Whether collaborative prototyping with VR devices, virtual factory planning, or innovative customer experiences in the metaverse—the possibilities for 3D and virtual reality applications seem virtually limitless. With the 3D AppStore, a virtual collaboration platform, iteratec supports the BMW Group in realizing this potential by simplifying the deployment, collaborative use, and development of these applications in the cloud.
While remote work via digital channels is now standard in most industries, there are areas where high hardware requirements prevent effective, location-independent collaboration. These include complex 3D applications and visualizations in product design or prototyping, as well as the use of VR applications.
To meet the growing demands in these application areas and effectively reduce the cost of high-performance hardware, the BMW Group wanted to explore the possibilities of moving expensive infrastructure to the cloud. Based on an initial proof of concept, iteratec developed a highly automated, ready-to-use cloud platform that enables virtually any application to run and stream to any device without compromising quality.
From the very beginning, the platform was optimized for collaborative use in demanding prototyping and product design environments, with the goal of enabling new forms of location-independent collaboration. Previously, vehicle designers had to use high-performance computers on-site to edit complex 3D models. The 3D AppStore now allows them to access the relevant services from virtually any device and stream the models in the highest resolution to other participants via screen sharing without any loss of quality. With support for all common VR headsets, including chat functionality, the platform also enables new forms of collaboration beyond the previous physical boundaries.
To meet the BMW Group’s high security requirements and ensure the secure processing of highly confidential data, all resources are stored in a client-managed infrastructure.
To achieve high user acceptance and broader adoption of the solution beyond internal use, the platform has been significantly optimized for user-friendliness and speed. Application startup times have been reduced from several minutes to just a few seconds, resulting in a seamless user experience. Advanced proxy services ensure fast and simplified access from the cloud to 3D model data within the BMW Group’s internal infrastructure. This unlocks new use cases beyond internal use, for example through new visualization features and digital vehicle experiences in the customer journey.
By moving resource-intensive 3D applications to the cloud, the BMW Group is laying the groundwork for more flexible, location-independent collaboration in areas where this was previously not possible. This benefits the company in several ways:
LOWER COSTS
Instead of requiring large upfront investments and years of depreciation for the purchase of expensive hardware, the cloud’s pay-per-use model enables flexible, usage-based billing. This reduces the strain on the company’s balance sheet and preserves liquidity, leaving more funds available for important investments.
FULL SCALABILITY
The flexibility and scalability of the cloud enable resources to be provisioned on demand and allow for continuous improvement through the seamless integration of new, more powerful configurations from the cloud provider into the solution.
EXCITING NEW APPLICATIONS
The ability to run graphics-intensive applications—which previously required specialized hardware—on any device opens up a range of exciting new use cases, from virtual co-creation processes in shared VR environments to immersive customer experiences in virtual brand worlds.
The 3D AppStore not only makes existing applications available in the cloud but also provides a powerful environment for easily developing new 3D/VR applications. Thanks to pre-built modules (security, deployment, monitoring, etc.) and the core services included in the platform, service developers can focus on the functional aspects.
The user-friendliness and ubiquitous availability of visualization services open up entirely new use cases both within and outside the enterprise. For example, customers could one day use a VR-based 3D product configurator to configure and experience their dream car alongside a dealer, from the comfort of their own home.
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