Theorem Solutions – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

October 9, 2018

Theorem Solutions Bringing Engineering Solutions App Digital Realities And ‘Visualization Pipeline’ Tech To AWE EU 2018

While what we would consider to be the ‘main’ events season is now over with the end of this year’s Oculus Connect, there are still a number of events in the pipeline that are set to be of particular interest to those interested in immersive technology.

Digital Realities HoloLens key art One such event is the 2018 European edition of the Augmented World Expo – better known as AWE – which will be taking place at the MOC Exhibition Centre in Germany from October 18th 2018 through to the 19th. There is, no doubt, a large number of announcements to come from European firms involved in what is increasingly being termed “XR”, and we now have confirmation of at least one firm who will be bringing new experiences not just to virtual reality (VR) via the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, but augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) too.

Engineering and manufacturing partner Theorem Solutions – which VRFocus last reported on in January upon the reveal of their unified immersive reality engineering solution app, Digital Realities – will be bringing their range of associated CAD and PLM utilising experiences to AWE EU 2018 along with launching its new ‘Visualization Pipeline’ server technology.

“To complement our Digital Realities experiences we are also launching our Visualization Pipeline technology, which is a server based technology that rapidly processes CAD data into a wide variety of formats for use in 3D Engines – Unity and Unreal, Photorealistic Rendering or AR/MR/VR tools, applications and with lightweight viewers.” Explains the firm in a statement. “Engineering and Manufacturing businesses are increasingly looking into the benefits of using AR, MR and VR to improve processes and collaboration, cut costs and make access to data easier. The Visualization Pipeline is helping to make that possible with a single application.”

Thoerem Solutions - Digital Realities

“Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality is everywhere at the moment and is making its way from the recreational gaming world into the commercial enterprise world. Integrating these innovative technologies into existing engineering and manufacturing workflows opens up new ways of working, and modernises current processes, futureproofing them as technology evolves, and ultimately saves organisations time and money in the long run.”

Attendees to AWE EU 2018 will be able to try out demonstrations of the upgraded Digital Realities experiences across a number of devices. Theorem Solutions will be locatable at stand #109 during the event.

VRFocus will bring you more news on the goings on at AWE as we get it.

January 10, 2018

Digital Realities App Provides Unified AR, MR & VR Solution for Engineering

Using augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) or virtual reality (VR) in engineering or manufacturing is still in its infancy. Whilst there are large Automotive, Aerospace and Defence companies already using VR Caves or Powerwall’s, most organisations are just starting to figure out if, and why, they need the technology. Following a two-part event in Coventry, Theorem Solutions has launched the Digital Realities app in the hope of accelerating the adoption of immersive technologies in these industries.

Digital Realities logo

“Virtual reality has already been used commercially for over 30 years, but in expensive Powerwall’s and Caves, and is driven very much by niche suppliers in the engineering space. Therefore, even for companies with deep enough pockets, the availability and access to it is very limited,” observes Stuart Thurlby, Theorem Solution’s CEO. “The use of the new wave of VR devices, along with new devices for AR and MR technology, is beginning to gain momentum in the commercial world.”

Consumer use is being driven by a very different requirement; it isn’t the engineering and manufacturing world, but the videogaming and social media world. It is the immediacy of these industries which have driven the development of the new technologies, and although gaming itself has been around for 40 years or so, VR, AR and MR devices are relatively new. Conversely, engineering and manufacturing involves complex processes which results in relatively slow adoption of new technologies.

Whilst the technology and price points are compelling, how to use it and determining which processes to change takes time. This could result in the immersive technologies market for engineering and manufacturing taking much longer for develop, with Theorem Solutions suggesting 12-18 months.

“Both Theorem, with our visualisation experience, and the engineering and manufacturing organisations we are marketing it to, are ‘early adopters’. We are trying to determine the best use cases for these new technologies and at the same time working out what the return on investment will be,” Thurlby explains. “Although there are companies who offer VR, AR or MR solutions for use in engineering or manufacturing, Theorem are one of the first to offer a solution for all three technologies.

“Our solution means that the CAD and PLM data only needs to be prepared and optimised once, but can then be used on AR, MR and VR devices, allowing flexibility and freedom of choice.”

Digital Realities HTC Vive key art

The Digital Realities application currently supports AR for Windows 10 and Android tablets and smartphones, MR for Microsoft HoloLens and VR through the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. More information is available Theorem Solutions’ official website, and VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest immersive realities developments for engineering and manufacturing.

December 7, 2017

Theorem Uses Videogame Technology To Improve Engineering

In the area of engineering, proper visualisation is critical. Being able to transform raw numerical data into a visual form is part of the purpose of computer-aided design programs. A company called Theorem are using videogame graphics technology to create immersive environments for engineering and manufacturing applications.

Computer-aided design programs are used to generate product designs and layouts. Designs generated by CAD programs are full of information, such as dimensions, materials and tolerances, all of which are critical for designers, engineers, supply chains and manufacturers. CAD graphics are perfectly adequate, but the graphical technologies now used in videogames are now capable of displaying a far higher level of detail and realism than CAD programs can display.

As a result, Theorem have developed a system that blends CAD with videogame graphics capabilities to create immersive virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR) or augmented reality (AR). This allows engineers to get a more complete picture of how a design would look and function in the real world, or review manufacturing processes before any physical production takes place, reducing the possibility of costly errors being made.

“Graphic engines used for gaming, such as Unity or Unreal, can be used to develop applications for engineering and manufacturing use cases,” observes Stuart Thurlby, CEO of Theorem, “for example, gaming engines can offer better design software capabilities, for efficient 3D real-time rendering, simulation, gesture control and virtual environments.”

Theorem Solutions have developed a range of visualisation applications using some of the most up-to-date videogame graphics engines to optimise CAD design data for use in VR, AR and MR environments, allowing companies to apply the technology to areas such as design review, prototyping, building, assembly, maintenance and training.

VRFocus will continue to report on new applications for VR and AR technology.

May 22, 2017

Theorem Solutions Presenting Digital Realities in Engineering and Manufacturing Seminars

Earlier today VRFocus published a feature regarding the various different terms and technology in the wearables space. These of course contained the three terms we use most here on the website virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR), and throughout the week we do our best to bring you news on all three. As each of have their different uses in entertainment and, of course, also in industry.

Understanding how each can play their part is, of course, one of the challenges and opportunities of the technology and it’s something that Theorem Solutions are looking to address in a forthcoming, one day, two-part seminar on ‘Digital Realities in Engineering and Manufacturing’ to be held at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry, UK on Wednesday 7th June 2017.

Comprising of two half-day seminars sessions are set to include discussion on the positioning of the industry and it’s financial needs, how existing technology can help with CAD and related businesses now and also in the future. As well as demonstrations of all three technologies in action, with the HTC Vive and Microsoft Hololens in use for VR and MR respectively.

Interested parties can register and find out more information at the Theorem.com website. VRFocus will be bringing you more news and information on tech events involving AR, VR and MR soon.

April 25, 2017

Theorem Solutions’ Visualization Experience App Combines Engineering Design Data with HoloLens

While Microsoft’s mixed reality (MR) head-mounted display (HMD), HoloLens, may only be focused at enterprise and priced well out of the range of casual consumers, the company has been nurturing partnerships to bring more apps to the device. The latest comes from Theorem Solutions in the form of Visualization Experience, an app designed for engineering and manufacturing.

The app allows a user to holographically see design data, providing a new way to understand the information presented. To begin with, Theorem Solutions provides a number of different sets of engineering data for users to access and experience the app, showcasing a number of different use cases.

Thoerem Solutions - Digital Realities

The Visualization Experience app is free to download from the Microsoft app Store. It requires a few details for validation: Name, Company Name and a valid email address. After which Theorem will unlock a 90 day trial of the software for the user. During this trial period they’ll then have the option to upgrade to the full subscription license allowing them to load their own engineering and manufacturing CAD and PLM data where it is automatically optimized for use in the Microsoft HoloLens.

Theorem Solutions will then stream the data in the Visualization Experience allowing the user to interact and engage with their data, so they can freely walk around it and manipulate it all with their voice and hand gestures.

Visualization Experience is another example of HoloLens’ multiple use cases for business and why organisations like NASA utilise the technology for multiple purposes. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Microsoft HoloLens, reporting back with the latest updates.