More than 850 3D Professionals attend conference on end-to-end 3D
864 3D professionals from throughout the United States and 26 countries enjoyed a multi-day immersion into the latest trends in 3D data capture and imaging technologies at the 10th Annual SPAR International Conference on End-to-End 3D. The conference, which took place April 15-18 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado, had more than 100 presenters and 6 tracks: New Technologies, Civil Infrastructure, Industrial Facilities, Building & Architecture, Forensic & Security Planning, and Digital Cultural Preservation. SPAR International is presented by SPAR 3D.
Lisa Murray, Director of SPAR 3D, said that in addition to growing overall attendance in a new venue, the number of full conference passport holders increased by 8%, meaning more attendees stayed longer to take in the full spectrum of what the event had to offer. “Those who came were thrilled with the education, live demonstrations, networking opportunities and hardware and software solutions offered at SPAR International.”
The conference kicked off with keynote addresses by Michael Jones, Chief Technology Advocate, Google; Greg Bentley, CEO, Bentley Systems; and Prof. (em) Heinz Rüther, Principal Investigator, Zamani Project. “Each of these visionaries challenged the audience to think beyond current technology,” said Ms. Murray. “Feedback from attendees was that the messages were inspiring and thought-provoking causing some to take pause and re-evaluate their processes—just what you hope for from a keynote speaker.”
The breakout sessions went into greater depth, giving attendees concrete examples of using the technologies to their fullest potential to save time and money and increase efficiency and accuracy. US Army Corp of Engineers Land Surveyor Stephen Caldwell said applications discussed in one of the civil infrastructure sessions will prove useful. “Some of the underwater LiDAR will be very valuable for doing dam inspections under the water.”
The exhibit hall had 58 exhibitors on over 80 booths, including the major 3D hardware manufacturers and software developers from around the world. More than a dozen new products, new releases or beta programs were launched and/or showcased at SPAR International. Michael Twohig, Advanced Utility Locating & Mapping Consultant for DGT Survey Group, said some of the new, smaller data capture devices that were being exhibited were of particular interest. “The handheld, less expensive mobile LiDAR units can be used in caverns, underground facilities and tunnels where the big scanners don’t really work well or fit well.”
In addition to the conference program and exhibition, SPAR International had live data capture demonstrations, mobile mapping vehicles, a university pavilion, roundtable discussions and networking events. Numerous technical seminars, user meetings, workshops and related association meetings also took place in conjunction with SPAR International. Stephen Wilkes, Director of 3D Services at Harry R. Feldman, Inc., said the networking between providers and developers was great for their core target business of built environment and scan-to-BIM modelling. “Having this forum of like-minded people who are trying to push what we do and what they do in their industries forward is second to none, just excellent.”
SPAR International brings together professionals from diverse markets to discover the newest 3D technologies and workflows to drive efficiency, reduce timelines, save money, improve safety and mitigate risk. Next year’s event will take place April 14-17, 2014 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. For more information, visit www.SPARPointGroup.com/International.
About SPAR 3D SPAR 3D organizes conferences and provides news and information for professionals involved in 3D imaging technologies. Content– delivered in-person and online– gives practitioners tools and information to make better business decisions. SPAR 3D is wholly-owned by Diversified Business Communications. For more information, visit www.SPARPointGroup.com.
About Diversified Business Communications Diversified Business Communications, a division of Diversified Communications based in Portland, Maine, US provides information and market access through face-to-face events, publications and online. Diversified serves a number of industries, including technology, food, healthcare, commercial marine and business management. Diversified operates divisions in Australia, Hong Kong, India, the UK and Canada. For more information, visit www.divbusiness.com.
