Customer Story
PALFINGER Structural Inspection edits massive 3D models on Google Cloud as if they were local, with Teradici CAS
Vienna-based PALFINGER Structural Inspection GmbH (StrucInspect) is transforming safety inspection of bridges and other infrastructure using drones, 3D modeling, and artificial intelligence. The service accelerates inspections, makes them more cost-effective, and avoids the need to close structures to traffic. Launched in 2019, the company is a joint venture of PALFINGER, Vienna Consulting Engineers (VCE), and the Angst Group.
Using Teradici CAS with GCP and NVIDIA GPUs is literally like working on a local workstation. Files open immediately—not several seconds later as they did with VNC—saving up to 30 minutes on a typical 8-hour project. We can turn the 3D models left, right, and upside down and peer into little crevasses with the same experience we’d have on a local workstation.
Challenges
- Quickly create 3D models from thousands of high-res images
- Manipulate and edit models containing hundreds of gigabytes in the cloud—without lag
- Keep customer data secure
- Avoid paying for high-end workstations that would be idle much of the time
Solution
- Provisioned powerful Linux workstations on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) with NVIDIA Tesla P100 GPUs to run compute-intensive Agisoft Metashape application
- Deployed Teradici CAS on GCP and existing laptops, enabling users to securely connect to remote workstations in GCP
Results
- Accelerated 3D model development
- Enabled users to view and edit models on GCP with a local workstation experience—saving 30 minutes on a typical 8-hour project
- Protected sensitive information: only encrypted pixels travel between GCP and laptops
- Reduced hardware costs with “pay-as-you-go” pricing in GCP
