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Vinci: Bringing Design into the 3D world

Vinci
Undergraduate Dean Lapp testing out Vinci

The world is not flat. However, when we design things for our 3D world, we do so on 2D surfaces, whether that be on paper or on a computer screen. Losing an entire dimension leaves designs prone to errors when brought into the real world, which can lead to very high costs.

This is why Eagle Wu ’19 has created Vinci, software that allows users to interact with 3D models in immersive Virtual Reality (VR). Wu is a full stack developer, founder of Babson CODE, and video game enthusiast.

The Idea

Wu found his love for gaming early on in his life. “In high school, after saving up my pay as a bus boy for half a year, I bought my first laptop and taught myself how to code,” says Wu. “I strongly believe that nothing is out of your reach if you’re willing to work hard for it.”

Wu bought his first VR with his winnings from the Money 20/20 Hackathon to play video games, but what he found was a business opportunity. “One day I was looking up new experiences for VR when I saw how construction companies were rapidly expanding their investments into Virtual Reality,” says Wu.

The construction industry has begun to use VR to put architecture models into 3D and identify blind errors to save millions of dollars. The problem is that these companies have to hire entire teams of people to build custom software: why isn’t there software that can give this awesome power to anyone who wants take their designs to the next level? Now there is: Vinci.

The Future

The VR industry is a race right now, with no major players in the space. There are rapid developments happening daily and Wu wants to be at the forefront. “Building Vinci now is like building Uber or Microsoft office at the dawn of the mass consumption of their respective hardware (cell phone and computers),” says Wu. “This means there’s room for Vinci to (hopefully) be a leader, but there’s also the added challenge in that there’s very limited resources and heaps of uncertainty.”

The most exciting part is the potential. There is potential for medical schools to be able to do full surgeries on VR, and countless other industries to utilize the software. There are many ideas that are even unimaginable to us now. “I would love to see in 10 years engineers, teachers, designers, architects, or whoever be able to use Vinci,” says Wu “The hope is that anyone who wants to design can easily use Vinci.”

The Babson Connection

Wu has worked closely with the team at the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship on the Babson campus to create important connections for Vinci. “I love the Blank Center and the immense network they have! Without a doubt, the Blank Center can connect entrepreneurs with anyone they wanted to, which has helped Vinci tremendously,” says Wu. “In addition, the guidance and training they provide has proven to be invaluable. If you’re a student entrepreneur at Babson and you haven’t worked with the Blank Center, I highly recommend you do so ASAP.”

Interested in trying Vinci? Sign up on the Vinci website to see it for yourself.

Vinci