Leica Cyclone Model VR, developed by DMI, has now been released offering immersive virtual reality visualization for Cyclone 3D models.  Model VR was developed as a toolset to publish VR ready files to experience 3D models in an immersive environment, take measurements, mark them up in real time, and save snapshots for smarter design, communication, and collaboration. 

This week, the DMI team attended HxGN Live in Las Vegas, the annual tech showcase event from Hexagon, a global leader in digital solutions.  Day one was an informative round of immersive training experiences, learning more about Hexagon and Leica Geosystems reality capture technologies, software, and hardware including the newly unveiled RTC360 laser scanner.  The rest of the week included a full schedule of keynotes (including the announcement of Xalt), breakout sessions, and floor exhibits from Hexagon and their customers demonstrating the utilization and convergence of the latest emerging technology.

DMI attended and exhibited at the Cooperative Technology Conference in Indianapolis, IN showcasing Precision Reality™ and related IoT and VR solutions.  One solution presented was a Fuse Cutout Fault Sensor.  This sensor attaches to a fuse cutout in the field and is activated in a low power mode until the fuse blows.  Once the fuse is blown the sensor sends a notification through the Precision Reality™ secure long-range network to the utility alerting them to the blown fuse.  From there the utility can visualize the outage on a map layer of Precision Reality™ or immediately respond to the geo-located fuse to repair and replace.  This cost-effective process cuts down on time spent locating outages and provides advanced visualization tools for the utility and their network.

DMI, along with Anixter, Liberty Property Trust and Scientific Games presented "Emerging Technologies Disrupting Real Estate" at the Industrial Asset Management Council's 2017 Fall Forum in Richmond, VA.  The panel discussed the changing landscape of the real estate industry from the perspective of both landlord and tenant and the ROI that can be realized from adopting emerging technologies.  DMI presented Precision Reality™ to illustrate the transformative effect of an enterprise through the use of big data and advanced visualization.

On September 28, 2017 DMI introduced the next industrial revolution encapsulated in our newest suite of solutions called Precision Reality™. Executives that attended were educated on the latest innovations, from virtual reality to internet of things, forming the foundation for a wellspring of untapped enterprise ROI. DMI shared our experience as a trusted advisor within numerous industries. We were also able to share an exclusive look at some projects with our partners. Together, we explored the the impact of harnessing the transformative power of emerging technology in the enterprise.  

“A lot of games are focused on mental ingenuity,” Schuster said. “That carries over for everything. Every company is going to come to a point where they need to ask, ‘How are we going to tackle this situation?’ Using that creative mind to think about things differently can be important.”

Teleportation exists…kind of. Over a dozen Fortune 500 companies are using the Dubuque-based company Design Mill Inc. because they take laser scans of facilities or properties and convert them into desktop or virtual reality viewing. Then they integrate technology that helps visualize that data in virtual reality, in real time. Some of their clients are in the commercial real estate, technology and manufacturing industries. “If you are sitting in your office in Des Moines and have 100 locations you are responsible, you would have a laser scan of each facility that’s been converted to virtual reality,” Nathan Greiner, President and Chief Technology Officer, explains. “So it has real-time sensor data attached to it. You just pop on your glasses and teleport yourself to that location.” Greiner says colleagues from other parts of the world can be part of the virtual meetings.

Design Mill, Inc. in Dubuque provides an emergent line of work, creating virtual reality experiences of warehouses for industrial clients to use in real estate or for employee training purposes. Like most STEM careers in Iowa, new ones like this crop up almost every day. Fortunately each summer, Iowa teachers of STEM subjects have the opportunity to keep up with the trends and immerse themselves in these innovative careers through Iowa STEM Teacher Externships , finding new ways to teach these evolving employability skills and connect what students learn to the jobs in their neighborhoods. This summer, Mike Jensen, an industrial technology teacher at Dubuque Senior High School, is linking up with Design Mill, Inc. to connect his CAD/Modeling classes to the lucrative world of virtual reality.

There are some innovative uses for virtual reality, but too often the technology comes across as more of a novelty, with gaming and fantasy being the primary focus of use. Dubuque, Iowa strategic systems innovator Design Mill, Inc. and Chicago’s Ideas Into Apps have joined forces to integrate virtual reality with corporate real estate through a technology called Precision Reality. Using laser scanning and 3D modeling, DMI and II2a can recreate a company’s assets, such as real estate, an assembly plant or an office building, in the digital world. Workers or investors in Chicago could take a tour of a property in Lima, Peru via their laptop, or using a VR headset. Surveying and equipment manufacturers around the globe have turned to laser scanners for their work, allowing DMI and II2a to line up partnerships with them to scan properties in almost any area. “If we’re working with a Fortunate 500 company, that has a large portfolio of properties,” said Dave Proctor, Chief Operating Officer for DMI. “We’re a software company, we don’t necessarily want to be a scanning company. That’s where our partners come in, allowing us to scan dozens of properties simultaneously.”

Last week, David Proctor (COO), Nathan Greiner (President/Founder), CJ Kuehl (Vice President), and Alex Schuster (Software Developer), attended the HxGN LIVE event in Las Vegas, Nevada.  HxGN LIVE offers new and exciting ways to experience what's unfolding in the world of design, measurement and visualization technologies. The four-day event included previews of new solutions, interactive demonstrations, and unlimited networking opportunities. Our team was especially excited by the release of  BLK360 by Leica and by the announcement of the release of DIM’s co-developed product with Leica, Cyclone MODEL VR!