MicroD Unveils OmniVue 3D Innovations for Home Furnishings

March 8, 2017  by Jane Chero in Designer Weekly, Industry, Retail Technology   

The new solution, which builds on existing MicroD visualization and room planning technologies, is the result of aggressive internal product development and an alliance with VividWorks Ltd., a leading 3D and AR (Augmented Reality) solutions developer. OmniVue™ 3D allows end users to view highly realistic product images from any vantage point, provide a 360°spin view, virtually build modular pieces, such as sectionals with fabric and leather choices, and create a room plan in 3D. The Augmented Reality module of OmniVue™ 3D brings the online decorating and shopping experience into the user’s actual physical environment.

“To address the expectations of today’s online shoppers and the needs of our customers, we decided to extend our product range to offer 3D visualization and augmented reality. We feel these are important tools for our customers to leverage as part of their omnichannel strategies,” says Manoj Nigam, CEO and chairman, MicroD.

“These technologies enable home furnishings consumers to realistically see, envision and dream of how furniture and accessories will look in a physical space, to interactively experiment with different choices and have a lot of fun along the way. The richer the experience furniture manufacturers and retailers can offer through solutions like OmniVue™ 3D, the better they can convert shoppers to buyers by enhancing consumers’ confidence in their online selections.”

OmniVu™ 3D takes MicroD’s popular ePreVue and OmniVue™ Roomplanner tools to new levels. Previously, these tools provided 2D visualization and space planning. Now, with 3D Product Visualization, customers can more realistically simulate in 3D how different upholstery choices will look on their furniture selections, plus view pieces with varieties of flooring, wall coverings, trims, and accessories. With the 3D Product Composer, users can arrange sectional sofas and other modular components in variety of configurations, easily moving and connecting sections in different ways and repositioning them within a virtual room.

OmniVue™ 3D’s AR capabilities offer users the ability to scan a room they wish to furnish with their tablet device or use an image they had previously stored and then drag and drop different furnishings from the manufacturer’s or retailer’s website into the scene. The solution works with live video as well as customer-provided pictures.

OmniVue™ 3D is fully integrated with the MicroD OmniVue™ online merchandising and ecommerce platform, providing an unparalleled shopping experience for consumers and making it seamless for shoppers to move from the interactive 3D experience to purchasing.

To bring this new solution to market, MicroD has partnered with Finland-based VividWorks, which last year was named one of the most promising AR technology solution providers by CIO Review. MicroD has an exclusive arrangement with VividWorks to deliver this best-of-breed 3D technology to the North American market.

MicroD’s latest developments help home furnishings brands and retailers respond to surging online sales. E-commerce furniture sales were up 7.8 percent for the 2016 holiday season and are growing 11 percent annually on their way to an estimated $32 billion by 2018, according to eMarketer data. By 2021, furniture will account for nearly 10 percent of all U.S. online sales, predicts Statistica.