A machine so big,
that the entire factory has to be built around it, Balance Studios was
commissioned by manufacturer Therma-Tron-X (TTX) to help the industry leader showcase the impressive
and immense tanks that the successful Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin business uses.
With equipment so huge, it can be difficult for the company to explain to
potential customers the custom paint finishing systems services they provide.
Through the virtual magic provided by Balance, TTX is armed with portable tools
to showcase their impressive offerings to their clients around the world.
Using complicated
programming, but providing an easy-to-use end product for TTX, the Balance
creative team developed an application that employees can use for training,
sales, and to showcase and illustrate the processes of how their massive tank
systems are used for painting industrial equipment. The app highlights details
such as how the conveyor system works, and illustrates the many paint coats and
processes used that makes TTX a global leader in their field. By using iPad
Surface Tracking, an iPad is targeted on a hard surface, and then orange spots
appear in a virtual space. Users tap on the spots, the product appears, and it
can be scaled to whatever size they want. Details, such as adding a cement
floor, can be added to show the machine in a factory setting, so the TTX
equipment can appear, in a virtual factory, right on someone's desk. Hot spots
lead users through the different features and benefits, and explain the
processes and the machinery overall.
The tool was so successful, TTX continues to add to its
virtual toolbox. With plans to add a hollow lens mixed reality, users will wear
a head set, but unlike virtual reality where a person is immersed entirely into
a virtual world, they will still see their current surroundings. With the
headset on, users explore the machines and how they work. By incorporating the
headsets with the iPad application, the Balance team will also create fun characters
to explain the unique processes, services, and benefits of the company's niche
machinery. These added capabilities let guests experience the processes and techniques in a fun, yet informative way,
and clients gain a thorough understanding about the impressive capabilities and
manufacturing abilities that have made TTX into a strong global presence in the
manufacturing industry.