Stitch3D: A New Way of Handling Very Large 3D Files

In 2020, a devastating fire broke out aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard while docked in San Diego Bay. Over four days, a fierce battle ensued. There were helicopters dropping water from above, boats spraying from below, and firefighters doing their best to save the ship.

Once the flames were out, it was time for a new kind of investigation. Lidar, or Light Detection and Ranging, technology was deployed to capture detailed 3D scans of the fire damage.

Yet the process wasn’t smooth. The enormous lidar files, often spanning terabytes in size, couldn’t simply be emailed or uploaded to typical cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox. 

Instead, thumb drives and Blu-ray discs had to be physically transported across the country. It was this challenge that led Army veteran Clark Yuan to develop Stitch3D, a platform capable of storing, managing, and sharing massive 3D files seamlessly.

Why Existing Cloud Platforms Fell Short

The limitations of current cloud storage services became painfully clear during the USS Bonhomme Richard incident. Lidar files are immense, detailed 3D “point clouds” made up of millions of data points that map objects and spaces in three dimensions. 

While the data offers unparalleled insight, transferring it on platforms like Google Drive or OneDrive isn’t possible due to the sheer file size and complexity. Stitch3D was born from the need to overcome these challenges, especially in critical fields like defense. 

Yuan had firsthand experience with lidar during his military service, and he saw how traditional methods of storing and sending these files were often unreliable or impractical. Soldiers, he recalls, had to rely on stacks of external drives to back up and transfer crucial 3D data, which was far from ideal in high-stakes scenarios.

Stitch3D in Action: From Military Missions to Coastal Erosion Studies

The U.S. military sees lidar technology as essential, particularly for generating accurate terrain maps to help soldiers prepare for missions. Lidar goes beyond typical aerial photography. It measures the distance light takes to return from a surface, producing not just a 2D snapshot but a complete 3D map with height and depth details. 

For the military, this information is invaluable, revealing everything from the size of craters to the height of buildings. Stitch3D recently secured a $1.8 million grant from the Air Force, alongside a $750,000 pre-seed round funded by friends and family. 

The Air Force is already exploring how Stitch3D could aid in assessing coastal erosion around its Florida airbases. It may even help with inspecting airfield damage after an attack. This ability to measure changes to landscapes in detail is vital for strategic planning.

How Stitch3D’s Technology Works

Stitch3D’s platform lets users upload, view, annotate, and interact with 3D lidar data directly in a web browser, overcoming the traditional file transfer barriers. Each file is rendered as a “point cloud” with millions of points assigned unique x, y, and z coordinates. This approach creates an interactive, manipulable 3D model that can be rotated, zoomed in on, and examined from multiple angles.

Whether you’re a military analyst or an architect, Stitch3D enables you to navigate these models with ease. Need to measure the height of a specific building or identify changes in a landscape over time? Stitch3D makes this possible without the need for heavy, specialized hardware.

Stitch3D’s Potential in Civilian Sectors

Though Stitch3D initially caught the attention of the military, Yuan sees the technology extending into a range of industries. Lidar scanning has practical uses in fields like:

• Forestry: Mapping forest density, canopy height, and tree health over vast areas
• Architecture and Construction: Creating precise blueprints and evaluating project sites
• Mining: Identifying and tracking excavation sites safely
• Land Surveying: Producing accurate 3D maps for planning and development

For example, imagine a forestry team using Stitch3D to survey tree health in a dense forest. They could track canopy height, map forest density, and identify areas affected by disease or pests without stepping foot on the ground. 

The platform’s interactive 3D models provide a bird’s-eye view of the entire terrain, facilitating efficient planning and monitoring.

Stitch3D’s Vision for the Future: Expanding into Augmented Reality

In a recent demo with TechCrunch, Yuan demonstrated how Stitch3D could map a college campus in 3D. Users can explore the campus from multiple angles, measure buildings, and even mark locations with color-coded notes. It’s an easy-to-use interface that makes complex data accessible to users without technical expertise.

As for the future, Yuan hopes to expand Stitch3D’s applications into augmented reality (AR). Today’s smartphones, including many iPhones, are already equipped with lidar sensors, allowing users to scan rooms or objects directly. 

Stitch3D could one day let you create detailed 3D models of your surroundings using just your phone, making 3D mapping more accessible than ever. However, Yuan acknowledges that there are challenges ahead. 

Developing AR integration will require significant resources and technological advances, and the platform has chosen to focus on its core capabilities for now. But the potential for combining Stitch3D’s platform with AR could open doors for industries from real estate to retail.

Key Benefits of Stitch3D’s Platform

Here’s a quick look at what Stitch3D brings to the table:

Feature	Benefit
Browser-based access	No need for specialized software or equipment
Large file support	Capable of handling multi-terabyte 3D files
Annotation tools	Users can add notes, labels, and measurements directly
Multi-industry application	Useful in military, forestry, mining, architecture, and more
Future AR potential	Could enable everyday users to create 3D maps with a smartphone

Why Stitch3D Could Be a Game-Changer

Stitch3D has the potential to reshape how large 3D files are managed and shared, making data more accessible to the people who need it. Whether that’s soldiers in the field or architects, Stitch3D offers a unique solution for anyone working with lidar data.

Stitch3D is positioned to transform industries that rely on precise 3D mapping. Yuan’s vision of a world where lidar data is easy to store, share, and interact with might not be far off, and it could redefine how we see and navigate our world.