Introduction
Alteon.io, a digital platform that streamlines creative workflows for content creators of all backgrounds, now supports augmented reality (AR) projects, allowing users to store, view and collaborate remotely on USDZ and other 3D formats. Announced soon after Apple unveiled Vision Pro, their new AR headset, the move cements Alteon’s commitment to building best-in-class cloud-based infrastructure for a new generation of 3D artists creating no-code AR scenes on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
Once creators upload 3D objects to Alteon’s asset management platform, they can view their 3D objects in the real world for instant augmented reality when accessing their file in Alteon with a smartphone, tablet, or AR headset, such as Vision Pro. While users can upload any 3D scene descriptor to Alteon, the company emphasizes support for USDZ files, the preferred file type of Apple and Pixar, which Alteon renders in the cloud and displays as thumbnails, just like any other media file.
They can also leverage Alteon’s turnkey suite of tools for interactive media projects. Once 3D objects are opened in Alteon. Users can see in-depth metadata, including file details, user permissions, meta tags, and comments. They can also share their work with clients and collaborators using secure links, including optional password protection and expiry dates.
Expanding the Team
Alteon also recently announced Brian Meaney as their new Head of Product. Meaney spent over 18 years designing video products at Apple and nearly four years heading up UX design for the trailblazing AR company Magic Leap. At Alteon, one of Meaney’s immediate goals will be architecting the company’s direction in the AR space as the industry continues its rapid evolution.
“Bringing interactive media into a mainstream cloud asset manager means creatives will finally be able to access their content wherever they like—doing the work they need to when they need to,” Meaney says. “The 3D side of the film industry has been colliding for the past ten years into everything else. So in many ways, even if this device wasn’t there, making 3D native and embracing it on our platform is a good thing for the industry in general.”
Making 3D native and embracing it on our platform is a good thing for the industry in general.
Brian Meaney, Head of Product, Alteon.
“Having Apple’s Reality Composer Pro coming out, there’s a lot you should be able to create,” Meaney adds. “It opens up a lot of opportunities for other tools. It’s one of those interesting areas to consider– who will create this new interactive content.”
Opportunities in AR/VR (XR)
The combined extended reality (XR) creator economy has the potential to expand the retail and consumer space, including film and gaming, by $204 billion in 2030, according to a report by PwC. This is part of an estimated $ 1.5 trillion boost to the global economy across various industries. Regarding Apple, Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring predicts that AR spatial computing will become the company’s leading platform, pegging revenue from the Vision Pro at $20 billion with a total addressable market of $100 billion by 2030 as more affordable devices bring the technology into the mainstream.
Alteon won 2023 Product of the Year and Best of Show awards at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas in April and is now one of the only mainstream digital asset management and collaboration platforms to actively support AR creators across multiple devices, including iPhone and iPad. Alteon allows users to upload, share, review, and collaborate on media with anyone in the world and has previously introduced support for several professional and cutting-edge file types rarely accepted by other platforms, including RAW file formats (currently Blackmagic Design RAW, with Apple ProRes RAW and ARRIRAW slated for 2023).
“We are committed to supporting a diverse range of multimedia content creators,” says Matt Cimaglia, co-founder and CEO of Alteon. “We’ve also been very committed to supporting Apple’s ecosystem as a whole, whether it was our Final Cut Pro X workflow extension last year or our iOS and iPad support this year. We’re here for content creators, including this brand new AR segment with Vision Pro.”
We’re here for content creators, including this brand new AR segment with Vision Pro.
Matt Cimaglia, CEO, Alteon
“I hope content creators and developers embrace AR to its full potential,” Cimaglia adds. “They’ll be able to tell better narratives and more immersive stories. Documentaries, for example, would greatly benefit by putting viewers into the same space where something is happening.”
Augmented and virtual reality have been on Cimaglia’s radar for many years. Consulting as a creative and technology expert for Ogilvy, he spearheaded an AR ad campaign of theirs for Kiwi Shoe Polish, which ended up winning several Cannes Lions awards in 2017. Cimaglia created the non-profit 360ArtProject the following year, documenting artists’ creative processes using immersive 360-degree videos.
Alteon will increase support for AR and VR files in the coming months.
About Alteon.io
Alteon.io is democratizing the media industry by creating professional-grade tools that are accessible to all. By empowering content creators of all backgrounds with a fully streamlined workflow that lets them upload, share, collaborate, review, and store projects within a single platform, Alteon can cut production time from days to minutes. Alteon is a subsidiary of Third Summit.
