3D Digital Backbone tools

Extend your industrial processes with powerful tools

Graphic designers and engineers involved in 3D processes have to use a myriad of tools to work and connect with others.

Locating data and converting it takes hours. Updates come, and you have to start again.

It shouldn’t be this way.

Those 3D tools are built on the Digital Backbone technology from Digital Substrate for interoperability, collaboration, and ownership of 3D data across the industry.

To learn more about the advantages of the Digital Backbone applied to 3D, read on this page.

Made with

2 types of tools

Drivers

They connect a software to the Digital Backbone to exchange its data as native values untransformed.

Although a Driver might be more or less complete in terms of its data schema, there’s only one way to do it, as it must not transform the original data schema and values of the source software.

Bridges

They transform one data format (as stored by a Driver) to another data format.

Their action is also known as a projection. For a given pair of software, there’s no limit to Bridges that could exist between them. It depends on the desired outcomes or processes they participate in. A special type of Bridge is when in/out software data schema is the same, it is called an Operator.

Available tools

Here are the first tools to help you implement the Digital Substrate‘s Digital Backbone into your 3D visual production process for marketing.

Warning: they are in alpha or beta stage, please use them carefully

Blender Driver add-on

Blender Driver is an extension for Blender that connects it to the 3D Digital Backbone.

Try it with the free evaluation. If you like it, let us know; we’d be pleased to hear from you.

Download

Multi-platforms (Windows x64 + MacOS 15 Apple Silicon + Linux x86 with glibc 2.28+)

Free evaluation with a free user account

It adds the ability to save and load your scenes in a 3D Digital Backbone database with the added benefits:

  • preserve the history of changes
  • work collaboratively on the same scene, online or offline
  • use the native data in other software and scripts (no export)
View documentation

Demo

Here is a simple example of collaboration between two Blender instances using the Lumiscaphe extension.

Each user works on a different aspect of the scene (environment, materials), then saves their changes to the shared database.

The 3D Digital Backbone enables automatic merging of contributions, showcasing a seamless collaborative workflow that requires no changes to existing tools.

Collaboration example between 2 Blender instances through the 3D Digital Backbone

In development

Here are tools that are under development and not ready for production yet.

Just to let you know what is coming next in case you’re interested in these software.

Python Scripting

Our 3D Digital Backbone Access Kit for Python is coming!

This kit will allow you to access and manipulate any datasets (Blender, VRED, Unreal, etc.) from a Digital Backbone file through Python scripting.

In the first version, you’ll be able to get and modify the data from the Blender scene saved by the Blender Driver add-on.

Click here to be notified as soon as it becomes available!

Easy access to all datasets stored in the Digital Backbone through Python scripting

VRED Driver

We’re developing a 3D Digital Backbone Driver for Autodesk VRED!

This short demo video shows a simple example of collaboration between two VRED users via the 3D Digital Backbone.

Each user works on a different aspect of the scene based on a shared database. Changes are centralized, merged, and then re-uploaded to both VRED, demonstrating seamless collaboration between users.

Do you want to be notified or involved?

Collaboration example between 2 VRED instances through the 3D Digital Backbone

Unreal Engine Driver

We’re developing a 3D Digital Backbone Driver for Unreal!

Do you want to be notified or involved?

The Unreal Driver input/output Unreal scene as an original dataset in the 3D Digital Backbone

Patchwork 3D Driver

We’re developing a 3D Digital Backbone Driver in Patchwork 3D to expose the full P3D DAM!

It will enable powerful uses of the DAM in other software and scripts, directly or via bridges.

Do you want to be notified or involved?

The Patchwork 3D Driver input/output the P3D DAM as an original dataset in the 3D Digital Backbone

Blender to VRED Bridge

This tool will propose a “standard” projection from a Blender dataset to a VRED dataset right into the 3D Digital Backbone.

It is a Python script meant as a basis for other derived Bridges between these two software datasets depending on custom use cases.

Through the VRED Driver add-on, you’ll then be able to work on the result dataset natively in VRED.

Do you want to be notified or involved?

The Blender to VRED Bridge transforms a Blender dataset into a ready-to-use VRED dataset

VRED to Unreal Engine Bridge

This tool will propose a “standard” projection from a VRED dataset to an Unreal Engine dataset right into the 3D Digital Backbone.

It is a Python script meant as a basis for other derived Bridges between these two software datasets depending on custom use cases.

Through the Unreal Engine Driver add-on, you’ll then be able to work on the result dataset natively in Unreal Engine.

Do you want to be notified or involved?

The VRED to Unreal Engine Bridge transforms a VRED dataset into a ready-to-use Unreal Engine dataset

Patchwork 3D to Blender Bridge

This tool will propose a “standard” projection from a Patchwork 3D DAM to a Blender scene right into the 3D Digital Backbone.

It is a Python script meant as a basis for other derived Bridges between these two software datasets depending on custom use cases.

Through the Blender Driver add-on, you’ll then be able to work on the result dataset natively in Blender.

Do you want to be notified or involved?

The P3D to Blender Bridge transforms a P3D dataset into a ready-to-use Blender dataset

This is just the beginning. We will continue to develop drivers and bridges for other software through the 3D Digital Backbone according to your requests.

More about the 3D Digital Backbone

The dedicated 3D Digital Backbone main page explains all its advantages:

About the 3D Digital Backbone

Stay tuned

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