Hexagon announced the release of a new SaaS application named Reality Cloud Studio. It offers a combination of reality data capture visualization, collaboration and storage in a single cloud environment, accessible from anywhere. The application fully automates the meshing and registration of reality capture data for the creation of photorealistic digital twins, thereby reducing manual and semi-manual tasks that come with reality capture projects. By offering these automated tasks in a new SaaS offering, Hexagon wants to make reality capture accessible to more people, after driving down the learning curve for reality capture field workflows by making scanning a one-button process.
The new SaaS application is built on top of HxDR (Hexagon Digital Reality) which is Hexagon’s cloud-native platform for geospatial solutions at any scale. It can be seen as a natural addition to Hexagon’s reality capture hardware and software portfolio, as it launches with a direct connection between field apps and office software such as Leica Cyclone 3DR. Reality Cloud Studio has been built on core capabilities of existing products that bring registration, meshing, and central data and user management to customers, but in a more simplified way. The new application is also data agnostic, which means it supports data captured by any sensor if provided in an industry-standard format.
Further simplifying reality capture tasks
Registration and meshing of reality capture data are two processes that require significant training and expertise. With Reality Cloud Studio, Hexagon now offers a solution that automates both tasks, providing simplicity. Creating this auto-registration solution was no easy feat, as it utilizes technology from multiple Hexagon entities now orchestrated into multiple data pipelines and cloud containers.
Making this happen is perhaps the biggest technological achievement with this new application, says Justin Barment from Hexagon’s Reality Capture division in an online discussion about Reality Cloud Studio: being able to deal with many different variables means an application has to be able to work with variable methods in data capture, site topographies and the data characteristics of different scanners that vary based on accuracy, noise level and more. He stresses that Hexagon will continue to roll out improvements and add all-new automated services.
Getting started
Currently, users can stream data directly from Reality Cloud Studio to Cyclone 3DR desktop software for detailed analysis and reporting. Hexagon announced it is now working on more reality capture software connections, enabling data access, visualization, processing, and collaboration through a browser interface from anywhere as long as the user has access to a laptop, smartphone, or tablet with a browser and internet connection.
Reality Cloud Studio is available through three different monthly subscription tiers, starting from $20 up to $431. This includes data storage, download traffic, limited or unlimited projects, and, optionally, public link sharing, tokens and the possibility for external collaboration. New users can sign up for Reality Cloud Studio after creating a free HxDR account online.
