The world went a bit metaverse crazy over the past several years. Countless organizations across a slew of industry sectors felt compelled to establish a three-dimensional (3D) digital presence simply because it became the fashionable thing to do.
It seemed as though overnight, businesses leaped straight from websites, social media, and videos to attempting to build virtual reality (VR) environments and shape immersive experiences, skipping a few pivotal intermediary steps.
For those companies with genuine needs to create 3D experiences — whether for sales and marketing initiatives, engineering, or remote collaboration — the ability to construct 3D models of physical objects and share them in real time, all without overextending graphics processing resources, holds the missing piece of the puzzle.
Enter polygon streaming.
What is 3D technology?
Let's start with the basics. 3D technology in enterprise VR refers to 3D representations of real-world assets in computer-generated environments. Unlike two-dimensional (2D) graphics, which consist of only width and height, 3D visuals also incorporate depth to offer more realistic and immersive digital experiences.
A 3D environment is a compilation of 3D models, where polygons — 2D shapes with straight sides — make up the models' surfaces, defining the appearances of digital objects and scenes.
The technology is adopted in a myriad of fields and use cases, spanning entertainment, research and development, design visualization, training simulation, virtual offices, and e-commerce, to name a few.
Polygon streaming — rendering resources optimized
Streaming isn't a novel concept, with video and audio streaming now commonplace. However, applying it to 3D experiences introduces enormous challenges due to their complexity and dynamic nature. Polygon streaming addresses these challenges by facilitating the rendering and transmission of 3D data, particularly related to polygons, from a server or cloud source to a client device. It is especially relevant in scenarios where a large amount of 3D data needs to be transferred efficiently, such as in online gaming, VR, and any live interactive events.
Instead of rendering and sending the entire 3D model all at once, which can be processing resource-intensive, polygon streaming involves transferring only the necessary data for the polygons currently "visible" to the user, optimizing bandwidth to reduce latency and improving real-time rendering performance. This is invaluable when a user's device lacks the capacity to store or process the whole model locally.
Polygon streaming and virtual workspaces
The pandemic brought to the forefront the importance of virtual work environments that could facilitate or even enhance remote collaboration. The result was the accelerated adoption of immersive experiences such as VR and mixed reality (MR) in the business sector, shepherding new and improved ways for individuals to interact despite physical distances.
For companies and professionals leveraging the advantages of 3D technology in daily operations, polygon streaming is crucial.
Imagine engineers, industrial designers, and project managers working simultaneously on a 3D product prototype in a virtual lab, regardless of their physical locations. With polygon streaming, each team member can access the high-resolution representation and review and modify it from different vantage points. The graphics experience is smooth and in real time, streamlining the development and decision-making processes.
A real-world use case of polygon streaming
Polygon streaming has already made inroads to architectural design. Consider an architecture and construction firm tasked with building a cutting-edge, carbon-negative headquarters for a multinational organization.
Traditionally, architectural design involves a series of iterative steps, with architects pitching designs, making adjustments based on feedback, and then presenting updated versions. Every stakeholder has to be in the same physical venue or on a video call with annoying video and audio lags, unable to fully demonstrate the brilliance of the proposal. Lather, rinse, and repeat.
With polygon streaming, this oftentimes exhaustive process undergoes a dramatic makeover.
The architectural team can build a detailed, high-fidelity 3D representation of the proposed headquarters and share it with the client in realtime via an interactive, immersive space, such as a VR conference room.
As the client explores the 3D model from their location, the architects can make immediate modifications based on the client's feedback. The efficiency of polygon streaming ensures that only the necessary changes are rendered and showcased, significantly improving the overall visual quality.
Moreover, the application of polygon streaming enhances the scalability of such collaborative projects. Architects can easily involve experts from different disciplines, including environmental sustainability consultants, interior designers, and structural engineers, all collaborating on the same high-resolution 3D models in a VR environment.
Polygon streaming also has implications for client engagement. Instead of relying on static renderings or hardcopy blueprints, clients can inspect a highly interactive 3D model of the future corporate campus, using VR headsets for a fully immersive experience or 2D screens of smartphones when on the go.
VIVERSE for Business — 3D technology for VR workspaces
VIVERSE for Business provides companies the means to build virtual offices with ease, leveraging the latest 3D technologies.
Proprietary polygon streaming technology
VIVERSE for Business offers a proprietary, cloud-based polygon streaming solution that allows users to work with massive 3D models via the internet, even those made up of millions of polygons.
It intelligently renders and transfers only the portions of the model in the viewer's line of sight and optimizes resolution based on proximity, reducing stress on processing power and data bandwidth while delivering more fluid visuals. Learn more about this innovative solution here.
Flexible and scalable
Another attraction of VIVERSE for Business is a comprehensive library of design-ready modules. Companies can mix and match different "blocks" of 3D spaces — like common areas, reception lounges, showrooms, meeting rooms, auditoriums, and scenic backdrops — to customize for current demands as well as projected growth.
For executives curious about the benefits of having a virtual office, the platform allows organizations to gradually and strategically increase their presence based on future opportunities, harnessing the potential of 3D technology and immersive environments one module at a time.
3D technology — shaping tomorrow's enterprise collaboration
3D technology will transform how businesses communicate, innovate, and engage with stakeholders. As more and more companies recognize the value of immersive experiences, polygon streaming holds the key to delivering high-resolution, interactive environments.
Business use cases in architectural design and cross-discipline collaboration illustrate the benefits of polygon streaming in the optimization of graphics processing to enrich the client engagement process and drive efficiency in different facets of business operations.
Equipped with proprietary polygon streaming technology and flexible modules to help organizations systematically expand their digital presence, VIVERSE for Business offers user-friendly yet comprehensive features to explore the possibilities of 3D technology.