Eight inaugural partners will kick off the program, including Microsoft, Siemens, and Chaos.
Tech Soft 3D, a provider of engineering software toolkits, today launched its new Integration Partner Program. The program will promote software development kits (SDKs) from other software companies that integrate effectively with Tech Soft 3D’s own HOOPS suite of SDKs.
There are eight inaugural members of the Tech Soft 3D Integration Partner Program:
- Chaos
- C-Labs
- Holo-Light
- Invenio
- MachineWorks
- Microsoft
- Siemens
- Visometry
[UPDATE—November 12, 2021: Tech Soft 3D has added a ninth member to the Integration Partner Program, Sanna.]
These partners represent a range of SDK technologies, including solid modeling, data prep, rendering, IoT, and AR/VR.
“[Siemens] Parasolid and [MachineWorks] Polygonica focus on modeling and solving really tough math for building models. Microsoft and C-labs are focused on IOT. Both Holo-Light and Visometry focus on providing tools for the AR space. We see both IOT and AR/VR as real growth opportunities in the CAD space,” explained Jonathan Girroir, Tech Soft 3D’s senior manager of developer relations. 3D data prep is also represented by partner Invenio, and photorealistic rendering is repped by Chaos, developer of the V-Ray rendering platform.
“Tech Soft 3D is the center of the universe when it comes to engineering software SDKs,” Girroir proclaimed. “We have 650 independent software companies using our tools or tools that we resell. We don’t have the power to develop all this technology, but we have the relationships, so this partner program really provides a space for people to come and discover what’s available.”
Of the eight initial partners, Tech Soft 3D is a reseller for two: Siemens and MachineWorks. Tech Soft 3D does not directly resell the SDKs of the other six partners, nor does it plan to do so for future partners. However, the company will provide support for integration with its HOOPS toolkits.
Joining the Tech Soft 3D Integration Partner Program
The Integration Partner Program’s initial eight members were chosen because of their longstanding and close relationships with Tech Soft 3D. Girroir expects the program to grow significantly over the next couple of years, with Tech Soft 3D hoping to double the number of partner SDKs throughout 2022.
In addition to the initial eight partners, several other companies are actively working on joining the Integration Partner Program. The process begins with a $5000 application fee, which goes to cover Tech Soft 3D’s engineering effort as it works with the potential partner to certify the integration. In return, partners receive Tech Soft 3D’s SDKs for internal use, as well as co-marketing opportunities and of course, the exposure from the program. There are no annual fees.
According to Girroir, the new partner program merely formalizes what Tech Soft 3D has been doing for years: if the company doesn’t offer the specific product its customers are seeking, it will point them to a solution elsewhere. Now, the difference is that Tech Soft 3D has a formal list of vetted integrations.
“We see ourselves as the Switzerland of CAD software development, because we resell our tools to everybody and anybody,” Girroir commented. “We have relationships with all of the big players, but we’re also trying to build the ecosystem to help people make better software faster. Those technical integrations under the hood are very important, and it helps them bring their products to market faster.”