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Explore the latest in 3D software and visualization at the Volume Graphics Blog. Join us for insights, innovations, and impactful stories.

NextGen portfolio
7/1/2026
Join us in the NextGen product portfolio

We are excited to introduce our fully refreshed and simplified NextGen product portfolio for all VG software applications. With our new edition structure, we provide a flexible VGSTUDIO MAX portfolio and VGMETROLOGY tailored to different workflows and expertise levels.

Each edition combines proven features with advanced capabilities, maximizing productivity in your daily tasks.

The editions of the new portfolio offer a price advantage of up to 80% compared to the previous portfolio, thanks to their extended feature sets.

Upgrade now and benefit: Customers with an active maintenance agreement receive 100% discount on portfolio migration costs in the first year.

Enable faster user onboarding and quicker adoption to new feature releases with our built-in tutorial videos— exclusively available with the new portfolio to maintenance customers.

A true milestone for our metrology customers: reduce project creation time by up to 50% with our newly launched Multipart workflow.

 

Join us in the NextGen product portfolio: faster – simpler – better.

Happy Easter !
4/1/2026
Happy Easter !

We at VG Stories would like to wish you a safe, happy, and colorful Easter. But before you go, let's paint a virtual Easter egg! Join us as we use VGSTUDIO MAX to create and export colorful meshes for 3D printing!

Tips & Tricks
Visualization & Rendering
Wall Thickness Analysis
Additive Manufacturing
DGA_story
3/17/2026
More speed, less risk

How Hexagon empowers the French Defence Procurement Agency (Direction générale de l’armement, DGA) with 3D CT data segmentation using VGTRAINER and AI.

 

Until now, analysts at the Direction générale de l’armement (DGA) of the French Ministry of Defence needed a great deal of time to evaluate CT scans of printed circuit boards — one single board could take up to an entire day. Experts examined the data voxel by voxel to identify conductive connections between the vias and thus decode the circuitry. It was clear to the DGA: this process needed to be faster, more precise, and more wide ranging. With AI-based training using Hexagon’s VGTRAINER, evaluations can now be completed within seconds — while achieving higher accuracy and enabling larger data volumes to be processed efficiently in VGSTUDIO MAX.

 

When the DGA receives a new printed circuit board — such as from drones or other airborne systems with highly complex control mechanisms — analysts can look directly inside. Using computed tomography, the agency generates high-resolution 3D datasets, which are digitally evaluated during subsequent postprocessing. Every detail counts: The data reveals insights into internal structures, tight geometries, and even the smallest features such as traces and solder joints — completely non-destructively and without time-consuming physical sectioning. 

 

As France’s defense procurement authority, the DGA operates under substantial pressure for both speed and precision. For the design, assessment, and further development of defense systems and operations, correct information must be available as quickly as possible. This also applies to the postprocessing of complex 3D CT scans. That’s why some sites of the agency began collaborating with Hexagon as early as ten years ago and have since relied on software solutions such as VGSTUDIO MAX for non-destructive analysis. The department responsible for analyzing circuit boards has now taken another step forward: it explored the possibilities of automated data evaluation using artificial intelligence — and thereby its own optimization potential.

Segmentation
Visualization & Rendering
Are we alone in the universe?
2/19/2026
Are we alone in the universe?

This question has been pondered upon by humans for thousands of years. But are we any closer to finding the answer?
 
For OHB’s space missions that aim to answer one of humanity’s biggest questions—are we alone in the Universe?—precision and reliability are non‑negotiable. VG software plays a crucial role in ensuring that the instruments sent to explore distant worlds are flawless at a microscopic level.

Safran Tech
10/17/2025
AI and Deep Learning drive enhancements in aerospace

Turbine blades are a critical component for jet engines. Ensuring their quality is not just a safety consideration; high-quality turbine blades ensure optimal engine performance, fuel efficiency, durability, and reduced emissions.

It’s important to remember here that the aerospace industry is not like the high-volume world of automotive where samples from the production line are tested. In aerospace, every blade must be tested.

Of course, embedding rigorous inspection processes into manufacturing also helps to detect potential turbine blade issues before they lead to failures. But such a rigorous inspection routine can involve multiple processes, such as tactile or optical 3D coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) for the external dimensions in tandem with computed tomography (CT) for internal dimensions and structure.

One manufacturer, Safran Tech, identified this as an area where efficiency improvements could be made. Safran Tech is part of Safran Group - the world’s second largest aircraft equipment manufacturer, employing over 92,000 people and generating 27.31 billion euros in revenue (2024).

Tips & Tricks
Segmentation
Visualization & Rendering
Road to the Golden Surface
12/5/2022
Road to the Golden Surface

No two deviations are created equal. As much as we strive for an ideal form, each part is produced with manufacturing imperfections that cause it to deviate from its nominal shape. As such, we often end up with a slew of parts, each with its own deviations. In some cases, such as reverse engineering and mesh compensation, we need to choose one to work with. The question is, how do we decide? Join us as we use VGSTUDIO MAX to average them out and find the golden surface! 

Tips & Tricks
Mesh Compensation
Additive Manufacturing
Reverse Engineering
Head-First into Victory: Designing an Olympic Helmet
11/2/2022
Head-First into Victory: Designing an Olympic Helmet

It's time for the Winter Olympics! And what better way for us to celebrate at Volume Graphics than with a bit of sports and 3D scanning? Join CEITEC, Vagus, and One3D as they work together to design the perfect helmet for Olympic skeleton racer, Anna Fernstädtová!

Sports
Wall Thickness Analysis
Additive Manufacturing
VG at the Dentist!
8/4/2022
VG at the Dentist!

In some dental practices—and at least in large dental laboratories—digitization has arrived. For example, intraoral scanners are becoming more and more popular in fabricating crowns and veneers. However, in the lateral and posterior tooth regions, the accuracy of the scans is quite limited. As soon as a cast of several teeth is required, such as for bridges or aligners, creating a plaster cast from a classic dental impression is still hailed as the most precise method—but unfortunately the most time-consuming.
With CT technology and VGSTUDIO MAX, dental professionals have now found the time-saving shortcut they were looking for. Thanks to automation, they can save a lot of time without having to compromise on the quality they've gotten used to.

Segmentation
Automation
Healthcare
VG Stories 2022: A New Hope
7/1/2022
VG Stories 2022: 
A New Hope

We at VG Stories would like to wish you a fantastic start to the new year! And what better—and environmentally friendlier—way to celebrate than virtual firecrackers? Join us as we use VGSTUDIO MAX to examine what, exactly, gives a firecracker its spark!

Visualization & Rendering
Foam/Powder Analysis
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