VirtualDesign.net History

VDN Overview

     In 2002, VirtualDesign Networks 2.0 was released as a browser based SaaS  virtual workspace (VDN) for architectural designers, engineers, manufacturers, photographers, creative media people, business professionals and educators. 

  We provided a painless broadband collaborative workflow solution for the global design community with a subscription-based model that integrated end-to-end turnkey video collaboration tools and document markup.

Also included, storage for creative-media design professionals with the access, training, tools, and web-based technology they need to transition to and maintain an all digital, ultra-high resolution, real-time broadband collaborative workspace.

    The VirtualDesign.Net community concept sees the workspace functioning as a common meeting place for members of the online digital design community, and the businesses that support them, to get together and advance the concept of real-time, collaborative computing.

  These browser based tools included real-time review and markup of documentation, multi-point video-audio conferencing. Collaborative, cloud based, persistent workspaces for the creation and editing of all design media content. Fully compatible with most 2D and 3D graphics formats and most CAD documents, DVD and web content production tools, secure document management, multi-user real-time markup, approval and distribution.

     We provided all of the online tools and technologies that media and design people need to participate in Twenty-First Century technology in one package, allowing them to continue their best work without losing sight of their familiar production values, tools and techniques. Through a focused vision of this market, we can parlay our understanding of their needs and this very compact and fast software suite into a highly profitable browser based AR, MR and VR application available as a subscription service.

Technical Objective and challenges

    The power and capabilities of our computer hardware and software is evolving every day, opening up new opportunities at a pace that is not likely to slow down. This new technology gives businesses many more choices in communicating a continually rising tide of complex information. They need assistance and hardware to convert it to a digital stream, to help them acquire the skills to organize, utilize and manage it.

    What we want to do is re-boot this existing, real-time, multi-user software solution into an augmented reality application running a virtual overlay of all the collaboration tools in VR, MR and AR formats.

The software was written over a period of four years from 1998 to 2002. A team of 16 programmers and specialists designed and created the VDN software suite based on a Windows 2000 multi-server system and various Windows workstations (will also run on Apple computers). The software is extremely compact and fast. We were funded by a single angel investor and the total budget expended for the team was $5.6 million dollars as of 2002 for development of Version 2.0 of the VDN suite.

VDN Version 2.0 was introduced at COMDEX 2002 in Las Vegas to very good reviews and several hundred hot leads. Unfortunately the investor, upon hearing the positive news, decided he wanted to own the company outright and reap the potential cash flow and I was forced out.

  The company was renamed Comotiv Systems, moved the entire office and staff to new offices and they changed the focus to education only. After an additional investment of several million dollars it was closed down in 2007 due to seriously bad management.

We have a complete copy of the VirtualDesign.Net 2.0 software on six DLTtape IV 40GB digital backup tapes. Total investment to deliver version 2.0 was $5.6 million and about 85,000 man hours to complete.

 Market Opportunity

  Through a knowledgeable, focused vision of this deep and wide market, we can parlay our experience and understanding of their needs into a highly profitable broadband subscription service.

  During the past several decades we, as artists and designers, have been able to use computers to work with graphical forms of information such as 35mm slides, charts, 2D and 3D illustrations and multi-dimensional graphics for presentation and animation.

  Recently, a new form of technology has been defined that is revolutionizing the way we create and present information and entertainment. Immersive Virtual Reality has opened a multitude of opportunities to explore.

  In order to achieve our vision, the VirtualDesign Net software will be re-engineered to provide functional AR, MR and VR, real-time, broadband collaborative workflow tools and services to engineers, creative media people, designers, and educators. 

  We believe our concept could offer vast improvements in overall design productivity and training effectiveness. Easily providing every creative-media design professional with the access, training, tools, and web-based technology they need to transition to and maintain an all digital, ultra-high resolution, real-time broadband collaborative workspace.

  Implementing this toolset will result in significant reductions in production and travel costs for the global design, engineering, and educational communities. Our customers are people who depend on fostering the creative process in their businesses and value high quality communication.

We would provide 24/7 access to and use of a wide variety of high-speed, highly efficient creative and management tools for improved production, project scheduling and communications.

Through web conferencing and data sharing, Virtual-WorkSpaces™ is a cost-effective way to reduce travel costs, streamline the design and approval processes, and shorten the manufacturing cycle. The road-weary creative people involved in design and implementation are fresher and more productive. The customers create and produce their products in a shorter time.

Everybody wins.

VDN Reboot Team