All posts by Geoffrey Jacobs
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The Early Days of 3D Scanning: Part 8
In multiple ways, 1999 turned out to be a pivotal year for Cyra Technologies and for 3D laser scanning, in general.
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The Early Days of 3D Scanning: Part 7
1998: The Public Unveiling of 3D Scanning In my prior “insider” articles for this series (monthly, starting with the June 2020 issue), I described how in 1996 I became aware of 3D laser scanning while the technology was in development. In March 1998, I left a senior product marketing position with Trimble to join the...
The Early Days of 3D Scanning, Part 6
1998: Launching 3D Laser Scanning into the Market I had the good fortune to be deeply involved with a pioneering vendor of 3D laser scanners and point cloud software. As I consider where that technology is today – a multi-billion dollar per year industry, the valuable benefits it has delivered to so many organizations and...
The Early Days of 3D Scanning, Part 5
Joining the 3D Laser Scanning Pioneering Start-up, Cyra Technologies Thus far in my “insider story” series (June, July, August, September), I have described how, while working for Trimble in 1996, I first became aware of the technology and Cyra Technologies, a pioneering start-up developing it. After a jaw-dropping demo, I dove into evaluating the technology and Cyra for a...
![AutoCAD representation of equipment and structure created from scans. Scans were modeled in Cyra’s point cloud software and the model was exported to AutoCAD.](/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/CT-Model-3-2014_10_29-20_37_23-UTC-272x192.jpg)
The Early Days of 3D Scanning, Part 4: Chevron, Cyra and Trimble
Thus far in my “insider story” (June, July, August 2020), I’ve described how, while working for Trimble in 1996, I first became aware of the technology, which was then still in development. After a jaw-dropping demo, I dove deep into evaluating the technology and its pioneering start-up company, Cyra Technologies, for a possible partnership with...
![Chevron beta tested Cyrax on an oil & gas field in Kazakhstan. These images show the 3D laser scanner’s camera image of the vessels and the resulting point cloud scan.](/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/GeoDudeEarlyScanPicture-272x192.png)
The Early Days of 3D Scanning, Part 3: Cyra Unleashed
In Part 1, I described how in 1996, while working for Trimble, I first became aware of 3D laser scanning. It was being developed by Cyra Technologies Inc., a small start-up that had approached Trimble seeking a potential partnership. The jaw-dropping technology demo hooked my interest. In Part 2, I described my role in evaluating...