The silent disruptor

Real-time 3D is a silent disruptor; it's been active for many years now, going from strength to strength. 

It gets talked about in terms of its application, such as an experience or a technique: virtual production, immersive (XR), anamorphic LED, the 3D web, or a use case such as real-time collaboration, gamification, interactive sales tools, product configurators, digital or visual twins. 

Companies ahead of the curve have quickly understood and adopted ‘real-time 3D’ as a technology strategy aligned with their business goals, integrated with annual budgets linking up their product, engineering, and marketing teams, actively transforming their company into their future selves, evolving to meet their ever-changing customer demands.

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A Legacy of Innovation: From Simulation to Marketing

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3D is a technology space that is broad and complex; it aims to mimic or enhance the world we live in to the point that many believe it will result in one day being indistinguishable from reality. 

Its roots lie in industries that demand precision and innovation:

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• In the 1960s, computer graphics and simulation emerged in aerospace.

• By the 1970s, the games industry adopted these techniques, accelerating progress dramatically in the 1990s.

• Film and CGI took off in the 1980s and 1990s, revolutionising storytelling.

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Why Marketing Teams Need to Pay Attention

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In 2025, we stand on the shoulders of 60 years of 3D innovation. The progress of the last 10 years dwarfs the 60 that came before. The following 5 years are set to be unprecedented with changes that will affect every industry.

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This isn’t just about keeping up. It’s about transforming your business into a more efficient, creative and innovative one. Real-time 3D can unlock new marketing channels, enable personalised customer experiences and streamline production processes.

What was once limited to product design and simulation has become a powerful tool for the marketing department. 

Brands are using real-time 3D to create assets that are:

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• Indistinguishable from the real product - deployable across multiple digital mediums and touchpoints.

• Adaptable for different marketing channels - social media, e-commerce, interactive ads and immersive experiences.

• Reusable and scalable across design, manufacturing and sales cycles.

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The 3D Asset as a Core Business Asset

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The realisation that brands are mimicking their product in 3D, to be indistinguishable from the real one, has been the game changer. 

The fact is that digital assets now have incredible worth; they’ve visualised the future, simulated it, experienced it, and engineering brings it to life. The impressive thing is that the 3D asset is also used with potent effect across the sales pipeline. The key is finding efficiencies across these departments. 

Due to the prevalence and opportunity switched on, brands and businesses realise their 3D assets are intellectual property with intrinsic value. These digital assets will be central to business operations. 

They must be protected and distributed to third-party teams efficiently, enable reduced re-work and increase repeatability, become a control point for quality, be developed in an additive way, and increase capability over time. 

If done well, businesses can invite customers into their internal design process, creating a closer bond through hyper-personalisation, establishing new ways of buying, and ultimately driving more revenue.

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The takeaway

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Real-time 3D is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a strategic imperative. Brands that embrace it are finding new ways to connect with customers, optimise workflows and drive growth.

At LXR, we help businesses unlock the full potential of their 3D assets, turning them into strategic growth drivers. If you’re ready to explore what real-time 3D can do for your business, set up a session to learn about our 3D Digital Transformation Framework.