Revolutionizing Cloud based CAD/BIM with Splashtop and Designair

Splashtop is transforming the landscape of hybrid workspaces by enabling high performance remote access to unified physical and virtual environments. In this blog, we explore how Designair leverages Splashtop to enable their users to access their innovative software cloud, adapting and staying competitive in today's landscape while overcoming the challenges of existing VDI/DaaS solutions.

Designair’s vision to build the software cloud for architecture, engineering and design professionals

Designair is an innovative European startup that offers a software cloud for Architecture, Engineering, and Design (AED) professionals to seamlessly work with specialized 3D/ Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) applications from any location. Their software cloud consists of an “App Store” style platform where users can easily provision, access and run these complex applications in the cloud.

This provides greater mobility and location flexibility compared to traditional workstations. From a financial perspective, the cost of provisioning and running 3D CAD and BIM applications for AED companies in the cloud is dramatically lower than the cost of buying specialized on-premises workstations (which typically cost several thousand dollars per machine).

Designair’s solution overcomes many of the key limitations of existing solutions for users of CAD/BIM software: 

• Physical workstation limitations: Specialized CAD/CAM and BIM workstations cost thousands of dollars and tether users to a single dedicated machine and physical location. This severely restricts mobility and accessibility to project data/collaboration. Designair’s solution enables existing 3D CAD and BIM applications that can be used on any device from anywhere, leading to flexibility for users. 

• Automatic provisioning of desktop software: 3D design platforms like AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Revit etc., have complex interdependencies and integration with specialized hardware drivers/GPUs making lifting to SaaS extremely difficult. By containerizing and optimizing such apps for the cloud, Designair removes transition complexity for vendors.  

• Vendor software licensing: Leading ISV’s such as Autodesk have moved to named-user subscription models. Allowing end-users to run software like AutoCAD in the cloud provides a powerful argument for the value of named-user licenses and greatly helps the acceptance of subscription license models. Designair complements named-user subscription from different CAD vendors with an attractive application deployment option through a software cloud, removing adoption barriers.

• Performance issues: Graphics/visualization-heavy 3D CAD apps push hardware limits. Standard virtualization solutions lack specialized GPU access or multi-encoder video streams, leading to sluggish and laggy experiences. By leveraging the power of the cloud for advanced visualization workloads combined with high performance access technology, Designair bridges the performance gap, delivering a smooth, immersive experience.

• Simplified access: The discoverability and accessibility of highly niche accessories/add-ons to popular professional 3D design platforms poses adoption challenges for mainstream users.

  Designair’s platform delivers a tailored self-service app store which simplifies access to customized 3D design environments.

Designair’s search for a secure, high-performing VDI remote access solution

As Designair began to revolutionize AED software delivery through their innovative software cloud, they encountered formidable challenges in identifying the right remote access technology for their users to access virtual desktops.

Designair knew that its customers would not accept latency, poor user experience, lack of customization abilities, or inadequate security standards. If you’re an engineer modeling intricate designs for a piece of machinery, a ‘clunky’ experience can cause enormous frustration. 

After evaluating various remote access software, Designair selected Splashtop as their solution to enable VDI remote access. Not only did Splashtop address their immediate needs, but it also provided solutions to overcome the limitations associated with VPN/RDP and other remote access solutions:

• Optimized performance: Splashtop's high-performance features provided the optimal balance Designair sought. It offered high-performance access from any device, anywhere, tailored for graphics-intensive 3D/CAD applications, meeting the demands of design professionals while ensuring a smooth, latency-free, and responsive user experience.

• Flexible custom environment creation: Splashtop’s APIs and integrations made it easy for Designair to build a self-service software cloud with a rich catalog of diverse niche ISV and third-party apps. This enabled Designair to concentrate on developing a user-friendly store for seamless app discovery and launching.

• Intuitive user experience: With Splashtop,Designair achieved a seamless and user-friendly experience for provisioning and accessing creative apps in their cloud. This helps Designair’s customers to get started in seconds, without the need for onboarding or training.

• Robust security: Splashtop's advanced security features, such as end-to-end encryption, granular access controls, and modern authentication flexibility, ensured the safeguarding of sensitive data both in transit and at rest. This provided a secure cloudenvironment for Designair's clients while benefiting from both performance and security enhancements.

• Customer support: Designair found Splashtop's support team to be responsive, knowledgeable, and proactive, ensuring smooth integration and ongoing assistance. This positive experience further solidified Designair's confidence in Splashtop as the ideal solution for revolutionizing their virtual creative workspaces.

Don Rekko, Designair’s Co-founder and Head of Growth adds: “After evaluating other vendors on the market, Splashtop was the clear winner for us. We’ve been delighted with the quality of the service, support, and customer experience. Splashtop has played an invaluable role in our company’s journey. We can only recommend every user of CAD/BIM software to do a FREE TRIAL and see for yourself.”

Conclusion

In the dynamic landscape of modern architecture, engineering and design, the choice of a remote access solution plays a pivotal role in shaping the efficiency and security of software clouds. Designair’s adoption of Splashtop showcases how a strategic choice in remote access technology can overcome the limitations of traditional streaming protocols – both RDP and from VDI/DaaS vendors providers - enabling businesses to thrive in the digital era. As organizations continue to navigate the challenges of a dispersed workforce, solutions like Splashtop redefine the possibilities of remote access, offering a transformative experience for both innovators and end-users alike.

Navigating the Future with Splashtop Enterprise

As organizations continue to evolve and adapt to the ever-changing operational and work landscape, Splashtop Enterprise stands out as a trusted partner, ensuring that businesses can navigate through challenges and seize opportunities with efficiency and vision for the future. 

Get started by contacting us today to learn more, schedule a demo, and start a free trial of Splashtop Enterprise!