How Volkswagen, Google, and UNEVIS Revolutionized the World of Digital Twins
At this year’s Google Could Next 23 conference, our very own Pierre Grage and Mirko Hänßgen had the honour of joining Bernhard Reinert and Qingsi Wang from the Google Cloud’s Immersive Stream for XR Team. Together, we delved deep into the journey of bringing the ID. BUZZ to life in both streaming and augmented reality simultaneously.
Mit dem Laden des Videos akzeptieren Sie die Datenschutzerklärung von YouTube.
Mehr erfahren
It all began with a shared vision between Volkswagen’s vibrant marketing team and UNEVIS: How do we let customers visualize a personalized digital Volkswagen, even before it is manufactured? Little did we know the mountain of challenges that awaited us.
Imagine trying to load a super high-resolution 3D model on an old mobile phone; the result would be sluggish at best – worst of all it’s not even possible excluding a large chunk of possible users. The main challenge is that the polygons of these digital twins range between an astonishing 30 to 60 million polygons to hold thousands of different configuration options. Polygons are the tiny building blocks that shape the 3D world just like pixels do for images. Simplifying these designs manually for everyday devices was a task that took us three months, with many sleepless nights dedicated to ensuring each model was a exact image of its original design.
Introducing SolidMeta: AI’s Answer to 3D Optimizing Digital Twins
Determined to simplify the process, UNEVIS Xlab engineered an AI-driven solution starting 2020. We named it SolidMeta which got introduced at the Epic Games Automotive Build event in 2021 as Project Solid. This AI Geometry and structure Optimization technology streamlined the transformation of detailed CAD files into manageable 3D models. The magic? SolidMeta combined polygon reduction with many new AI optimization algorithms, ensuring each model retained its original shape and form while becoming more „digestible“ for real-time engines. Because we did not want to re-invent 3D development as well, we built our technology stack on top of Sidefx Houdini which we chose for its robustness and reputation for being the foundation for many cutting edge 3D technology.
We pushed our technology to the limit when applying to Volkswagen’s ID.4. Despite the model boasting an impressive 1 million polygons down from original 50 million, the WebGL 3D shading and lighting still lacked the finesse that a real-time engine like the Unreal engine offers.
Joining Forces with Google Cloud’s Immersive Stream for XR Team
Our journey took an exciting turn when Google Cloud’s Immersive Stream for XR team hopped on board for the ID. BUZZ AR Project. This collaboration was a game-changer. With Unreal Engine’s unmatched lighting and shaders, our models were beautifully lifelike. Even better, SolidMeta reduced the polygon count from a hefty 63 million to a sweet spot of 16 million, eradicating time-consuming manual adjustments to reach the super low count of 1 million polygons.
Thanks to Google’s customizable templates, aligning with Volkswagen’s brand became a breeze, slashing project timeframes from three months to a mere four weeks. Finally, No more cumbersome app downloads! Google Cloud’s Immersive Stream for XR tech ensures the ID. Buzz is perfectly presented across devices, all via the web browser or the Google App.
The day we digitally placed the ID. Buzz outside a home, using hand-tracking precision that felt out of this world, we realized that we had achieved together with Google Cloud’s Immersive Stream for XR team the vision we began over five years ago with Volkswagen.
For businesses, the blend of Google Cloud’s Immersive Stream for XR technology and a DigitalTwin powered by Unevis SolidMeta technology opens doors to a unified real-time model, streamlining AR configurations on mobile and 2D configurations on desktop.
Check out the Google Cloud ISXR Experience on your mobile and desktop device by CLICKING HERE or simply get a glimpse with the Video below.
Join the Future with Google Cloud’s Immersive Stream for XR & Unevis SolidMeta
Today, we’re thrilled to extend our SolidMeta AI Geometry Conversion tech to you, in collaboration with our partner, Google Cloud. Curious about harnessing SolidMeta AI technology for your Google Cloud’s Immersive Stream for XR project? Join the waitlist at SolidMeta.io
Want to know more about Google Cloud’s Immersive Stream for XR technology? Just Click Here.