Geomagic Partners with Minolta Corp. to Provide New Integrated 3-D Technologies
Agreement provides one-stop shopping for 3-D photography applications
RAMSEY, N.J., RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., May 17, 2001 -- Geomagic and Minolta Corporation's Instrument Systems Division have entered into a development and co-marketing partnership to provide new integrated technologies for reverse engineering, rapid surfacing, rapid inspection, and 3-D photography to customers in North and South America.
Under the agreement, Geomagic will integrate Minolta's VIVID scanner drivers into its Geomagic Studio software, and provide customized software for VIVID 300 and 900 3-D non-contact color digitizers. The agreement allows customers to go to one source for digital 3-D scanning and modeling solutions.
Geomagic's software enables 3-D photography, the process of automating capture, processing and production of 3-D models. Medical device manufacturers are already using 3-D photography for mass customization of products.
As the manufacturer of the world's first portable 3-D non-contact digitizer, Minolta Corporation will play a key role in spreading 3-D photography applications in business and industry, according to Ping Fu, president and CEO of Geomagic.
“The new wave of manufacturing is mass customization – individually made products manufactured in large volumes,” says Fu. “The fuel for this movement will be participation by recognized industry leaders such as Minolta. This partnership brings a well-respected company to the hardware side of the 3-D photography equation.”
“Geomagic's technology is bringing us closer to realizing the full potential of 3-D photography,” says Martin Chader, business unit manager for Minolta 3-D products for the Americas. “We want to offer solutions rather than just tools. While Minolta's VIVID scanners remain compatible with most modeling and CAD software, our customers will now have a seamless way to capture physical objects and turn them into digital assets for industrial design, engineering, manufacturing, QC inspection and other applications.”
Geomagic develops 3-D photography software that automatically turns physical parts and objects into digital models for use in design, engineering, manufacturing and marketing. Its goal is to make digital 3-D as easy as traditional photography. The company was founded in 1996 and is based in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
Minolta Corporation is the largest subsidiary of Minolta Co. Ltd.,Osaka, a world-class manufacturer of nearly $5 billion worth of Minolta-brand consumer, business, industrial, medical and scientific products. For more information on Minolta, visit www.minoltausa.com. For information specifically related to Minolta's 3-D products, visit www.minolta3d.com.
Geomagic, Inc. |
Minolta: Maria Repici
Phone: 201-529-6055
mrepici@minolta.com