Siemens has acquired 3D virtual reality specialist VRcontex, developer of the Walkinside line of 3D visualization and training software for complex engineering data. Purchase price was not disclosed. Walkinside is currently used in plant operation, maintenance and servicing in more than 200 companies in over 30 countries. The software accesses plant information to display the current status of a plant in visually appealing, realistic 3D graphics. VRcontext’s focus to date has been offshore oil and gas installations where the company has created a ‘globally accepted standard’ for 3D visualization. Total Angola reported successful use of Walkinside in commissioning its Pazflor FPSO last year (Oil ITJ July 2011).
Eckard Eberle, CEO of Siemens industrial automation unit said, ‘Integrating Walkinside into our industrial software portfolio will make plant engineering and operation safer and more efficient in many industry sectors.’ Walkinside will be integrated with Siemens Comos plant management tool, linking the VR model to up to date plant information—with Comos acting as a ‘global data center.’ More from Siemens.
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