Oleg Zykov, CEO, C3D Labs, talks about the company's product development strategy
30 years ago, we started the development of the geometric kernel that became the pillar for the C3D platform. Over the years, it has gone from ASCON’s in-house project to an independent product marketed globally. Developing this platform requires both the right technologies and the right people to cover the entire range of components, from geometric modeling to web visualization.
Fig. 1. The kernel milestones before C3D Labs
The platform’s history has two stages (Fig. 1). The first stage is C3D as KOMPAS-3D’s geometric kernel. In 1995, the ASKON management decided to develop an independent 3D CAD system. By 2000, the first version of KOMPAS-3D was released, built entirely on in-house algorithms. From that moment, we’ve been improving the geometric kernel following customer feedback.
In 2001, we added two new kernel components: a parametric solver (later named C3D Solver) and a converter module called C3D Converter. In the early 2000s, the platform included three independent components. From the very beginning, the kernel had a consistent architecture.
A decision made in 2010 was a major milestone. Back then, the company conducted a thorough strategic analysis to assess whether relying on in-house mathematical models and a geometric kernel was feasible. We comprehensively tested leading global solutions and compared them with our in-house kernel. The results confirmed that our platform was competitive, matching global counterparts in core functionality. We also gained a clear vision of the next steps. ASCON decided to keep relying on internal resources and to further develop the kernel.
Two years later, in 2012, ASCON launched the development of a new architectural CAD system, later named Renga. For the project, we needed a geometric kernel independent of KOMPAS-3D. We had to turn C3D into an independent component, provide it with documentation, interfaces, and full-scale support. As a result, C3D Labs was established as a separate entity to align the organizational structure with our technology strategy.
Now let's take a closer look at some of our lines of development. The foundation is the geometry representation methods.
B-Rep is Forever
Fig. 2. Geometry representations
How to represent geometry? This is a core question for any modeling technology (Fig. 2). Boundary representation (B-Rep) is the most accurate and flexible method to define geometry in engineering software. Multiple surveys and discussions, including those with leading experts from international vendors such as Siemens, confirm that B-Rep remains the only viable solution for engineering applications today. None of the alternative technologies has yet been able to outperform B-Rep as the primary geometry representation method in professional CAD systems.
Still, alongside with the development of B-Rep, C3D has also been supporting polygonal geometry definition. Initially, it served auxiliary purposes, such as triangulation for visualization and some types of mesh-based analysis. Over time, we added functions for saving geometry to polygonal formats. The growing interest in 3D printing was one of the factors for adding export to the STL format and a new kernel entity: the polygonal object. Besides, the kernel got Boolean operations for polygonal objects and a new module that converted polygonal shapes into a boundary representation (C3D B-Shaper). Step by step, we steadily expanded the polygonal modeling functionality.
More polygonal geometry in engineering processes has become an obvious market trend. Polygonal models (e.g., from 3D scanners) are widespread now, so CAD systems should handle them. To meet this demand, we established a dedicated team focused exclusively on the polygonal functionality. It accelerated the development. Last year we were able to present C3D PolyShaper, a new platform component.
C3D PolyShaper is already in use by third-party customers and ASCON, the parent company. In particular, it is used in KOMPAS-3D for reverse engineering and in a new laminated composite CAD module. Our early adopters demonstrate strong demand in this area. This component has a long-term roadmap, and it can potentially be released in other markets, such as medical CADs.
Today, C3D PolyShaper is integrated into the C3D Toolkit, expanding its capabilities. C3D Modeler, a B-Rep geometric kernel, remains at the heart of the platform. Other key modules are built around it: C3D Converter, C3D Solver, C3D Vision visualizer, C3D Web Vision web visualizer, and now also C3D PolyShaper, yet another integral part of the comprehensive solution.
Most users apply C3D PolyShaper as an auxiliary tool, while C3D Modeler is their primary geometry handling system. However, this is gradually changing. Some new customers testing our software increasingly view polygonal modeling as their primary approach. This suggests that in the future, C3D PolyShaper may become the core of a new ecosystem, a dedicated set of tools for users who do not need B-Rep and who build their products exclusively on polygonal representations.
Fig. 3. Two possible focus areas in the C3D Toolkit structure
It this case, the focus is on C3D PolyShaper (Fig. 3). Other modules are used as needed—for example, C3D Converter for handling polygonal formats, C3D Collision Detection, which works effectively with meshes, and visualization tools originally designed for polygonal geometry. In this way, we are building a new structure to meet the demand in a number of segments, from reverse engineering to medical CADs.
I cannot say that this area was a result of a predetermined strategy. Neither 30 years ago nor even 10 years ago did we have a clear plan to create a full-fledged polygonal ecosystem. However, the steady kernel development, response to market demand, and our analysis of industry trends have resulted in a new scenario with an alternative focus: C3D Toolkit.
Web Visualization
The second topic to discuss is the development of our visualization system. As to KOMPAS-3D, its visualizer was developed separately and then closely integrated into the product. Unlike the geometric kernel, whose architecture made it possible to separate it into a standalone component, the visualizer was an integral part of KOMPAS-3D and could not be easily transferred to C3D Toolkit. When C3D Labs began servicing third-party customers, the platform lacked a visualization tool, which was a significant limitation.
Although there are some high-quality commercial and open-source solutions on the market, we still needed our own visualizer. The demand from both Russian and global customers was obvious. In 2016, we decided to create a desktop visualization engine in response to market challenges.
Mubitek (Türkiye), a developer of a national CAD system, became one of the first C3D Vision users. Having a customer was a great boost for the product. We created C3D as a general-purpose engine for CAD applications designed to create, edit, and view geometry. From the beginning, we made it to comply with the high standards of the CAD industry.
Later, a new trend emerged in the market: browser-based interfaces. Around 2020, it became clear that more and more engineering data management systems (PLM, BIM) were switching to web platforms. The CAD industry in general is quite conservative, and most professional solutions still run on local PCs, the demand for web visualization began to grow rapidly. The main drivers were the need for a platform-neutral solution, ease of deployment, and access from anywhere. Today’s browser technologies, like WebGL, have sufficiently matured to process complex engineering models.
Fig. 4. Web visualization as the focus of a new ecosystem
With growing interest from PLM and BIM vendors, we decided to offer web visualization (Fig. 4). We established a C3D Web Vision team to make a solution independent of the desktop engine. This was rather logical: both the technology stack and the use cases for these products are fundamentally different. Therefore, now we have two visualization components in the C3D ecosystem: C3D Vision for PCs and C3D Web Vision for browser-based solutions.
C3D Toolkit is still mostly for the development of desktop applications. The key components of the platform meet the CAD requirements and support the development of powerful PC solutions for modeling, analysis, geometry conversion, and visualization.
Recently, the vendors who are using the C3D web components have been increasingly requesting a unified set of tools: a Web Toolkit. This will be a general-purpose set of modules that can be easily integrated into browser-based applications. C3D Web Vision is the core of such a solution, and we can build a new ecosystem around it with services and libraries for web product developers.
We plan to create microservices for data conversion, collision detection, as well as interface components and toolbars. In the future, some modeling functions may also be adapted for the browser environment. The web visualization has evolved into a strategic area where we are building a full-fledged web platform.
Conclusions
Looking at these two examples, it is clear that the C3D Labs development strategy combines a careful analysis of market trends and flexible responses to changing user demand. Our product line is not abstract; it responds to real customer needs. We keep our solutions current and independent.
Once C3D Labs was founded, we added many milestones to the corporate timeline representing our development trajectory (Fig. 6). These milestones, from the launch of new products to the entry into new markets, are the result of well-orchestrated work and our ability to adapt to new conditions.
Fig. 6. Key milestones after C3D Labs was established
New products such as C3D Vision, C3D Web Vision, C3D PolyShaper, and C3D B-Shaper (Fig. 7) are major milestones in the C3D Labs timeline. Each of them has expanded the capabilities of our platform and opened new business lines for us.
Fig. 7. C3D Toolkit 2025 structure
User support, feedback, and direct communication with the developers remain the key items of the company's philosophy. In this way, we are building a community around the platform, a community of tech professionals open to collaboration.
Oleg Zykov,
CEO,
C3D Labs
