2D Is Against My Religion with Michal Gula

Michal Gula
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Interviews with professionals from 3D industry, because 2D Is Against My Religion.

  1. 2d ago

    Why INTERGEO Still Wins in the AI Era w/ Olaf Freier

    INTERGEO, geospatial AI and reality capture are reshaping surveying, digital twins, BIM and the economics of technical trade shows. Olaf Freier joins Michael to explain how GPS, GIS, drones, SLAM and AI compressed decades of innovation into year-by-year disruption—and why face-to-face trust matters more as digital information becomes easier to generate and harder to verify.They break down the exhibitor mistakes that destroy trade show ROI: treating attendance as the strategy, choosing booth space without considering traffic, leaving directory profiles empty, and arriving without measurable goals for leads, brand awareness, product visibility or thought leadership. Olaf also explains why events remain powerful for comparing scanners, support ecosystems and real workflows—not just specifications.The conversation covers Olaf’s move from satellite surveying to organizing INTERGEO, the rise of AI-powered reality capture, scanning restrictions around critical infrastructure, show-floor stories, networking, startup visibility, workflow automation, the Application Dome, the Reality Capturing Hub, and the hands-on experience park planned for Munich.For geospatial companies, surveyors, reality-capture teams and exhibitors, this episode is a practical guide to choosing technology, building trust and getting measurable value from major industry gatherings.00:00:00 Intro00:00:43 Warm-up00:03:05 From survey engineer to INTERGEO organizer00:08:02 Early exhibitor lessons and event logistics00:15:25 GPS, GIS and AI: three industry shifts00:20:44 Drones, SLAM and faster innovation cycles00:23:20 The biggest exhibitor mistakes00:29:51 Setting goals for trade show ROI00:34:30 Startups, market leaders and shared KPIs00:37:39 How small booths win attention00:42:24 Organizer-exhibitor collaboration00:44:18 Why trade shows matter in the AI era00:48:26 New leads, market research and trust00:52:03 INTERGEO stories and show-floor chaos00:55:45 Scanning rules and critical infrastructure00:58:39 Why visitors should attend INTERGEO01:02:50 Comparing scanners, brands and support01:07:52 Networking, digital twins and BIM01:10:49 From product demos to business outcomes01:14:42 Reality Capturing Hub and experience park01:17:29 Exhibitors, visitors and event scale01:20:12 Last-minute exhibitor packages01:22:22 Competitor placement and booth politics01:26:08 What excites Olaf about geospatial’s future01:29:17 3DISE partnership and final invitation

  2. Jul 17

    The Future of 3D Scanning Is Autonomous - Ben Williams on SLAM, Robotics & Surveying

    Autonomous 3D scanning, GPS-denied SLAM, and Level 4B robotics are reshaping surveying, mining, and reality capture. Exyn Technologies COO Ben Williams explains the difference between automation and autonomy, why autonomous LiDAR systems outperform rigid workflows in dynamic environments, and what happens to scanning operators as machines take over field capture. The conversation covers autonomy levels, ExynAI and Nexys, underground mine mapping, digital twins, SLAM drift, GNSS and RTK corrections, point clouds versus voxels, Boston Dynamics Spot, autonomous drones, survey accuracy, robotics economics, OEM partnerships, and the shift from one operator per scanner to managing fleets of data-capture systems. Ben also breaks down when autonomous systems are economically justified, why dangerous and inaccessible environments lead adoption, how IPO scrutiny can improve enterprise credibility, and why the future of reality capture may expand the market rather than eliminate surveying careers. 00:00:00 Automation vs. autonomy00:02:01 When automation should remain automated00:04:06 Risk, variability, and the autonomy decision00:07:31 The five levels of autonomy00:11:55 Drone autonomy and Level 4B00:17:52 Is “autonomous” becoming meaningless?00:19:18 Why uncertainty demands autonomous systems00:21:22 Safety, efficiency, and adoption00:24:19 The economic breakeven versus human labor00:29:56 Will autonomous scanning replace surveyors?00:34:46 Why reality capture is not a zero-sum market00:38:23 Users invent the best scanning use cases00:42:05 Ben Williams: engineering, Navy, and deep tech00:47:01 Joining Exyn and taking the company public00:53:24 ExynAI, Nexys, drones, robots, and vehicle mounts00:57:38 Autonomous underground mine mapping01:00:58 Point clouds, voxels, and unexplored space01:05:06 SLAM drift in GPS-denied environments01:10:48 Accuracy versus speed: SLAM and TLS01:12:46 Boston Dynamics Spot: demo versus field reality01:15:17 How robots choose routes and inspection paths01:18:00 SDKs, APIs, OEMs, and integrations01:20:00 Partners, pricing, and business model01:24:18 Continuous digitization and the 3–5 year roadmap01:26:33 Hardware versus software strategy01:29:47 Final partnership call

  3. Jul 7

    Is a 3D Mesh Really a Digital Twin? Kelly Watt Breaks the Industry’s Biggest Myth

    Digital twin, reality capture, BIM, point clouds, 3D mesh, LiDAR, SLAM and Matterport all collide in this sharp debate with Kelly Watt. We break down what actually makes a digital twin useful: not the buzzword, but the data, context, decision support, workflow and ROI behind it. Kelly explains why a 3D model, point cloud or Matterport tour can be part of a digital twin ecosystem without automatically becoming a mature digital twin. The discussion moves from iPhone LiDAR and Polycam scanning to TLS accuracy, SLAM drift, survey control, construction adoption, autonomous scanning, DFW airport, facility management ROI, in-house reality capture teams and the future of AI infrastructure. This episode is for reality capture professionals, laser scanning companies, BIM managers, facility managers, surveyors, construction tech teams and digital twin strategists who want a clearer way to separate marketing language from real operational value. 00:00:00 Digital twin debate starts: is a 3D mesh enough?00:01:37 BIM, point clouds and 3D models inside digital twins00:03:48 Schrodinger’s digital twin and the missing data layer00:05:35 Why vendors call everything a digital twin00:06:30 iPhone LiDAR, Apple marketing and reality capture language00:09:07 Polycam vs TLS vs SLAM: democratization or replacement?00:10:05 Accuracy, drift, scale and use-case limits00:12:58 When a business problem does not need 3D00:14:21 ROI, stakeholders and digital workflows00:15:27 DFW airport and the 80/20 rule for digital twin programs00:17:17 Digital twin as a process, not a point in time00:18:08 Minimum viable digital twin: data synergy and decision support00:20:35 Time-based scans, real-time data and maturity levels00:21:31 Matterport, live cameras and rudimentary twins00:22:43 Should Matterport scans be called digital twins?00:31:20 Kelly Watt’s reality capture background00:35:32 From reality capture to digital twin programs00:46:39 Continuous scanning and change management00:49:42 TLS, SLAM, Matterport and 360 cameras in industrial plants00:52:06 In-house scanning teams vs service companies00:59:33 Why construction is still hard to digitize01:05:49 Future of reality capture and autonomous scanning01:07:55 Why beginners must understand TLS before trusting SLAM01:14:11 Will robots replace scan operators?01:15:24 Autonomous scanning, airports and operational ROI01:32:19 Motional digital twins, data centers and AI infrastructure01:43:17 Closing thoughts

  4. Jul 1

    The World Is Becoming a Digital Twin: Bilawal Sidhu on AI, OSINT & Spatial Computing

    Agentic AI, OSINT, geospatial digital twins and 3D Gaussian splatting are changing how we map the world, build software and understand privacy. Bilawal Sidhu joins the show to break down his “God’s Eye” 4D globe, ADS-B flight tracking, AIS vessel data, GPS jamming, AI agents, surveillance risks, Neuralink, spatial computing and the future of building with AI. We go from vibe coding and Codex/Claude workflows to laser scanning, RealityCapture, headless software, ChatGPT memory, geofence warrants, RF/IMU tracking, self-healing maps, UGC geospatial data and whether AI labs are building or taming digital gods. Watch if you care about AI agents, digital twins, OSINT, AR/VR, 3D reconstruction, spatial intelligence and the new social contract around data. 00:00:00 God’s Eye 4D globe and OSINT shock00:01:37 ADS-B, AIS and live digital twins00:04:40 Working with multiple AI agents00:06:54 Vibe coding, Codex and rebuild-first workflows00:12:39 AI agent security and limiting access00:15:54 Agentic AI explained with the octopus mode00:21:26 Agents for laser scanning and 3D pipelines00:25:00 AI teammates, personas and RealityCapture settings00:29:13 AI model bans, Europe and export controls00:33:09 AI predictions for 2027–203000:38:37 Will AI make our thinking weaker?00:41:45 Simulation theory, VR and Neuralink00:44:48 AI optimism, market bubbles and hype00:49:28 Digital footprints are not conspiracy theory00:50:32 Location data, RF mapping and IMU tracking00:59:06 Geofencing, dark vessels and LLM privacy01:07:28 The real God’s Eye view forming01:11:15 Would you implant Neuralink?01:16:14 Humanoids, purpose and post-work futures01:25:22 3D and 4D Gaussian splatting01:28:42 Self-healing maps and UGC geospatial data01:36:43 Phone captures, Scaniverse and digital twins01:40:31 AR glasses, Roombas and spatial data01:45:27 Subscription dystopia and AI regulation01:52:48 AI gods, sovereign AI and cautious optimism

  5. Jun 26

    The One-Button SLAM Scanner Myth; Real World Use Cases and Future Of Scanning

    Zlata Karpushina, Go-To-Market Strategist from  @FJDynamics_Official  FJ Dynamics joins Michal to challenge the “one-button SLAM scanner” myth and explain why successful 3D scanning depends on workflow, training, software, algorithms, support, and expectation management — not only accuracy specs.Later, Mehdi Boroumand joins with real-world SLAM scanning use cases from Australia and beyond: drone + SLAM hybrid capture, scan-to-BIM workflows, virtual tours, bridge inspection, forestry analysis, mining volume calculation, industrial plant mapping, cave scanning, and point-cloud-to-BIM deliverables.This conversation is for surveyors, reality capture specialists, BIM teams, facility managers, construction professionals, digital twin teams, and anyone evaluating whether SLAM scanning is the right tool for their projects.00:00:00 The “one-button SLAM scanner” myth00:00:47 Why magic-button marketing creates dangerous expectations00:02:26 Burger photos, customer expectations, and reality capture promises00:03:15 Why great hardware cannot fix a missing workflow00:05:03 Do customers really want one-button scanning?00:05:33 Market education before selling a 3D scanner00:06:59 Democratizing SLAM beyond surveyors00:08:57 Different industries need different SLAM value propositions00:11:55 Capture, processing, and the real “but” behind SLAM scanning00:12:57 Customer journey, confidence, demos, training, and retention00:17:04 Should a novice scan a 50,000 m² factory with SLAM?00:18:54 Why dealer training and support determine SLAM success00:21:33 Why many SLAM scanners look similar00:22:59 Accuracy specs vs SLAM algorithms, firmware, and software00:25:37 How newcomers should talk about SLAM accuracy00:28:07 Zlata’s background and working in China00:29:10 Marketing vs engineering inside a SLAM company00:31:25 Translating technical specs into business value00:33:47 Chinese technology, stereotypes, speed, and support00:37:01 Why SLAM should not compete directly with TLS00:39:39 The real market opportunity for SLAM scanners00:41:37 SLAM vs iPhone LiDAR, 360 cameras, and easy capture tools00:44:52 Mehdi joins with real SLAM scanning use cases00:45:22 Drone + SLAM capture for scan-to-BIM workflows00:50:48 Connecting boat scans, walking scans, GCPs, RTK, and PPK00:52:51 FJD S-series, P-series, P2, S2, and V4E explained00:58:11 Forestry scanning, tree analysis, and mission planning01:03:18 RTK, PPK, GCPs, and controlling SLAM data in forests01:04:06 Bridge inspection, drone photogrammetry, and AI crack detection01:08:40 Industrial plant scanning with pole-mounted SLAM01:10:38 Combining drone point clouds with SLAM point clouds01:12:51 Mining stockpile volume calculation and mesh outputs01:15:21 Cave scanning, underground mapping, and drone-SLAM fusion01:17:59 Why Mehdi chose FJD: virtual tour, support, and software01:20:26 Why scan-to-BIM clients do not want raw point clouds01:24:00 FJD software, Model Web, 3D Gaussian Splatting, and workflows01:34:00 Why clients buy solutions, not buzzwords01:40:05 Robots, automation, and the future of SLAM scanning01:45:49 The best scanner is the one your team can actually use01:47:29 Closing

  6. Jun 16

    Public Speaking for Geospatials: Storytelling, Networking & Presentations - Juraj Holub

    Public speaking, business storytelling, networking, and technical presentation skills are no longer “soft skills” — they are survival skills for geospatial, reality capture, 3D, digital twin, and technology professionals.In this episode, Michal talks with Juraj Holub, international moderator and public speaking coach, about how technical experts can stop sounding boring, explain complex ideas clearly, pitch clients through stories, network without awkward small talk, and deliver presentations people actually remember.Juraj breaks down why public speaking is a meta skill for business, how storytelling turns technical content into client value, why audience research matters, how to use analogies without losing people, and why AI-generated presentations can make speakers sound generic if they outsource the thinking.You’ll learn practical frameworks for better presentations, stronger conference networking, client storytelling, elevator pitches, and authentic public speaking in the age of ChatGPT.00:00:00 Why speaking is the most important business skill00:02:05 Becoming a geospatial event moderator00:03:35 Where public speaking talent comes from00:05:20 Great communication means showing, not telling00:07:03 Passion, likability, and authenticity00:10:03 Storytelling for technical professionals00:10:54 Why stories are hardwired into humans00:13:21 Why smart technical people sound boring00:16:37 How to make any story sticky00:21:38 The 5 elements of a strong story00:24:08 Know your audience before telling stories00:28:06 How to prepare for a technical presentation00:31:14 Using analogies to explain complex ideas00:33:27 When pop culture references fail00:38:22 Storytelling for geospatial client pitches00:44:22 Before-after-bridge for sales stories00:45:49 When to use storytelling with clients00:48:29 How beginners collect business stories00:51:28 Networking as a business skill00:55:12 Fear of rejection at events00:58:06 Moderated vs freestyle networking00:59:32 The elevator pitch formula01:01:20 Small talk for people who hate small talk01:07:18 Structuring business presentations01:10:17 How to give the worst presentation ever01:11:45 Start with the punchline01:13:23 Why generic AI presentations fail01:17:03 Stop reading slides and AI scripts01:24:56 How to deliver a great presentation01:29:40 Humor, pauses, and human delivery01:34:36 Public speaking workshops and final thoughts

  7. Jun 4

    From 3D Scans to Indoor Navigation and Tracking

    I am speaking to Nikhil Sawlani, founder of MultisetAI.Instead of delivering only a static point cloud or 3D mesh, reality capture professionals can reuse already-scanned spaces to create live digital twin services: indoor positioning, 6DoF tracking, asset navigation, connected worker workflows, smart glasses guidance, no-code AR instructions and robot-ready spatial maps.We cover how Multiset AI works, why GPS and Bluetooth beacons fail indoors, what scan data is required, how confidence scoring and map versioning handle changing environments, and where the clearest upsell opportunities are for scan-to-BIM, industrial facilities, shopping malls, factories and enterprise digital twin teams.Chapters00:00:00 Are reality capture companies leaving money on the table?00:01:00 Point clouds vs real digital twins00:02:38 Upselling already captured scan data00:04:05 360 video, SLAM, LiDAR and scan quality00:07:03 What Multiset AI actually does00:09:10 Why GPS and GNSS fail indoors00:11:57 Bluetooth beacons, Wi-Fi and UWB limitations00:17:23 Hardware-free visual positioning systems00:19:18 5–10 cm indoor accuracy and 6DoF tracking00:23:40 How VPS matches camera views to 3D scans00:27:01 Turning massive point clouds into machine-readable maps00:30:46 Handling changing environments and crowds00:34:01 Confidence scores, sensor fusion and accuracy control00:41:54 AR navigation, overlays and device tracking00:44:39 Supported scanners, maps and file formats00:48:30 Panoramas, point clouds and E57 requirements00:53:37 Business case: upselling navigation from existing scans00:57:53 AR work instructions and connected worker use cases00:59:54 AI agents for factory asset navigation01:03:18 Mapping with iPhone LiDAR, Matterport, NavVis, Leica and XGRIDS01:07:07 Gaussian splats, metric scale and VPS localization01:13:11 Robotics, physical AI and one spatial source of truth01:15:36 Smart glasses navigation with Meta Ray-Bans01:17:32 Onboarding, free tier, SDKs and no-code options01:19:50 Final advice for reality capture professionals

  8. May 28

    Most Digital Twins Are Just 3D Postcards — w/ Barry Bassnett

    Digital twins, 3D Gaussian splatting, OpenUSD, point clouds, 3D meshes, and reality capture are transforming how facilities, factories, surveyors, and asset managers work — but Barry Bassnett argues most “digital twins” fail because they solve the wrong problem.In this episode, Barry explains why a point cloud or 3D mesh is usually not a digital twin, why “visual twins” still matter, and how digital twins become valuable only when they make information findable, actionable, updated, and useful to real humans.We cover the difference between digital twins and visual twins, the “LOD zero” idea for 3D replicas, why digital twin projects fail, how to sell digital twins through ROI and “search tax,” why Gaussian splatting could become the ultimate digital twin interface, and why OpenUSD may change data interoperability across BIM, AEC, reality capture, Omniverse, Rhino, point clouds, meshes, and 360 imagery.Barry also breaks down why facilities managers often do not need millimeter accuracy, why surveyors may be missing a massive market, how AI can help with tagging and inspection, and why the future of digital twins depends less on beautiful 3D visuals and more on solving one painful operational problem.Link to Barry's e-book: https://payhip.com/b/gEptoSponsor of the episode: www.twinzo.com A digital twin platform for logistics optimization.Chapters:00:00:00 Are most digital twins useless?00:02:11 Why a point cloud is not a digital twin00:04:00 The “LOD zero” idea for 3D replicas00:05:18 The atlas metaphor for digital twins00:07:22 Digital twins are a spectrum, not a binary00:09:07 Why humans struggle with point clouds00:10:52 Why 3D looks impressive but often fails operationally00:11:41 3D asset management and digital twin interfaces00:14:42 Findability: the missing layer in most digital twins00:16:33 Sponsor: Twinzo and internal logistics visibility00:17:22 Simple digital twins that work for CEOs and ground teams00:18:48 The cartography principle: leave out what does not matter00:20:10 Paper mill case study: grease points and real ROI00:22:36 Why digital twins should start as one problem, not everything00:23:36 Why “we digitize everything” is a dangerous sales pitch00:25:58 Digital twins must be updated or they become historic documents00:27:20 Search tax: selling digital twins as time savings00:29:32 Knowledge management, SharePoint, and spatial search00:32:55 Why a car is a real-world digital twin00:33:44 Human memory, spatial context, and digital twin UX00:35:50 Audience poll: is a point cloud a digital twin?00:38:49 Why Barry Bassnett is qualified to challenge digital twin hype00:41:58 How Barry actually builds digital twins00:45:20 Choosing the right platform for the right user00:47:53 OpenUSD, Omniverse, Rhino, and data portability00:50:37 Why OpenUSD adoption is still early00:52:36 OpenUSD explained through Pixar and HTML for 3D00:57:56 AI ethics in reality capture and digital twins00:59:06 When AI reconstruction is acceptable — and when it is not01:00:48 AI for crack detection, inspection, and object recognition01:03:36 Why AI will create better work, not just remove jobs01:05:48 AI understanding vs AI knowing everything01:07:48 Barry’s view on 3D Gaussian splatting01:09:30 Why bad imagery creates bad Gaussian splats01:10:15 Quality in, quality out: capture discipline still matters01:12:36 Gaussian splatting as another layer of reality capture01:13:01 Why surveyors should add Gaussian splats to deliverables01:14:29 Digital twins, accuracy, and when precision matters01:16:25 Gaussian splatting, OpenUSD, AR, and measurable spatial interfaces01:18:48 Photogrammetry skills that still matter01:22:18 Image processing, tagging, and making captured data useful01:24:17 Low-hanging fruit for upselling scans into digital twins01:26:13 Barry’s ebook: Tower of Twins01:29:06 Coaching, mentoring, and sharing digital twin mistakes01:31:39 Closing thoughts and how to contact Barry

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Interviews with professionals from 3D industry, because 2D Is Against My Religion.

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