Dinesh Punni Joins VRARA as Berlin Chapter President.

We are thrilled to welcome Dinesh Punni to the VRARA team as the VRARA Berlin Chapter President. Dinesh Punni has been eating, drinking, and breathing immersive technologies (AR/VR) for more than 7 years now.Today, he uses his experience to pave the way for upcoming talents by teaching them how to create immersive experiences on his YouTube channel and on immersive insiders, his XR online education platform.

Over the past years of creating content online, his audience has grown to over 20.000 followers across multiple social media platforms. Dinesh holds regular speeches at various events (such as TEDx, AWE, and IGS) and conferences across the globe.When he's not working Dinesh likes to read, compete in video games, and take a walk in Real Reality (RR).

“This is a truly exciting opportunity, and I am dedicated to making the most of it by bringing more amazing

✅ AR/VR Events & Meetups
✅ Hackathons & Competitons
✅ Free lectures & free content

to help our community continue to grow and thrive. 📈

I can't wait to get started and see all that we can accomplish together! ✌🏽

Feel free to to follow us to stay up-to-date on all the opportunities to get involved. ↗️”— Dinesh Punni

How is Mixed Reality Changing Aerospace MRO?

Summary: As a participant in the German exhibition Aero Friedrichshafen, the popular Mixed Reality platform frontline.io demonstrated how using MR can revolutionize the Aerospace field.

The aerospace industry is a high-tech, high-precision business. It deals with the complex process of designing, manufacturing, and testing aircraft and other equipment. The industry's technological complexity is reflected in the high costs of product development and personnel training. 

Mixed reality has changed the game for the sector by boosting the development of infrastructural and operational procedures. Mixed Reality (MR) interfaces combine physical and virtual surroundings in a number of ways to give psychological immersion in a setting that incorporates both physical and digital phenomena. The interplay between the virtual and physical worlds is referred to as mixed reality. The key drivers of success in the aerospace sector are workers, and mixed reality has become an important instrument for industrial staff training.

About Frontline.io

frontline.io is a premier training and support SaaS platform used by top manufacturers worldwide. 

It provides cutting-edge tools that help deliver effective technical training & remote support, using innovative technologies including digital twinning, virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality while delivering effective technical training and remote support.

The set of tools by frontline.io, brings a wide range of benefits and advantages to its customers:

• As a software-as-a-service solution, frontline.io moves training and assistance from the physical to the virtual world. 

• Organizations and customers can save a lot of money on training and support by using frontline.io. 

• Mixed reality delivers 3D visuals to aid with problem discovery and digital repair manuals, and real-time engineer support. Mixed reality systems have had a substantial impact on the industry's cost-efficiency and performance, hastening its growth. 

• 3D Digital Twin helps companies build Digital Twin models by uploading 3D CAD files and generating 3D models of their products using this SaaS platform. Mixed reality enables the creation of 3D virtual training rooms where students can study and practice with various interactive tools at their own pace or in a group environment.

• Through a virtual replica that is identical to the actual mock-up generated throughout the aircraft's design process, Mixed Reality enables the visualization and interaction with aircraft CAD geometry. 

• Digital Twin is flexible and available on any platform, including PCs, mobile phones, the web, and AR/VR headsets. 

• X-Ray View allows users to examine the internal components of their Digital Twin and its movements, flows, and theory of operations. 

• To further understand how the pieces work, they can be virtually disassembled and moved around from their installed positions. Parts Manipulation is possible as any part of the 3D model can be easily extracted, moved, or isolated. Drag and drop parts to adjust their position and rotate numerous sections on your 3D model. 

• Interactive flows help prepare interactive and technical processes, troubleshooting manuals, and tutorial guides. Author, manage and design your content and task flow with our intuitive drag-and-drop interface. 

• AR Mode is perfect for virtually locating the Digital Twin in any place or location and checking it from any perspective using a mobile, tablet, or AR headset. 

• Hot Spots allow access to a number of predefined Digital Twin point-of-views that focus on certain topics, including spark plugs, gearboxes, and oil filters.

• With the use of MR, information relevant to the task at hand may be displayed right within the trainee's vision, resulting in higher-quality work. It enables experiential teaching, which boosts productivity while also enhancing information retention and the scope of real-time feedback.

• Aerospace engineers can use virtual training to study composite structures in a virtual environment, which helps them learn faster.

• In addition, the simulation provided by Mixed Reality applications aids in the recreation of difficult and risky events, allowing learners to be better prepared.

• Using powerful Augmented reality and mixed reality, several users can join remote assistance sessions to provide technical support from anywhere and at any time without having to physically visit the spot.

frontline.io aims to elevate training and support with the use of Mixed Reality in the Aerospace sector. It is an all-in-one platform that helps increase a team's capabilities while saving time and money. It includes virtual 3D interactive training, augmented reality remote support, and real-time analytics.

frontline.io at the German Aero Friedrichshafen event

From April 27 to 30, frontline.io attended the German Aero Friedrichshafen, a prominent show for general aviation. 

For more information, contact hello@frontline.io or call +1 (347) 321- 4812

See you at 2022 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 

Global Market Overview of Stereoscopic Software Solutions

Many users from the high-tech sectors of biochemistry / molecular research, geo-information (GIS, photogrammetry & LiDAR), medicine (CT, MRI & ultrasound) or construction (CAD, CAM & 3D printing) - often do not know which of the many software applications offered on the market are capable of stereoscopic visualization with spatial 3D-stereo and therefore true depth-perception, in contrast to the standard, flat and perspective, monoscopic representation.

After two years of intensive research and in cooperation with leading software manufacturers, the company Schneider Digital, recognized for its professional 4K/8K and VR/AR hardware solutions, has now published for the first time a global market overview of all 3D-stereo software solutions. More than 300 applications are currently listed and linked together with their creators in a monthly updated community-based database. Schneider Digital first checks the individual applications for their basic 3D-stereo functionality in order to then certify them individually for plug & play operation with its 3D monitors or the smart VR wall. The overview provides an open platform for users and software manufacturers, on which they can quickly and easily find stereoscopic software solutions tailored to their requirements:

https://www.3d-pluraview.com/en/application-field#su-software

Through the continuous maintenance of this central database, in which all worldwide relevant 3D-stereo software applications are listed, the company Schneider Digital provides users with an always up-to-date orientation aid, how their work processes and visualization quality can be improved using 3D-stereo technologies. A declared goal of the Miesbach-based company is to help as many software manufacturers as possible, to effectively integrate stereoscopic image output options into their existing applications. This offer is extended also to the implementation of a stereoscopic mouse pointer, which enables the user to directly and intuitively select every point, surface and edge in 3D space. Schneider Digital has been providing significant company resources for this pioneering work for more than two years. As a result, a manufacturer and hardware-independent "Open-Source Compendium" was created for the benefit of all software manufacturers and application users. At a glance, this global market overview shows which of the available software applications really have native 3D-stereo capability. In other words - "which software is able to display 3D data true-to detail, holographically, as real objects in 3D space, and which software already has a 3D-stereo cursor"?

Cross-industry compendium of 3D-stereo applications

Following the vision of creating a comprehensive market overview of all relevant 3D-stereo applications, Schneider Digital tested more than 300 software applications for their 3D-stereo functionality. The company has already certified most of them for operation with its own, passive 3D monitor systems, the 3D PluraView monitors.

Software solutions from the geospatial industry, from medicine, CAx, DCC/CGI and biotech sectors and many others, can be found under the download link https://www.3d-pluraview.com/en/application-field#su-software. The applications are sorted according to software and areas of use. They are listed and linked in alphabetical order, including information about the respective manufacturer. With the help of this overview, software manufacturers and users can quickly and easily find a solution that is tailored to their requirements. It is also planned to further expand this collection with video tutorials for 3D-stereo configuration settings and include also a graphics card database with all suitable, stereo-capable and professional graphic cards. The project initiator and CEO of Schneider Digital, Josef Schneider, summarizes the goal of the project as follows:

“Our vision is the continuous expansion of this market overview, creating a complete, community-based database of all relevant 3D-stereo applications. In addition to listing all manufacturers and applications, we also want to integrate the relevant documentation, ‘how-to’ guides and video tutorials for the software configuration there.”

More than 300 3D-stereo solutions at a glance: www.3D-PluraVIEW.com

Most of the currently more than 300 software solutions have been extensively tested by Schneider Digital for their 3D functionality and certified for use with 3D monitors or power walls. The geospatial section includes leading 3D software applications from Esri, Hexagon, Bentley, Trimble, DAT/EM Systems, and Terrasolid, among many others. The "Medical" category includes, for example, the 3D Slicer software from KITWARE, the 3D application Stereotaxy from Brainlab, Vesalius3D, and the 3D software syngo.foursight TEE & Cinematic Anatomy from Siemens. All 3D software applications listed in the overview are widespread solutions for sophisticated visualization. For design and modeling in the CAx area, 3D-stereo solutions are listed, e.g. from Autodesk, Dassault Systems, PTC, Siemens and ESI. Autodesk, Blender, Dassault Systems, KeyShot, and Lumiscaphe offer professional 3D software solutions for design and rendering. “Our goal is to make stereo technology more widespread in the market for use with professional applications. We would like to further establish the advantages of working and visualization in 3D-stereo for the most important industry applications," says Josef Schneider, summarizing the benefits of the market overview.

The market overview created by Schneider Digital with its more than 300 "real" 3D-stereo capable applications serves users and software manufacturers alike as an effective guide. The company makes the list of 3D-capable software applications available for download on its website at:

https://www.3d-pluraview.com/en/application-field#su-software. 

If you are not on the list with your 3D-stereo software application and would like to be included, please email Schneider Digital at software@pluraview.com.

Direct download of the PDF market overviews:

3D-Stereo Applications by Category

3D-Stereo Applications by Manufacturer

Complete 3D-stereo workstation solutions - a powerful combination of software and hardware

Working with holographically displayed 3D models is becoming increasingly established in application areas such as research, analytics, development, construction, design or medical diagnostics. The passive-stereo 3D PluraView monitors are now the industry standard for all stereoscopic software applications because they guarantee precise 3D-stereo visualization with the highest resolution of up to 4K per eye. They are used in a wide variety of areas, such as photogrammetry, GIS/mapping, LiDAR point clouds, laser scanning, oil & gas exploration, archaeology, AEC/BIM, visualization of 3D city models, CAx, medical or biotechnology and molecular chemistry.

3D visualization is a complex subject which can only lead to excellent, industrial-grade visualization results, if the software and hardware components work flawlessly together. Schneider Digital has over 25 years of industry and product experience with sophisticated professional hardware and has gathered detailed market knowledge and application expertise over these years. Schneider's experience has proved: the combination of computing performance and visualization technology is essential! If you use a 3D-stereo software solution and want to work stereoscopically - or with VR/AR - you need a competent CPU/GPU hardware combination. Only in perfect interaction with powerful, professional hardware can landscapes, buildings, entire cities, complex CAD models, GIS infrastructure, industrial processes or human anatomy be processed and visualized in three dimensions, true to detail, efficiently and smoothly. The larger the data sets to be processed are, the higher the demands on the performance of the workstations and the image quality of the 3D monitors. Professional users with demanding 3D work tasks benefit from the Schneider Digital’s visualization technology, in combination with high-performance workstations and 3D/VR/AR input devices as complete workplace solutions.

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Vendor-neutral and hardware-independent open-source compendium: Schneider Digital regularly publishes a global market overview of 3D-capable software solutions. Over 300 applications have already been tested for their 3D stereo functionality and certified for operation with 3D monitors or power walls.

Schneider Digital – The company:

Schneider Digital is a global full-service solution provider for professional 3D-stereo, 4K/8K and VR/AR hardware. Based on its 25 years of industry and product experience as well as its excellent relationships with leading manufacturers, Schneider Digital offers innovative, sophisticated professional hardware products and customized complete solutions for professional use. Qualified advice and committed after-sales service are the company's own standards.

The Schneider Digital product portfolio includes the right professional hardware solution for the respective requirements in these areas: High resolution 4K/8K to multi-display walls. Schneider Digital is the manufacturer of its own powerwall solution smartVR-Wall and the passive stereo monitor 3D PluraView. Performance workstations and professional graphics cards from AMD and NVIDIA as well as innovative hardware peripherals (tracking, input devices, etc.) round off the product range. Many articles are in stock. This guarantees fast delivery and project realization.

Schneider Digital is an authorised service distributor of AMD FirePRO/Radeon Pro, PNY/NVIDIA Quadro, 3Dconnexion, Stealth int., Planar and EIZO. Schneider Digital products are used primarily in graphics-intensive computer applications such as CAD/CAM/CAE, FEM, CFD, simulation, GIS, architecture, medicine and research, film, TV, animation and digital imaging.

Further information is available at www.schneider-digital.com and www.3d-pluraview.com.

Schneider Digital press contact:

LEAD Industrie-Marketing GmbH

André Geßner

Tel.: +49 80 22 - 91 53

188Hauptstr.46 D-83684 Tegernsee

E-Mail: agessner@lead-industrie-marketing.de

Internet: www.lead-industrie-marketing.de 

New botspot Innovation Lab to strengthen the company's technological lead

3D scanning specialist botspot AG moves to new Berlin headquarters to drive further dynamic growth. 

Berlin-based specialist for multi-sensor 3D scanning systems botspot AG reacts to its rapid growth and the dynamic expansion of its business by moving to a spacious new production and administration location by the Spree. Here, the traditionally strong research and development activities can now be concentrated in the new botspot Innovation Lab. 

Sascha Rybarczyk, Board of Management botspot AG:

"It is only a small step towards the technology site Adlershof, but a decisive step on our way to becoming the high-tech company that significantly shapes the 3D market, nationally and internationally. In addition to ideal production conditions, we are particularly pleased that the newly installed Innovation Lab makes our innovative strength visible in a way that reflects its importance for our corporate philosophy." 

On the occasion of its 8th anniversary, botspot looks back at a development that has led from the first full-body scanners to today's diversification, especially in the fields of e-commerce, automotive and health care. In the latter field, botspot is currently participating in an innovative, VR-based therapy approach for the treatment of phantom pain as part of the major PROMPT project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

In the future, botspot will concentrate on meeting the growing need of the global market for complete solutions, consisting of hardware and software, becoming increasingly involved in international cooperations – now directed from the new headquarters with a view over the Spree.

More info https://www.botspot.de

Contact:

Evgeny Stroh

Manager Marketing & PR | botspot AG

evgeny.stroh@botspot.de

New! 3D PluraView VR Desktop 3D Stereo Monitor from Schneider Digital

The unique 3D PluraView Stereo Monitor is the optimal solution for real 3D-stereo visualization in a wide variety of Geospatial Applications such as Photogrammetry, GIS / Mapping, 3D LiDAR, the oil & gas industry, archeology, BIM and 3D city modelling. The 3D PluraView monitor enables fatigue-free, stereoscopic work in the highest, flicker-free 3D stereo image quality with resolutions up to 4K, even in daylight office conditions.

The 3D PluraView Stereo Monitor is the optimal solution for real 3D-stereo visualization in a wide variety of GEO / GIS areas, such as Photogrammetry, GIS & Mapping, LiDAR, 3D Scanning, for the oil & gas industry, Archeology, BIM & 3D city modeling. As a desktop-monitor the 3D PluraView is plug & play compatible - without special graphics drivers - with stereo software applications from leading manufacturers  - e.g. esri, Trimble-INPHO, Hexagon, Agisoft, DAT/EM, Terrasolid, etc. The 3D PluraView monitor enables fatigue-free, stereoscopic work in the highest, flicker-free 3D stereo image quality with resolutions up to 4K, even in daylight office conditions.

The 3D PluraView monitor from Schneider Digital enables professional geospatial users to work comfortably and fatigue-free in all 3D-stereo environments. Innovative beam-splitter technology is the basis for precise, pixel-accurate stereoscopic image analysis with the highest quality up to 4K resolution, even in office daylight conditions. The new monitor has been designed for a wide variety of geospatial applications, such as Photogrammetry, GIS / Mapping, 3D LiDAR, the oil & gas industry, archeology, BIM and 3D city modelling

Designed for professional users: The optimum 3D-Stereo experience for full-time operations

The Schneider Digital 3D PluraView monitors feature optimized beam-splitter technology for the highest quality in stereoscopic rendering on the desktop. The 3D PluraView monitors are ideally suited for all stereo software applications in most major industries. The monitor is the optimal solution for real 3D-stereo visualization in a wide variety of Geospatial enviroments and is certified for over 300 Stereo Software-Applications e.g. ESRI, HEXAGON, TRIMBLE, AGISOFT, etc. Thanks to the innovative established beam-splitter technology the 3D PluraView monitor enables fatigue-free, stereoscopic work in the highest, flicker-free 3D stereo image quality with resolutions up to 4K Resolution @ 10-bit color depth, even in daylight office conditions. As ‘Plug & Play` system the 3D PluraVIew ist easy to install within minutes on all standard Workstations and works with all professional Graphics Cards.

As the market reference system the 3D PluraView Monitor with its innovative and reliable beam-splitter technology is the basis for pixel-precise, stereoscopic 3D image displays, offering the highest stereo-viewing quality possible. Currently, PluraView stereo displays can be configured with screen diagonals of up to 28”, resolutions up to 4K (UHD) and a color depth of 10-bit per pixel. With screen refresh rates of only 1-ms, a blur-free image display for motion videos and smooth stereo image roaming is guaranteed.

Especially with GIS and photogrammetry applications, professional users are faced by the challenge of quickly loading large amounts of data and visualizing these in stereoscopic mode on a 3D-capable system. Professionals who are working daily with high-resolution 3D mesh models, stereo imagery, CAD and GIS data, need a flicker-free, daylight-capable 3D monitor, which allows fatigue-free, stereoscopic interaction all day long.

Schneider Digital has introduced the 3D PluraView family of beam-splitter, passive 3D stereo displays, to meet these exact needs. 3D PluraView monitors are specifically designed for stereoscopic display, interfacing seamlessly to most 3D-capable software applications in industries such as photogrammetry, LiDAR point clouds and CAD – or GIS – based 3D data visualization. Only with cross-polarized, passive stereo filters, can stereo images, intricate CAD, mesh and other surfaces and textures be reproduced down to the smallest detail.

Highest user acceptance thanks to comfortable working in 3D-Stereo

The 3D PluraView monitors promise an extremely comfortable, precise and pixel-accurate work environment. Image analysis is now possible with a maximum resolution of 4K (3840 × 2160) per monitor and an RGB color depth of up to 10-bit. With this solution, all user problems with LCD shutter glasses are a thing of the past. The LCD-based active image separation results in much darker and reduced-contrast stereo images. The low 60Hz frequency of the LCD shutters also strains the eyes and leads to operator fatigue.

Each 3D PluraView monitor assembly features two screens mounted at a fixed angle above each other. Each screen displays one of the stereo images at full resolution. The two images are combined into a single, cross-polarized display by the centrally mounted beam-splitter mirror, acting as a passive polarization filter. Viewed through lightweight, passively polarized glasses, both images are combined into a full-resolution, flicker-free, brilliantly bright and contrast-rich stereo image. This technology combination represents the optimum 3D stereo-display solution for professional use.

The 3D PluraView system enjoys the highest user satisfaction and user acceptance of all 3D-display systems currently on the market! The central beam-splitter stereo technology has been established since 2005 and with the latest addition of 4K-displays and enhanced 10-bit color depth, it is the current state-of-the-art 3D-display reference.

Wide Product range for every requirement: Two different assembly sizes – three resolutions (Full HD, 2.5K and 4K UHD) – four Screensizes 22”, 24”, 27” and 28” with Tracking 

To meet the different requirements of our customers for screen resolution, monitor size and possible desktop space restrictions, we offer the 3D PluraView product family in two different assembly sizes, four monitor sizes and in three different screen resolutions.

Starting with a smaller form-factor for the PluraView system, Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolutions are available for the 22” and 24” PluraView screen sizes. Their compact assembly with reduced depth is suitable for smaller desktop sizes and therefore ideal for production offices with multiple workstations in one room.

Our second assembly is designed for 27” and 28” monitors. The 3D PluraView 2.5 model offers a screen diagonal of 27“ at a 2.5K resolution with 2.560 x 1.440 pixels. The 3D PluraView 4K visualizes 3.840 x 2.160 pixels on a screen diagonal of 28“ and is the top model of the PluraView family. The 28” VR PluraView Model is also available as a Desktop Virtual Reality System with an intuitive professional tracking system (Head tracking, balls and ttick). The larger assembly also features an integrated DisplayPort 1.2 screen mirroring card.

3D PluraView Monitors delivers the following main highlights:

• Absolutely Flicker-free longtime established 3D-Stereo Beamsplitter Technology for relaxed 3D operations 

  and continuous, professional use

• Highest brightness with one monitor per stereo channel and each eye – suitable for office daylight conditions

• Ultra high resolution - up to 4K @ 10-bit color depth - for for a precise, pixel-accurate stereoscopic image

• Certified for Photogrammetry and GIS (ESRI, HEXAGON, TRIMBLE, AGISOFT, etc.)

• Wide viewing angle – suitable for group viewings up to 5 people

• Plug & Play System with all leading 3D-Stereo Software Applications for all professional branches: 

  Runs without any driver under Windows /LINUX / macOS with workstations or laptops and compatible 

  with all 3D-Hardware devices e.g. GIS-Measurement Mice, CAD 3D-Controller, passive 3D-Glasses

• 3D PluraView as a advanced professional Replacement of the former PLANAR Beamsplitter Monitors

• VR PluraView with Tracking functionality - Object tracking with trackballs or 3D-Pens - for realistic 

  model interaction and intuitive VR experience

• VR PluraView as a Replacement of the end of life nvidia 3D Vision HMD Goggle-System

• Highest quality with functional, ergonomic design – Made in Germany

For further informations please visit www.pluraview.com

Schneider Digital – The company:

Schneider Digital is a global full-service solution provider for professional 3D-stereo, 4K/8K and VR/AR hardware. Based on its 25 years of industry and product experience as well as its excellent relationships with leading manufacturers, Schneider Digital offers innovative, sophisticated professional hardware products and customized complete solutions for professional use. Qualified advice and committed after-sales service are the company's own standards.

The Schneider Digital product portfolio includes the right professional hardware solution for the respective requirements in these areas: High resolution 4K/8K to multi-display walls. Schneider Digital is the manufacturer of its own powerwall solution smartVR-Wall and the passive stereo monitor 3D PluraView. Performance workstations and professional graphics cards from AMD and NVIDIA as well as innovative hardware peripherals (tracking, input devices, etc.) round off the product range. Many articles are in stock. This guarantees fast delivery and project realization.

Schneider Digital is an authorised service distributor of AMD FirePRO/Radeon Pro, PNY/NVIDIA Quadro, 3Dconnexion, Stealth int., Planar and EIZO. Schneider Digital products are used primarily in graphics-intensive computer applications such as CAD/CAM/CAE, FEM, CFD, simulation, GIS, architecture, medicine and research, film, TV, animation and digital imaging.

Further information is available at  www.schneider-digital.com and www.PluraView.com.

Schneider Digital press contact:

LEAD Industrie-Marketing GmbH

André Geßner Tel.: +49 80 22 - 91 53 188

Hauptstr.46 E-Mail: agessner@lead-industrie-marketing.de

D-83684 Tegernsee Internet: www.lead-industrie-marketing.de

Get a copy of VR/AR Market Report for Germany

Join us at our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Conference + Expo June 1-3

70 Companies Featured with Market Analysis

 It is my honour and privilege to publish this document, and excited about its future iterations. This Market Report for Q2 2020 of the Virtual & Augmented Reality sector in Germany is intended to be living document that has been designed to keep you apprised of how the ecosystem is developing here.

This report is a massive collaboration with partners from other German Associations and was coded, compiled and auto-generated by the German and Polish Chapters so that new immersive technology companies and facts can easily be added in future.

Content

The bulk of the document are company profiles, but I highly recommend that you take the time to read the Executive Summaries and Forewords that have been meticulously written by teams from every partner Association. Peter Lorenz, Board Member VRBB, and myself tackled the data analysis in the first summary and were astonished by the evenness of the data we have collected so far!

The 2nd executive summary was written by my colleagues and first Advisory Board Members for VRARA Germany David Thomson and Jan Pflüger. As respected Immersive Technology evangelists, their expertise in Enterprise Integration and Competency as well as 3D Design and Project Lifecycle Management (PLM) is staggering. They are industry veterans whose insights into the Market Needs was spot on and are indeed very relevant to the current world crisis.

The subsequent forewords consist of a brief history lesson in German XR technologies and then a look at the XR adoption in Industry. Both exemplify the gradual developments of XR in Germany and how the market here has matured and grown. These are essential reads for any newcomer and those who want to dive into the topic. Both are well-researched articles for our industry and the German Market.

DOWNLOAD REPORT

History

It all started at the beginning of 2019 when I invited the regional and national networks to join a regular conference call to discuss pooling our expert knowledgebase, synchronising our activities and event calendars and to start work on an Ecosystem Report.

After many months of work well into the summer, a first version of the questionnaire was complete. We had formulated a survey to harness some much needed data about the state of the industry and it slowly transformed into a proper market analysis for Germany.

Enjoying perusing and reading the report.

Cheers
Philip Wogart
Executive Director DACH

VRARA Germany Announces Advisory Board

With the relaunch of a German-wide Chapter (see here)…

…advisors have been chosen to help the ecosystem connect with various industry verticals. The Board will continue to grow in the coming months and our first group are veterans out of Advertising, Automotive, Energy, Shipbuilding & Technology sectors. So without further ado let us introduce you!

Jan Pflüger – AdvisXR

Jan was an early adopter of digital technologies for the creative area. The potential of VR was obvious for him, so he started exploring new interaction techniques and developed interaction devices for spatial environments in the field of research. This long-time passion has led him to establish the Center of Competence as a network hub for VR & AR, the place to inspire and influence the XR activities within Audi AG.

With his private label, advisXR, Jan advises startups and fosters network activities to drive and deliver the future in the field of XR. In his mission for an open XR ecosystem he establishes strategic partnerships and supports aspiring as well as established companies on their journey through the digital transformation.

David Thomson – Aveva

David graduated from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow as a Naval Architect, moving directly into the computer aided design industry where he implemented 3D design software in over 20 shipyards. He moved onto a consulting role in IBM Germany where he implemented and consulted leading engineering companies on Product Lifecycle Management systems.  He most recently lead a small team at AVEVA dedicated to developing the next generation of VR and AR apps to realize the vision of the digital asset on the world’s largest engineering projects.

Sabine Georg – Miami Ad School Europe

Sabine Georg has worked in the field of Digital Marketing and Communication since the late 90s. With a background in Fine Arts she actually ended going “digital” and started working for Google in various roles from 2005 up until her leaving in 2019.

Whilst working at Google, Sabine pioneered the Creative Agency Manager role, establishing relations to Germany’s leading creatives and consulting top agencies on “all things Google” with a focus on Digital Marketing and Creative Effectiveness.

Next to her Google Manager role, she worked as teacher and mentor at Miami Ad School Hamburg before she took over as Managing Director in June 2019. Being responsible for both Miami Ad School Europe locations in Hamburg and Berlin, pushing digital transformation and fostering the growth of international creative talent.

Sabine also is a certified Coach and a trained LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator – both qualifications she is now putting at use in her Managing Director role.

Rene Schulte – Valorem Reply

René Schulte is Director of Global Innovation at Valorem Reply working with teams across the globe on emerging technologies like the revolutionary 3D volumetric video telepresence solution HoloBeam and the AR Cloud enabling large, cross-platform user experiences with persistence.

He is a creative thought leader with a passion for UX and deep technical knowledge from more than 10 years in VR/AR/MR/XR technology and 3D programming, developing for the Microsoft HoloLens since 2015, and is listed as VR/AR/MR dev influencer. He also coded AI deep learning neural networks before it was cool and is leveraging modern AI to empower humans.

He also created popular open source libraries like WriteableBitmapEx and the AR library SLARToolKit. He was honored several times for his dev community work with the Microsoft MVP award and recognized as Microsoft Regional Director.

HIs work as part of the Global Advisory Board ties in with the work that we are doing in the German Ecosystem as he lives and works here…with his wife and their 5 children).

Live Online Workshop: Immersive Interaction Design Principles on 25th of April

Get 10% off your registration here.

More information on this first one of kind online workshop, click here.

Some of the key takeaways from the workshop will be…

Kinematic vs Physics

Understand the main differences between kinematic (“passive”) versus physics-based (“dynamic”) interaction.

Physics in VR

Improving Interaction Experiences using Inverse kinematics to simulate physical presence.

Bring your own project (BYOP)

You can also apply to get feedback on your VR/AR project’s interaction design.

Watch the latest in hand-tracking capabilities.

On 25th of April, you will learn to design a fully functional responsive interface with physics-based interactions and hand tracking input.

XR Bootcamp is the first academy offering on-site and online full stack VR/AR programs for designers and developers with career opportunities. 

Together with it’s advisory board from Accenture, Volkswagen, HTC, ExxonMobil, BNP Paribas, Bosch, Deutsche Telekom, KLM, Verizon and others, XR Bootcamp co-developed a VR/AR curriculum to focus on high in-demand skills that are most needed in today’s biggest companies. 

Trainers are successful VR/AR professionals, that teach the latest and most relevant skills most needed in a rapidly changing environment of tools. 

Online workshops are project focused and teach students to create their own portfolio projects, while the on-site bootcamp teaches a full stack of VR/AR development and design tools needed to grab that next great VR/AR industry job. 

#StayAtHome license: VRdirect supports companies during the Corona crisis in presenting their products with Virtual Reality

Learn more at our VR/AR Global Summit ONLINE Conference + Expo on June 1-3

In response to the current corona crisis, the Munich-based start-up VRdirect is offering small and medium-sized companies the opportunity to use its software for creating their own virtual reality content completely free of charge for six months.

The offer is valid until 30 September and is aimed primarily at sectors in which the opportunity to present products on their own sales floors or at trade fairs and events is lacking because of current security regulations. Virtual Reality represents a great opportunity to present one’s own products or services in a visually appealing way and to integrate possibilities for direct purchase within a self-designed application.  In addition, VRdirect offers companies of all sizes support in the implementation of virtual reality projects by providing the necessary hardware (e.g. 360° cameras) and consultation regarding the development of a virtual reality strategy.

Interested parties can find the registration link and further information on the #stayathome license at https://lp.vrdirect.com/corona/stay-at-home

CONTACT

Dominik Möcklin

Managing Director

dominik.moecklin@vrdirect.com

Innoactive Launches VR Training Visionary Roundtable

participating corporations…

TL:DR - On November 18, 2019, VR/AR Association Germany moderated a full day roundtable on Enterprise VR learning . Representatives from Transportation, Energy, Logistics and Aviation attended to better understand the challenges and benefits of scalable immersive training

First a Little Background

VR training for employees has numerous benefits which is convincing more and more companies to consider the technology as it evolves and awareness grows. However, Virtual Reality is still novel to most workplaces and therefore not as easily integrated into standard training procedures. Adopting VR comes with its challenges and hurdles just as regular innovation does. How can we fix this? Consequently, we have decided to help tackle this problem by uniting like-minded peers who are at the forefront of discussing VR in their organisation. Together with HTC and Unity and the support of VRARA, Innoactive has launched a platform for industry professionals which gives them the opportunity to exchange best practices. We decided to create our VR Training Visionary Roundtable

Structure of the Event

The main discussion is in the form of a classic roundtable which gathers a group of like minded visionaries from different industries. By doing so, we unite them to exchange about overcoming VR training adoption hurdles together. The moderated roundtables are designed to open a discussion amongst participants to help them overcome VR Adoption hurdles. These hurdles include difficulty with hardware roll out, content distribution and permissions, funding, workers safety issues and much more. As a result of listening and engaging with industry professionals, the community works together to solve these hurdles.

The Roundtable also incorporates “demo” sessions at the end of the event. During these sessions, participants can try out each other’s VR training solutions. As well as this, a dedicated Best Practices Instance on the Innoactive Hub aggregates the VR Trainings and allows all the Event Community members to access and try diverse applications.

One Final Thought

The next step of the VR Training Visionary Roundtable includes a workshop for storyboarding and calculating business cases. This gives participants the opportunity to get inspired before designing their next Virtual Reality training. In doing so participants can also learn new ways of estimating the value of a business case.

From VR Training Newbie to Rollout Master in 4 Days

https://www.vr-training-summit.innoactive.de/

Top Ten Announcements from this year's VR/AR Global Summit

Forbes has written that our Global Summit is “one of the year’s most anticipated conferences”. Well, having travelled to Vancouver for the 2nd edition this year I was just blown away. From attendees to speakers to exhibitors, this gathering lives up to our mission of educating, connecting and promoting our ecosystem!

So without further todo here is my Top Ten list of announcements at #VRARGS

1. Lenovo launches their developer program for ThinkReality and A6 headset with inaugural workshop.

2. While Niantic couldn't make it official at the Summit and only hinted at some big news, you can see the results of their first Beyond Reality Developer Contest

3. XRSI's Enterprise Level Information Security Framework for the XR domain coming in Q1 2020.

4. Launch of the VRARA Women’s Committee with DC Chapter VP Sophia Moshasha and Global Summit Producer extraordinaire Anne-Marie Enns to helm it.

5. The Vancouver office of Microsoft introduce their in-house on-the-job training application for Hololens 2 that is fully-integrated with their Dynamics 365 CRM/ERP platform.

6. EPIC & VRARA sign MoU for industry collaboration on immersive hardware standards and advisory mandates.

7. Cathy Hackl joins Aurea Award Jury for immersive tech entertainment award at Europa Park in January.

8. 6D.ai to launch AR Cloud app on iOS. Register for with Apple Testflight to get beta access already

9. 8th Wall launch a brand new WebAR cloud editor and hosting web app.

10. World Bank showcase their immersive safety initiative for Latin American schools. Image below, but not official online links yet…

Jimmy Vainstein from the World Bank onstage

Call for Participation for the German VR/AR Market Report!

If you’re interested in being featured in this report please email germany@thevrara.com

Our reports are a simple yet effective way to show what’s happening in Germany to the world. It will be distributed through the global VRARA network and regionally through the cooperation and partnership with the leading German Associations (Erster Deutscher Fachverband für Virtual Reality, nextReality.Hamburg, The Virtual Dimensions Center – Fellbach, Virtual Reality Berlin-Brandenburg).

Interested companies should use the email link above to learn more about how to participate as the deadline for submissions is December the 6th. Note that members each receive their own page within the report to showcase their company.

The resulting report will help us analyse our ecosystem’s size and potential whilst promoting on the international stage the solutions, services and expertise the German XR industry provides for in various verticals. We will also direct it here in Deutschland towards industry and businesses, the media in general, as well as official bodies who are engaged in decision making at the governmental level.

You can see reports from other European Ecosystems that have already been published.

Download here

Download here

About VR/AR Association

The VR/AR Association (VRARA) is an international organization designed to facilitate collaboration between innovative companies and people in the VR and AR ecosystem that accelerates growth, fosters research and education, helps develop industry standards, connects member organizations and promotes the services of member companies. Over 4000 companies, brands, schools and 27,000 professionals are registered with VRARA and 20 industry committees are working on best practices & guidelines for the industry.

LAST CALL – Just over 24hrs left to submit for Aurea Award in Immersive Entertainment

The next Aurea Award ceremony and professional conference will take place on Jan. 15 - 16, 2020 at Europa-Park, where shortlisted state of the art experiences will not only show where the industry is all headed, but will also be pitched live on stage in front of an all-star Jury. All stakeholders from the entertainment sector from startups to investors, and creatives to corporates are invited to get involved and help the community grow.

Interested in applying? Submissions are open until midnight November 15, 2019!
Interested in attending? By invitation only. Request a spot here.

About Aurea Award
With just 5 AUREA awards up for grabs, film projects, music experiences, live events, games, mixed reality experiences as well as enabling technologies receive center stage in front of a crowd VR & AR enthusiasts. Besides showcasing and awarding the most exciting products and experiences, the conference also delivers thought-leader talks, candid discussions on panels and a slew of workshops, while leaving room plenty of room for networking and enjoyment. In the setting of one of the world's leading theme parks, the conference offers multiple opportunities for groundbreakers to be heard and seen, to connect to the most relevant pioneers in the ecosystem and to become a part of the vibrant AUREA community. 
https://aurea-award.com/

About VRARA
The VR/AR Association is an international organization designed to facilitate collaboration between innovative companies and people in the VR and AR ecosystem that accelerates growth, fosters research and education, helps develop industry standards, connects member organizations and promotes the services of member companies. Over 4500 companies, brands, school and 27,000 professionals are registered with VRARA and more than 20 committees are working on best practices and guidelines for the industry.
https://www.thevrara.com/

EPIC and VRARA Partner to Advance VR/AR Industry (Press Release)

28 August 2019, Berlin, Germany

Philip Wogart, Executive Director DACH, Co-Chair Location Based Entertainment Committee of the VR/AR Association (VRARA) and Carlos Lee, Director General of EPIC (European Photonics Industry Consortium) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 28 August 2019. The signature took place at EPIC’s highest-level conference - EPIC World Photonics Technology Summit 2019

“There are so many facets of the photonics industry that have direct application to the advancement and adoption of Immersive Technologies, which is entirely our organisation’s goal and mission statement. To find the leading advocate in photonics with its trusted experts and leaders right here in Europe that connect their own industry across the entire value chain, it made perfect sense that our associations not only collaborate, but indeed connect members in business opportunities that accelerate both ecosystems…””

— Philip Wogart, Executive Director DACH VRARA

VRARA and EPIC are leading international organizations that are working tirelessly towards the development of virtual/augmented reality and photonics industries, respectively. They are mutually motivated in cooperative activities involving the technological and commercial advancement in the area of photonics as both organizations help to develop industry standards. The partnership will encourage direct contact and cooperation between its members, assist future cooperation including participation at events and promoting the VR and AR ecosystem, exchange of information and contacts, as well as advisory mandates with the aim to support the development of a more cohesive and sustainable industry.

“EPIC’s model of connecting the European photonics community worldwide is through collaboration and partnerships, and thereby integrating the industry and improving the workings of photonics ecosystems. The VR/AR community is developing very fast and with this partnership, we want to offer this community access to EPIC’s members leading to future collaborations between members. Partnerships like this bring industries together and it’s good that the photonics industry is getting integrated and more organized”

— Carlos Lee, Director General of EPIC

The signature of the MoU took place in conjunction with the EPIC World Photonics Technology Summit in Berlin, Germany, in the presence of 150+ CEOs/CTOs and decision makers from worldwide leading photonics companies. The signing is the culmination of 9 months collaboration starting already last year at the EPIC Meeting on AR/VR at SONY in Stuttgart and several online collaborative webinars. Then earlier this year Director General Carlos Lee gave the keynote at the Executive Dinner at Mobile World Congress hosted by the Barcelona Chapter of VRARA. The cooperation continues to grow onto the international stage with the VR/AR Association’s invite for EPIC to participate in their annual Global Summit in November in Vancouver.

VR/AR Association (VRARA) has over 50 chapters around the world and a community of over 4,200 companies, brands, schools, and 27,000 professionals interested in the fields of VR/AR technologies. This complements very well the interests of most of the 500 members of the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC), that encompass the entire value chain from photonics fields such as lighting, photovoltaic, photonics integrated circuits, optical components, lasers, sensors, imaging, displays, optic fiber and all other photonics related technologies.

About VR/AR Association

The VR/AR Association (VRARA) is an international organization designed to facilitate collaboration between innovative companies and people in the VR and AR ecosystem that accelerates growth, fosters research and education, helps develop industry standards, connects member organizations and promotes the services of member companies. Over 4000 companies, brands, school and 27,000 professionals are registered with VRARA and 20 committees are working on best practices and guidelines for the industry.

About European Photonics Industry Consortium

EPIC is an industry association that promotes the sustainable development of organizations working in the field of photonics in Europe. Its members encompass the entire value chain from LED lighting, photovoltaic solar energy, photonics integrated circuits, optical components, lasers, sensors, imaging, displays, projectors, optic fiber and other photonics related technologies. EPIC fosters a vibrant photonics ecosystem by maintaining a strong network and acting as a catalyst and facilitator for technological and commercial advancement. EPIC currently represents close to 500 companies across 33 countries. www.epic-assoc.com

Calling VR/AR companies in Canada! Join the Canadian Delegation to AWE EU in Munich! (Deadline Extended to Aug 2)

Calling VR/AR companies in Canada! 

Join the VR/AR Canadian delegation to Munich, Germany Oct 17-18 for what Forbes calls "THE MOST ESSENTIAL AR/VR CONFERENCE AND EXPO". 

The Vancouver VR/AR Association/Launch Academy is proud to announce via the GOA (Global Opportunities for Associations) has received national funding for Canadian VR/AR companies that are looking to attend and build business opportunities at Augmented World Expo EU (Munch Germany) Oct 17-18. This opportunity gives Canadian companies the ability to develop business opportunities abroad with some of the leading enterprises, investors and thought leaders.

Global Opportunities for Associations (GOA) provides non-repayable contribution funding to support trade organizations undertaking new or expanded international business development activities, in strategic markets and sectors, for the benefit of an entire industry.

There will be a group that will choose 10 Canadian VR/AR companies to join the delegation. GOA will be reimbursing up to 75% of your eligible travel cost including flights, accommodations, conference registration and more. We will also be setting up B2B meetings, speaking/networking opportunities, and demo space. This is a great opportunity to showcase your technology/content to some of the biggest buyers/investors in the world.

If you are interested please fill out this form by Aug 2nd. Applications are reviewed on a first come first serve basis so we encourage you to apply ASAP! See program guidelines here

Selected companies will be announced on Aug 5th 2019.

If you identify yourself as a woman, indigienous or visible minority, we highly encourage you to apply. 

Get your Company Featured in our VR AR Ecosystem Reports

VRARA's 50+ Chapters are producing industry reports on the regional VR/AR ecosystems to promote companies and organizations involved with immersive technologies and media from NYC to Sydney, across the world.  The reports will be promoted by VRARA and our partners reaching potentially a 1M audience. 

Would you be interested to have your company featured in these report or sponsor the report? If yes, then let us know at info@thevrara.com 

Each report will specifically highlight the following:

• Size of the local ecosystem market

• Number of relevant companies in the ecosystem

• List of companies and company info (size: number of employees, revenue; vertical, customers)

• Reasons why company is based in the local ecosystem

• Needs and hopes from and for the ecosystem

If you have any questions or are interested in being featured or sponsor, please reply to this email or email info@thevrara.com

Philip Wogart of VRARA Germany interviews Philipp Wilhelm of CEBIT

If you would like to get discounts to attend or exhibit CeBIT, email philip@thevrara.com 

As part of the run up to CEBIT this year, I had the chance to speak with Philipp Wilhelm who heads up the activities for the Deutsche Messe in Hannover as regards immersive tech. This year the conference will be in the second week June, and the German Chapters of the Association are excited to be partnering with Germany’s largest technology conference to showcase our members and expertise in Hannover. 

Hello Philipp and thank you for taking the time to sit down with me and discuss CEBIT with us. I want to jump right in and ask for our international audience what does CEBIT mean? It’s an acronym no? But more importantly what its legacy has been and where it is headed…

Thank you very much for having me! That’s kind of a hard questions at the beginning. The name CeBIT is quite old, the show exists for over 35 years. So when its first episode started I assume more than 70% of the technology we have today did not exist back then in the show. In the past the name ment  in German “Centrum der Büro- und Informationstechnik” something like “marketplace for office IT” and back then it was pretty accurate. But CEBIT has changed a lot over the past years and the meaning too. For the 2018 edition CEBIT has a brand new concept. The old known and valued business focus still remains valid but we add a younger component to the show, a festival for digitization and some new topics triggering younger and more creative professional visitor groups. As a result we are also rebranding the name by letting the small “e” grow up to a capital “E” for “Experience the digitization”. CEBIT is a feeling and place to be, not an acronym any more. 

This rebranding is quite exciting actually. The festival approach will certainly appeal to a younger generation of attendees and exhibitors I imagine. Please tell us a little about the diverse technologies that will be showcased this year.

CEBIT has 4 core elements all focusing on digitization that’s where the “d!” comes from. The festival is named d!campus it is an open air area in the middle of the exhibition ground and will be hosting festival stages with artist, showcases and networking back yards, all focused on casual networking after the business hours. The biggest part and most similar to the “old” CEBIT is the d!cononomy part. There visitors find everything they need to digitize their company. From accounting software, datacenters, office IT, security software down to workplace IT. The really game changing technologies as AR/VR, AI, drones and other technologies among startups are hosted in the d!tec part of the show. This will be the most interesting for your members to browse around, test some tec and listen to conference talks. These conferences are the last of the 4 elements named d!talk and are located in the halls and free to attend. Spread over the show and conferences are our lead topics as: VR/AR, Future Mobility, IoT & 5G, AI, Human Robotics, Security and for sure Blockchain.

Well all these are gonna be real hot topics for the coming years for sure. Let me focus in a bit more on spatial computing now. Virtual and Augmented Reality being the name our of association, I’m sure the readers want to know more to expect this year. Can you share with us about any exciting demos that will be coming to the expo or d!talks?

Absolutely, we will have great content and demos at the show. Something that impresses me all the time is from holofill, it’s a hologram in a box/ screen and you can see it without a headset. We will have the latest gloves for VR by Sensoryx, great AR-Kit demos by VuFrame and even some cool demos by Innoactive. Beside these Startups there will also be companies who are in the market for a very long time as Leica Geo Systems showcasing special cameras for, I think you call it “point cloud scanning”, sorry not an expert. Collaborative workplaces in VR  will be shown and some more great showcases and technologies I am unfortunately not allowed to talk about at the moment. But some headsets no one has seen before will be showcased too. ;-) 
So for everyone from B2C to deep B2B solutions will be showcased at the show.

The Association is privileged that you have invited us to participate too, so thank you for that. At this point I feel obliged to mention that we have secured discounts for our members to visit and exhibit this year and hope to continue our participation for years to come. Let me ask you Philipp how did you get into VR yourself? And personally where do you see it headed now that the hype has died down?

We are very happy to cooperate with the VRARA, you have a great international network and we love to support you and the growing spirit of the, let’s call it XR-Industry. My first contact with VR was with a DK2 Headset at an event I attended around 2 years back in the US. Being very fascinated I decided to do some research on the topic and even did my MBA-thesis on “Immersive technologies in the sales process”, doing that I experienced how open minded, giving and forward thinking this great industry is. It’s always a great pleasure working with XR-people. 

I have also been astounded how amazing the community is, in person and also on social media. I look forward to infinite potential Social VR has to offer and concerned at the same time of course, but I’m an optimist in this respect.

So I’m excited for my first year at CEBIT as an attendee, exhibitor and speaker ;) 
Thank you so much for taking the time to give us a heads-up about all that going on in Hannover this June 11-15 (FYI: Monday is conference only, from Tuesday the expo opens to the public). 
 

ASUS Germany launches Windows Mixed Reality VR Headset at VRARA Munich Chapter Event

The Munich VRARA Chapter held it's official launch event on the 21st of February at the German Headquarter of Microsoft Munich together with ASUS. The sold-out event with more than 100 participants provided the opportunity for updates on Microsoft's Windows Mixed Reality platform, and the latest VR products from ASUS.

This was the official launch in Germany for their brand-new Mixed Reality Headset.

In addition to the presentations, there was loads networking, snacks and hands-on experiences on 6 separate VR installations featuring the latest hardware provided by ASUS and software from Microsoft. In total there was more 12 hours of live VR interactivity for the attendees to experience and the feedback was that it was resounding success and a great introduction of the VR/AR Association into Munich's thriving VR/AR Ecosystem.

Please contact Thomas Fickert, Chapter President Munich to learn more about upcoming events or partnership opportunities.