Bentley Acquires Reality Modeling Creator e-on

Bentley has recently announced that it will acquire e-on, a company that specializes in “reality-modeling” software. Based in Paris, France, e-on specializes in creating, simulating and integrating natural 3D environments.

E-on first released its VUE software in 1995 and has since become widely acclaimed in the digital content creation (DCC) market. Many professionals in computer graphics, media, science and education rely on e-on software like VUE and PlantFactory.

This jungle environment from The Croods was created with e-on's VUE software. (Image courtesy of e-on software.)

From its outset, e-on focused on the needs of the media and entertainment industries. Its software has become a Hollywood staple used in films including The Hunger Games, Avatar and the more stylized animated feature How to Train Your Dragon.

In recent years, there has been an increasing need among architects and engineers to present their work in realistic, immersive contexts. Not only does this make a design more appealing, it sheds light on how a design will function in a real-world context.

E-on’s LumenRT software, released in 2014, targets architecture and engineering markets. It enables users to quickly produce high-quality, movie-style effects. This means that infrastructure engineers can show real-time context for their designs by incorporating "live" natural environments.

The software can make images, videos and real-time presentations. It's able to model moving people, wind-blown plants, rippling water and man-made elements like cars and traffic. LumenRT is used to make designs more immersive. Its large-scale, interactive settings incorporate natural light, time of day and seasonal change. LumenRT can be directly integrated with major CAD and BIM software such as ArchiCAD, MicroStation, Autodesk Revit and others.

LumenRT is a specialized software for architects and engineers. (Image courtesy of e-on software.)

The previously mentioned VUE software is a versatile tool used by visual effects workers, animators, architects and others to create natural environments. Another e-on software, PlantFactory, models dynamic, wind-animated plants that can be used in DCC and architectural and engineering markets.

After its acquisition by Bentley, e-on will continue as an independent subsidiary operating under its own brand name. E-on will benefit from Bentley's user base, resources and distribution channels.

Bentley has already integrated e-on's LumenRT into its MicroStation modeling environment. It has also recently acquired Acute3D, a software which can automatically generate 3D reality meshes from digital photos. Combined with e-on's software, Bentley's users will be able to present infrastructure designs with the more realistic contexts that the modern industry requires.