When COVID hit, the computer software company PTC took its tagline “Digital Transforms Physical” to heart. With a big undergoing of redesigning their in-person Corporate Experience Center (CXC) to a hybrid platform using an extended reality (xR) stage, they are now able to reach their target audience where they are in entirely new ways.
PTC
A hybrid corporate experience center
The Corporate Experience Center at PTC (photo by PTC)
The control room for the xR stage (photos by PTC)
As a software that lives in products, vizualisation of its applications was always an integral part of PTC’s strategy to educate its customers and stakeholders. Before 2020, the CXC targeted a very hands-on approach to explain the full realm of its services with a fully experiential on-site experience at PTC’s headquarters in Boston.
Tom Sullivan, Corporate Experience Director, demonstrating the company's services in an interactive, 3-D environment.
Environments can be switched out with the press of a button.
Lighting presets make it easy to change the immersive virtual sets on the fly (photo by PTC)
But with most customers being located in APAC and EMEA, and 90% of customers visiting the CXC from the US, PTC was questioning whether this was the right approach. The company decided it was time for a more comprehensive solution, elevating their digital experiences without losing out on valuable interactions with their stakeholders.
A custom-built robotic pedestal enables bi-directional communication.(photo by PTC)
The solution: an xR stage combined with a custom-built robotic pedestal to enable bi-directional communication and customized experiences.
A monitor above the camera allows for presenters to interact with stakeholders (photos by PTC)
Interacting with stakeholders and having preset scenes with lighting allow for every presentation to be highly interactive and adaptable.
For PTC, learning about customer challenges and pain points is essential to craft a personalized experience at the CXC. On the xR stage, a monitor above the camera allows for presenters to interact with stakeholders, while preset scenes with dialed in lighting make changes on the fly a breeze, ultimately allowing for every presentation to be highly interactive and adaptable.
The xR stage is using the disguise workflow with the render engine Unreal Engine (photos by PTC)
Combining physical and virtual assets into one immersive environment.
Our team designed and implemented xR environments to support PTCs digital thread story and transformed PTC’s 2D corporate overview presentation into an interactive, 3-dimensional demonstration. While presenting, speakers can now showcase highly complex ideas with the help of real-time Augmented reality (AR) elements - elements, like a 300ft wind turbine, that would physically not fit in the office space in downtown Boston.
Our team designed and implemented xR environments to support PTCs digital thread story.
From office environments to manufacturers' facilities - PTC can seamlessly switch between both.
The 3-dimensional presentation replaces the traditional PowerPoint and offers an engaging and interactive way to showcase PTC's services.
One of the many customized scenes our creative team designed for PTC.
This xR stage not only allows PTC to focus on high quality in-person site visits while covering a high quantity of global customer engagements to increase brand awareness and positioning, but it is also used for internal communication, educating employees on customers and engaging them in company-wide activities.
The PTC Corporate Experience Center has been recognized as a Top Business & Technology project in the Metaverse, immersive and virtual category at the 2023 Webby Awards.