The Wild, an AEC-focused cloud-connected, extended reality (XR) platform that includes its namesake solution, The Wild, and IrisVR, which it acquired in 2021, has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Autodesk.
The Wild’s cloud-connected XR platform will give Autodesk access to its namesake solutions, which allow architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals to present, collaborate, and review projects together in immersive and interactive experiences from anywhere and at any time.
The acquisition, according to Autodesk, will help meet the AEC industry’s growing demand for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology advancements and will be a natural extension of the company’s digital ecosystem.
“A convergence of events makes this the right time for Autodesk’s acquisition of The Wild’s talent and technology as the foundation of Autodesk’s XR journey,” said Nic Fonta, general manager of XR (Extended Reality) at Autodesk. “Accessibility, affordability, as well as the future of digital twins and metaverse, create the right environment and business rationale for advancing XR technology within the AEC industry.”
Autodesk will be able to meet the growing demand for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology advancements in the AEC industry, as well as provide additional support to AEC customers throughout the project delivery lifecycle, as a result of this acquisition.
Wild’s XR technologies provide affordable, on-demand, and in-context opportunities for deeper team collaboration to more than 700 customers across two platforms. According to the companies, the virtual format empowers remote workers in an ever-changing work environment by providing an immersive environment for real-time ideation and decision-making.
“Our acquisition of The Wild reflects the rapid transformation taking place in the building industry, from the complexity of projects to the geographic diversity of teams who design, construct, and operate them,” said Andrew Anagnost, CEO of Autodesk, in a statement. “XR is a must-have business imperative for today and an important part of Autodesk’s Forge platform vision.”
“The Wild and Autodesk share a common mission of encouraging a more productive and collaborative AEC industry, and in this case, one where teams can resolve issues in minutes from their desks rather than the traditional miles of costly travel,” said Gabe Paez, CEO of The Wild, in a statement. “The Wild’s customers understand the value from the get-go, building consensus as a team in the virtual world with the ability to make changes to their designs at the speed of thought.”
Autodesk believes that virtual reality can help with increased workforce resiliency and remote collaboration, both of which have risen dramatically in the wake of the global pandemic. With physical distances and ever-changing travel restrictions, XR solutions provide a way to virtually keep teams together and projects moving.
Until recent times, professional-grade VR and AR were out of reach for most people. Most smartphones now support AR, and headsets cost a few hundred dollars instead of thousands, putting the power of XR in the hands of anyone, anywhere, at any time.
In-person collaboration often necessitates costly travel and contributes unnecessarily to harmful carbon emissions – and when teams are unable to meet to work through design issues together, costly rework and significant material waste are frequently the results. The companies claim that providing seamless, instantaneous, and immersive cloud collaboration allows teams to save time, money, and materials.
To perform design review and model coordination, The Wild incorporates data from various AEC technologies into their respective XR collaborative experiences. Autodesk Construction Cloud (Autodesk BIM 360, Autodesk Build), Autodesk Revit, Autodesk Navisworks, as well as non-Autodesk technologies such as Rhinoceros and Trimble SketchUp, are among the existing integrations.
Black & Veatch, a global engineering and construction firm with over $3 billion in annual revenue, use The Wild’s IrisVR solution, as well as a variety of Autodesk solutions, to help many of its teams deliver projects successfully around the world.
“This type of spatial real-scale immersive experience is a game-changer for our professionals,” said Brian Melton, Black and Veatch’s Technology Innovation Lead, of IrisVR’s ability to improve engagement and collaboration for distributed workgroups and stakeholders. The acquisition of The Wild by Autodesk could lead to more seamless integration of virtual reality into the platforms we use, resulting in greater adoption, more capabilities, and a shift from science fiction to daily activity.”
Autodesk stated that it is investing in XR for a variety of reasons, including:
- Resilience – As a result of the global pandemic, the need for increased workforce resiliency and remote collaboration has grown significantly. With physical distances and ever-changing travel restrictions, XR solutions provide a way to virtually keep teams together and projects moving.
- Accessibility and Affordability – Professional-grade VR/AR equipment was previously out of reach for many people. Most smartphones now support AR, and headsets cost a few hundred dollars instead of thousands, putting the power of XR in the hands of anyone, anywhere, at any time.
- Sustainability – In-person collaboration frequently necessitates costly travel, which contributes unnecessarily to harmful carbon emissions. Furthermore, when teams are unable to meet to work through design issues together, costly rework and significant material waste are frequently the results. Teams can save time, money, and materials by using cloud collaboration that is streamlined, instantaneous, and immersive.
The Wild came late to the AEC-focused VR software game, but it was arguably the first to put such a strong emphasis on collaboration. The company’s cloud-connected software was created with distributed AEC teams in mind.
When it acquired IrisVR in 2021, one of the pioneers of ‘push-button VR’ and the first to offer an optimized workflow from Revit to VR, the company’s stock skyrocketed.
Not one, but two AEC-focused XR tools are being acquired by Autodesk. IrisVR focuses on coordination, issue tracking, and BIM data exploration, whereas The Wild focuses on early-stage ideation and collaboration. Both tools are highly regarded.
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