If there was one thing everyone chased and tried to catch last year, it was Pokémon. PokemonGo’s success is no less an indicator that the bleeding edge technology of AR/VR (augmented reality/virtual reality) has arrived. Industry experts and several research reports peg the VR industry to be worth around $150 billion by 2025. AR is expected to have an even larger market share. Which means the market is ready and companies are already identifying various use cases for AR/VR technology.
In India, VR is now trending in sectors such as real estate, gaming, hardware and movies. Leveraging on this very demand, SmartVizX combines design visualization with game technologies to create products that cater to the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector.
Bringing value to the industry
With professional experience in architecture, the husband and wife duo of Gautam Tewari and Tithi Tewari decided to come up with a way to solve the problems posed by traditional methods of architectural visualization. The standard methods used today are inefficient and do not really reduce errors during the phase of construction. After spending over 15 years as professional architects, both were keen to don the mantle of entrepreneurship. A chance meet up with Chandan a founding member and Head, VR at SmartVizX who had a background in gaming led to the thought of creating VR based visualization solutions.
Gautam Tewari, Co-founder and CEO, SmartVizX
Tithi Tewari, Co-founder and CEO, SmartVizX
Gautam has a Master’s Degree in Project Management from UNSW and Tithi is an Architect from CEPT, Ahmedabad. She also has business and leadership certifications from both Harvard Business School and INSEAD.
Overcoming challenges
Traditional methods used in architecture today do not convey design in its true sense to stakeholders lacking architectural qualifications. The company is disrupting the approach to design visualization by introducing VR to the mix and coming up with solutions that are engaging, interactive and almost intuitive to the needs of the user. The challenge of the hardware getting more refined, cheaper and accessible is something they are aggressively trying to solve.
There are close to 170 AR/VR start-ups in India. SmartVizX is focusing on consolidating their leadership in the AEC space. Being on the forefront of technological development and innovation, they heavily count on their talented pool of 45+ team members. Vinay Narayan Executive Director, VR at HTC Vive has joined the board at SmartVizX which has given a huge boost to their efforts and potential.
While other startups in the AR/VR field face difficulties in setting up necessary infrastructure, SmartVizX is a step ahead with a dedicated R&D wing. The facility based in Bengaluru ensures that they stay on top of the game in product development. They have already attracted some of the senior talent in the VR community to work in this wing. At present the startup offers highly sophisticated products for the AEC industry. They aim to be the largest provider of VR enabled visualization solutions in the AEC market and venture into new sectors eventually. They eventually plan to aggressively expand their geographical presence and already have key representatives in United States and Middle East. Their clients include Bloomberg Quint, Indigo and Dasnac to name a few.
Customer delight
A great example of how SmartVizx is making life easier for its clients is their VR Video Walkthrough solution that has benefited India’s leading crane manufacturer- Electromech. The material handling equipment manufacturing company can now “show” their factory to their customers across the globe. The VR Walkthrough solution gives their customers a better idea about their world class facilities and capabilities. It eliminates the need to visit the factory and the hassle of travel and overnight stay especially for international customers. “Our customers appreciate the way in which we have leveraged technology to make their life simpler. Enhancing the customer experience not only allows us to interact with customers better but also gives us immense credibility as technology adapters. This definitely has a positive impact on our company brand as well.” says Tushar Mehendale, Managing Director, Electromech.
Website: www.smartvizx.com