As we often say on VRFocus, practically to the point of yelling ourselves hoarse over it, is that neither virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) are all about videogames. It never has been, and a lot of the most interesting things we report about throughout the week tends to be more about how immersive technology is being used within those other fields. Opening new possibilities for VR and AR’s use as a creative or analytical tool.
Indeed, it seems that March is the month of the design tool announcements. As joining one last week from Epic Games, creators of the Unreal Engine, and their architecture and design focused software Unreal Studio comes another announcement from Unity Technologies.
It comes at the same time as the firm announces a new ‘strategic partnership’ with PiXYZ Software. PiXYZ, which works with data experts and engineers to create solutions for the translation and manipulation of 3D data. And which has, for the last decade, worked to use that in fields such as manufacturing and digital content creation – as well as having done work within the VR industry.
The partnership has yielded what Unity is terming a new ‘Industry Bundle’, allowing the transfer of large scale and detailed CAD files such as those used within fields such as architecture and automotive design.
“It scales from automated data prep in a data center to individual productivity on a desktop and serves processes including design and engineering, AR/VR training, and the creation of high-impact customer experiences.” The company explains in their press release; and provides a “best-in-class solution” for the industry.
Listed features include:
- Direct import of large CAD, DCC, and other formats into the Unity Editor and runtime.
- Preservation of data integrity (hierarchy, metadata, materials, PMI, and more).
- Fast processing with high-performance algorithms.
- Automated data preparation with presets and Python scripting.
- Best-in-class tessellation providing lightweight meshes with optimised quality.
- Repair and orientation of CAD data and meshes.
- Simplification with LOD generation, hole removal, and smart hidden geometry removal.
- Appearance optimisation with automated UV unwrapping, material assignment, and more
“Unity has been a not-so-secret weapon for our industrial customers for years because they have recognized the power of our real-time development platform and its unmatched flexibility and extensibility.” Explains Unity Technologies’ General Manager of Industrial Tim McDonough. “A key workflow for these customers involves importing and preparing large-scale CAD assemblies, which is a time-consuming process that stifles productivity. We believe that the experts at PiXYZ have simplified this and have made it easier for customers improve the quality of their real-time 3D experiences.”
“PiXYZ was founded by CAD professionals, for CAD professionals, with the goal of addressing the difficult challenges presented by working with large-scale CAD assemblies,” added PiXYZ Software’s Founder and Chairman , Stephane Imbert. “Unity’s real-time development platform is widely recognized as the best real-time workflow for customers who use CAD and want to build high-quality experiences. Our strategic partnership with Unity will allow us to better serve our mutual customers together – today, and in the future – by delivering the best, most responsive, and most painless solution on the market.”
More information about the software update can be found on the Unity Blog. You also can see a video promoting the software update below. VRFocus will bring you more on the continued developments in the immersive technology field as they are revealed.
via Mint VR