorizations in force in the user’s company are, as it were, automatically taken into full account. The use on the tablet is supported in the same way as on any other device.
It was the 25 years of experience in 3D visualization that led to the spin-off of Threedy. With a customer base with which the provider can already hardly be called a start-up. The list of use cases that have already been realized is long, but the list of possible and conceivable ones is even longer. It is simply a matter of everything for which the 3D Digital Twin can be used. And it doesn’t matter which system the data comes from. The motto is: Any data, any device, any size. By the way, Threedy is looking intensively for good developers in order to be able to respond positively to the growing demand.