More On the FARO-Trimble Partnership

The FARO-Trimble partnership announced earlier this year has paved the way for Trimble to distribute FARO laser scanners through its global network (coverage here and here).

FARO has always been an advocate for the democratization of measurement and 3D imaging technology. Like FARO, Trimble has served their customers for over 30 years by delivering leading technologies that solve measurement challenges. By partnering with Trimble, industries like civil engineering, surveying and transportation – industries where Trimble has a well-established brand – will benefit from increased access to FARO-built products. Trimble has achieved great success in these particular markets, so they’ll work to put FARO scanners (re-branded under an OEM agreement as the TrimbleTX5) in the hands of many more new users.

The agreement also means that FARO can forge deeper relationships in the many markets that we will continue to serve directly or through our own family of distributors, including forensics, architecture, insurance, entertainment and gaming, petrochemical, historical preservation, manufacturing and industrial measurement. FARO also adds greater emphasis on the development of complete scanning solutions –hardware, software, training, and other solutions that work together to improve customers’ workflows. The recently-announced FARO 3D App Center is one example of how FARO will find new ways to make use of 3D data.

True democratization of 3D imaging technology is closer than ever thanks to FARO’s OEM agreement with Trimble. More scanning users and solutions will be good for everyone, especially the customers FARO and Trimble serve. This partnership puts more scanners into the hands of more people, creates new opportunities for FARO to develop stacks of products and services, and ultimately creates a larger community of users who will learn and exchange ideas with one another. 

Recapping Autodesk University

Three Things We Loved About the AU Keynote

Autodesk 2012 has come and gone, but the conference continues to generate buzz around the products and people that helped make it a success. Here are three things that caught our eye last Tuesday:

1. The Future of Making Things

The conference kicked off last Tuesday with a keynote speech from, among others, 12-year-old engineer Schuyler St. Leger , who greeted CEO Carl Bass on stage before demonstrating his self-built and LED-adorned lab coat. Like the Doogie Houser of design, Schuyler talked about design in the 21^st century through the prism of a middle school maker. St. Leger covered the history of invention – think Da Vinci and Edison – and the significance of 3D printing for future designers looking to make new things more quickly and less expensively. It’s encouraging to see such a young person talk so enthusiastically about making things, and impressive that he can do it in front of 8,000 strangers. Schuyler’s generation is the next generation of makers, and they were on full display at AU.

A View From the Cheap Seats at AU 2012

2. 3D Printers and the Global Conglomerates Who Love Them

3D printing also took a more prominent role in this year’s AU conference. Although still in its infancy, the technology has been gaining traction in the manufacturing marketplace and should someday replace CNC and Waterjet machines as the process of choice for fabricators. Moreover, 3D printers are enabling a democratization of design, where even the aforementioned Schuyler St. Leger can create new products in almost no time. Christine Furstoss, general manager of technology at General Electric discussed in her keynote how manufacturing technology is enabling design, rather than materials dictating how and what technologies we use to manipulate them. “We’re in a materials inflationary environment,” explained Furstoss. “We must innovate differently to grow.” One goal for GE, Furstoss explained, is to 3D print a working engine within the next 3 years (see it here).

3. Cloud is King

Tuesday’s keynote was dominated by CEO Carl Bass and Autodesk 360, the company’s cloud-based suite of tools meant to make project sharing easier. The idea of Autodesk in the cloud is nothing new, but this year’s BIM 360, PLM 360, mobile-friendly apps like Sketchbook (like a virtual napkin for scribbling ideas) and Autodesk 123D show that the technology has matured beyond simply online storage. With this new suite of products, Autodesk is taking steps to create a virtual workspace and enable online collaboration in almost every type of design and build project – from consumer products to skyscrapers.

FARO Introduces New 3D App Center

Online Exchange Makes Development, Sharing of Focus3D Applications Easier Than Ever

FARO Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: FARO), the world’s most trusted source for 3D measurement has unveiled the FARO 3D App Center, the company’s new online exchange for Focus3D software applications. Through the 3D App Center, Focus3D users and software developers can download and share purpose-built apps to meet specific scanning challenges.

The FARO 3D App Center reduces costs and simplifies workflows by replacing expensive software packages that perform tasks users may never need.  Instead, customers can access and download FARO software apps built specifically to resolve their particular scanning challenges, such as surface or volume calculations. The result is lower operating cost and an assurance that scanning professionals have the FARO software they need, for the tasks they perform, each and every time.

FARO’s 3D App Center also provides a forum for software developers to create and share their own apps with the laser scanning world. Now, third-parties and other software companies can reach Focus3D customers directly, with apps tailored to meet their needs. All third-party apps are thoroughly tested and approved by the FARO team before making their way to the 3D App Center for download.

The all-new FARO 3D App Center is available now at http://3d-app-center.faro.com.