Most contemporary industrial training applications/experiences are being developed on the Unity engine. Industrial organizations hire game development studios or more recently, specialized VR content development agencies with prior experience in developing such experiences. However, there are substantial challenges that limit the widespread deployment of these experiences:

• The VR experiences are built using gaming-style packaging, which bundles the software “executables” along with the 3D content. Users need to install the package on their VR workstation or headset. In doing so, all the 3D content is available on the device, typically without any data security protocols in place. Anyone having access to the device automatically has access to the content including confidential data about the plant. IT security clearance becomes very tricky for large-scale deployments of such systems.
• Even the most basic VR experiences like creating a virtual tour of the plant or specific sections, require software development effort. This coupling of the content and the software makes this effort extremely costly & time-consuming.
• Due to the packaging of the 3D content with the software, any change required to the content, say due to changes in the plant, requires support from the developer to update the 3D model, rebuild the software, and deliver the updated installers. Further, the experiences are hardcoded to run on specific VR devices. This limits their usage when new VR devices come out. For example, an experience developed for HTC Vive won’t run on the Oculus Quest without substantial “porting” effort on the part of the developer.

At Exxar, we are working with our industrial partners to eliminate the above challenges that have been limiting the creation and adoption of VR training experiences for industrial use. This game-changing paradigm allows:

• Separating the application software from the 3D content. The content sits securely on a robust server platform, allowing authenticated & encrypted access to 3D content during VR experiences. This makes large-scale deployments a breeze.
• Creating virtual tours & other immersive experiences without the need for any software development effort. This greatly reduces the time and cost involved.
• Any updates to the content can be done directly, without any changes to the software or dependence on the software developer. Further, the content created is future-proof. As new VR or AR platforms come, the same content will be available on them without the need to recreate the content.

Interested to learn more? Connect with me by sending me a DM or booking a slot on my calendar here.