by Erica Driver and Sam Driver.
On June 17th-18th we attended Dassault Systemes’ DevCon 2008 conference and accompanying industry analyst event in Paris. Dassault Systemes (DS) has roots in computer-aided design (CAD) software and product lifecycle management (PLM) and is evolving into what the company is calling “PLM 2.0.” DS uses the term PLM 2.0 to refer to the concept of creating an online 3D environment that enables everyone -– not just engineers -– to create and share 3D product designs and models, and help bring new products to market. It’s the focus on “online 3D environment for everyone” that gets us excited and DS has a few products in its 3DVIA brand that mark the company’s move into the Immersive Internet market. Most significantly:
- An authoring environment for 3D modeling and game development. 3DVIA MP (a new, enterprise-scale version of the 3DVIA Virtools application development platform) is a tool for creating “lifelike experiences.” (For more on this see the ThinkBalm blog post “First life” versus “fake life” – When realism is important in the Immersive Internet.) Customers include companies like Electronic Arts, which uses it to prototype new video games.
DS says this tool can be used to create what the company calls “smart objects” –- 3D models that are animated or scripted so they have some functionality. While 3DVIA MP’s roots are in video game production and creating design and market simulations in specific vertical markets, we foresee DS customers experimenting with the tool to create immersive learning simulations in the future. - Free, easy-to-use 3D modeling software. 3DVIA Shape is a basic modeling tool currently in beta (free software, client download required) that people can use to create fairly simple objects and forms. 3DVIA Shape provides an opportunity for people not familiar with 3D content creation to get their feet wet. The product competes with other entry level 3D content creation tools like tools like Altadyn 3DXplorer, the open source C3DL project, Google Sketchup, the modeling tools built into Linden Lab’s Second Life, the open source Ogoglio project, and View22 SceneCaster.
- An online community where people can share 3D content they create. Dassault Systemes’ answer to Flickr for photos or Google 3D Warehouse for 3D content is 3Dvia.com. 3DVIA.com currently has 28,000 members who have created and uploaded about 2,900 3D models that are free and available for public consumption, with thousands of other objects that members choose to keep private. 3DVIA.com supports uploading of 3D model files not only from 3DVIA software but other professional and open source modeling products including Autodesk 3ds Max and Maya, Google Sketchup, open source Blender, and others. Members who use3DVIA Shape can directly publish and in the future “remix” 3D models on 3DVIA.com with storage and sharing managed on the Internet.
- In the future: the ability to remix 3D creations. DS expects a future release of 3DVIA.com to provide members with the ability to remix (modify and reuse) other peoples’ 3D content using DS’s 3DVIA tools, while remaining in compliance with the original creator’s licensing requirements. People will be able to modify 3D objects by simply changing the dimensions or parameters of the object, or add animations or interactive functionality to originally static 3D objects to make them “smart objects.” This future capability has the potential to set DS apart from sites like Google 3D Warehouse. Imagine if DS added a means for monetization –- picture an iStockPhoto.com type site for 3D content that could be used in any virtual world or environment. This could really help propel the Immersive Internet forward.
Dassault Systemes does not offer a virtual world platform, per se -– customers have not used 3DVIA MP to create massively multiplayer online games or virtual worlds. But the company’s strengths in 3D modeling, CAD, and PLM combined with executives’ vision of an interactive, immersive 3D future show whopping potential. We’re going to be keeping a close eye on this one.
© 2008 ThinkBalm. All rights reserved.
Filed under: Articles by Erica Driver, Articles by Sam Driver | Tagged: 3d content creation, Dassault Systemes
