Since 2020, iteratec has been supporting the BMW Group in setting up the 3D AppStore – a cloud-based virtual collaboration platform through which BMW Group employees across the organisation can access VR and 3D-based applications and publish new apps. We spoke to the team behind the 3D AppStore about how the solution has transformed the way people work at the BMW Group and what potential spatial computing holds for the future.
Spatial computing applications, such as 3D modelling of vehicle components, generally require very powerful devices, which are not available to all employees. By moving such computationally intensive applications to the cloud, we can make spatial computing accessible to a wider audience. In practice, this means that instead of specialised hardware, a link is all that is needed to access 3D worlds via a browser on any device. No hardware restrictions, no app downloads, and more flexible licence usage. Removing these technological barriers is democratising these technologies. As well as enabling more staff to use 3D applications, this is also changing the way we collaborate – for example, by allowing certain review processes to take place regardless of location, or by facilitating greater cross-departmental and cross-site coordination.
We believe that the internet of the future will be three-dimensional. Employees will move and work in 3D worlds, whilst our customers will interact with us in 3D worlds and experience our products there. If we take this vision as our starting point – regardless of how many years away it may be – then our approach to virtualisation and overcoming hardware limitations is, of course, a crucial step on the path towards realising it.
There are three key areas where we see relevant use cases for spatial computing: Firstly, in the corporate environment, where we are already using applications from the 3D App Store to make internal processes better, faster and more efficient. For example, in the development sector, where design reviews of new 3D models can now be carried out in virtual meetings or via self-service, regardless of time or location. Or in production. There, we use VR applications as part of staff training to visualise parts of the assembly process in 3D, thereby enabling a better understanding of the work steps. Secondly, we see great potential in the commercial sector to engage more closely with our customers
That depends on the type of app, but new applications are primarily initiated by the relevant specialist departments. The 3D AppStore acts as an open platform that is available to all staff and is designed so intuitively that specialist departments can use it independently to upload, manage and update apps. We do not see ourselves as a central controlling body or gatekeeper. Rather, our role is to operate the platform, gather feedback on what can be improved on the platform side, and support the specialist departments in implementing new use cases on the platform.
The core idea behind the platform is that we gain an overview of all the use cases that exist within the company, in order to derive common technological requirements from them and, accordingly, provide frequently used technology building blocks or features that enable the specialist departments to implement their services more quickly and efficiently. This also involves connecting the people working on use cases across the various departments so that they can share their knowledge and inspire one another with ideas.
Absolutely. Not least, it’s about building a community around the topic of spatial computing. Both through dialogue with thought leaders outside the company, such as universities or the hyperscalers. But above all, within the BMW Group itself. There, our aim is to bring together the various experts across the company – spanning the different divisions: Corporate, Commercial and In-Car – to harness learning and synergy effects through cross-divisional work on 3D use cases. We place great importance on an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together not only technologists but also other disciplines such as technical artists and business representatives.
Over the roughly two-and-a-half years that the platform has now been available, we can report very positive results: we’re seeing enormous interest in the platform and its applications from various specialist departments right up to management, which is also reflected in the user figures. However, alongside the raw figures, we also look very closely at the impact the applications have on users and the business – for example, by reducing lead times or improving decision-making. This means that a key aspect for us is maintaining very close, personal dialogue with our internal customers and their use cases, and truly understanding them: What do people want to achieve with it? What is the aim of the various use cases? Is it being achieved? Here, too, we are very satisfied with how things have developed so far.
A key success factor is undoubtedly the platform’s accessibility. From the very beginning, it was very important to us to shield users from the technical complexity behind such a solution and, instead, to ensure a high-quality user experience through features such as a very clear user interface and quick application launch times. This applies both to those who publish apps on the platform and to those who use them. Together with iteratec, we have developed innovative solutions to optimise and simplify the workflows in this regard. Another key success factor is the focus on developing features that generate genuine added value, rather than using technology for its own sake. In this regard, insights from the community regarding the actual business impact are extremely helpful.
And finally, it has certainly helped us that the BMW Group generally offers a very open environment for the use of new digital technologies. The mindset ‘Behind every digital car, there’s a digital company’ is lived out very intensely here.
With the 3D AppStore, we’re operating in a highly dynamic technological environment and using software and tools that haven’t yet been industrialised. As a result, we repeatedly encounter unforeseen problems and challenges during the development process. Consequently, the development process had to be designed to be extremely agile and flexible. The best way to describe it is to compare it to a start-up, where a small, high-impact team quickly tests ideas, launches initial use cases, gathers user feedback and, building on that, iteratively refines the overall solution and its requirements step by step. We are very pleased to have found a partner in iteratec who actively supports us on this journey by bringing the ability to familiarise themselves incredibly quickly with new areas of technology and to continually find new approaches to solutions.
Firstly, we expect that, as spatial computing grows and becomes more established , more and more standards and uniform formats will emerge. That would be very welcome, as it would remove a great deal of complexity from the development process. That’s why we’re already conducting joint research with universities into what such technical standards might look like in 3D worlds. Secondly, we see great potential in the use of Gen AI: on the one hand, because AI can help to achieve further graphics and performance optimisations, for example when generating additional frames for VR headsets. On the other hand, by enabling AI tools to support or automate the creation of 3D worlds, so that complex 3D worlds can begeneratedin a veryshort time . This, too, will help to popularise spatial computing amongst both developers and users. With the 3D AppStore, we are at the forefront of this development and hope to continue playing a successful role in shaping it.
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