Applications Of 3D Visualization Software And Its Benefits For Industrial Asset Management And Operations

Executive Summary

Computer-generated three-dimensional (3D) graphical representations of real-world physical assets have a rich history of vibrant use cases, from Bell Labs’ 1963 computer animation of a satellite in orbit, to Dassault Systèmes first supplying CATIA in 1984 to US-based aerospace firm Boeing. Since then, other providers, such as Ansys, Autodesk, AVEVA, Bentley Systems, COMSOL and Siemens have contributed to the range of dynamic simulation and 3D visualization capabilities available to engineers and designers. However, the adoption of 3D visualization software for industrial asset management (IAM) and industrial operations has, until recently, seen slower growth, while multiple foundational technologies such as enterprise asset management (EAM) and predictive maintenance software have matured. A number of factors are driving 3D visualisation software growth in industry; the key ones being the COVID-19 pandemic forcing firms to adopt digital collaboration tools to operate remotely, high-fidelity 3D data capture becoming more reliable as well as affordable and availability of new digital technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality solutions.