Industry · Aerospace & Defence
Aerospace & Defence: 3D Visualization for Aviation, Space and Defence Technology
Making satellites, aircraft and systems that do not exist yet decision-ready: in funding conversations, investor pitches and procurement preparation. In 3D, AR and as rendering, without an app.
Space
Satellites and Space Systems:
Visible Before Launch
From Earth observation to educational outreach: making complex systems tangible before they are in orbit.
Astrofein · Earth Observation
Funding commitment with a satellite that did not exist yet
From rough CAD data to a realistic model, presented in AR before state government officials and ESA astronauts. Customer project for Astrofein (Berlin).
More about the project
→ Case study Astrofein: satellite visualization
ESA / ESERO · Education & Institutions
Sentinel-2 at full scale, no app required, deployed nationwide
Earth observation satellites as browser-based AR experiences for events, schools and trade shows. Commissioned in an educational context for ESA/ESERO Deutschland.
More about the project
Aviation
Explaining Aircraft Before They Fly
From the VTOL aircraft to the firefighting drone: the decisive detail experienced in space, not buried in a datasheet.
VTOLogic (USA) · eVTOL
A VTOL aircraft investors can hear and see before it exists
Immersive AR experience of the planned aircraft including spatial audio: rotor sounds from the correct direction. Customer project for the US startup VTOLogic (formerly Panspatial).
More about the project
→ VTOLogic: AR case study on video
FFD Fire Fighting Dragon · Public Safety
Investor convinced before the prototype was finished
Graphics and AR visualization in the extinguishing configuration, based solely on the product concept. Customer project for FFD Fire Fighting Dragon.
More about the project
Trade Press
Two Pages in the AeroSpace.NRW Magazine
Cover and article pages: AeroSpace.NRW magazine, issue 5, January 2026. Images courtesy of AeroSpace.NRW.
"Engineering data brought to life: augmented reality for sales and marketing"
AeroSpace.NRW is the aerospace industry network commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia. Issue 5 of the magazine describes over two pages how viSales prepares engineering data for sales and marketing, featuring the Polaris MIRA II and Astrofein DIEGOSat projects, app-free via QR code all the way to Apple Vision Pro.
"[viSales] is among Europe's leading service providers for preparing engineering data in USDZ format, from automotive to aerospace."
Defence & Dual-Use
Defence Technology and Dual-Use:
Confidential, Precise, Decision-Ready
Defence projects follow their own rules: sensitive data, long procurement cycles, decision-makers with no time to spare. Visual communication has to do both: convince and protect. The fact that a good demo convinces more than any explanation is nothing new in the defence sector: in 1897, the Turbinia outran every warship at a fleet review.
Polaris Spaceplanes · Spaceplane / Hypersonic
A 28-metre spaceplane as a pitch tool, from the tabletop to the parking lot
Flight phases made understandable even for non-engineers, as a tabletop model or at full scale next to the vehicle. Customer project for Polaris Spaceplanes (Bremen).
More about the project
→ Polaris: 28-metre spaceplane on video
DeterTech · Perimeter Protection
The conversation starts at decision-maker level, not with the basics
A 3D animation video prepares the meeting, the AR models come from the same data. Customer project for DeterTech.
More about the project
→ Case study DeterTech: animation video & AR in sales
Auner · Pioneer Engineering / Specialist Civil Engineering
A trenching machine for civil engineering and for military trenches
Working principle and deployment scenarios without a demo unit, for civilian and defence-technology prospects alike. Customer project for Auner.
More about the project
→ Auner founder story at WFG Kreis Viersen
From the Visual-Com Podcast
Voices from the Defence World
Conversations with well-known voices from defence and security policy.
Commissioned by · Bundeswehr
Commissioned by the Bundeswehr: Expert Lecture on AR in Defence
November 2024, Zentrum Informationsarbeit Bundeswehr (ZInfoABw, the Bundeswehr Center for Information Operations), Strausberg near Berlin. The Bundeswehr commissioned Gerhard Schröder (viSales) to deliver an expert lecture on augmented reality in everyday life and in defence, given to around 150 officers and personnel. A direct commission, not a guest contribution. The short teaser is the announcement video for the lecture. The lecture itself is subject to confidentiality.
Commissioned directly by the Bundeswehr, the lecture itself confidential: viSales speaks the language of aerospace and defence, even in front of expert audiences.
Confidentiality & Data Sovereignty
Confidential Products, Protected Data
Security-sensitive and regulated fields call for their own way of working:
- Collaboration on an NDA basis, data is accepted only after agreement.
- Abstracted AR models: 3D data is transformed so that the IP cannot be reconstructed, while the product is still presented convincingly.
- Delivery on request as sealed files, fully offline and on-premise. No cloud requirement.
- Clear data sovereignty: source data stays with the client.
Try It Yourself
Try It Yourself, in 30 Seconds
Scan the QR code and place the DIEGOSat 2025 planning-stage model as AR in your own room. No app store, no login.
A real customer project as live proof. Best scanned with an iPhone or iPad.
Technology Reference
From Tabletop Model to 100 Metres at Full Scale
The iconic Starship as an AR experience, built twice over: as a compact tabletop version for presentations and at full scale, over 100 metres tall. The demo shows the level of detail the OpenUSD/USDZ pipeline achieves app-free on iPhone and iPad. Deliberately marked as a technology reference.
These 3D models were created for the YouTube channel Senkrechtstarter by Moritz Vieth.
→ Video interview with Moritz Vieth on the Visual-Com podcast
Personal
Why Aerospace? A Personal Answer
The enthusiasm for space did not begin for Gerhard Schröder with a client project, but with a book about Wernher von Braun, a gift from his grandfather, and watching Columbia's maiden flight from a hospital bed. Today viSales serves customers building satellites, spaceplanes and aircraft.
Book an Initial Assessment Call
You speak directly with Gerhard Schröder, managing director of viSales. No pitch. No sales pressure. An honest assessment, on equal footing. For confidential projects: NDA in advance, not a problem.
Book a CallWe typically respond within one business day.
Frequently Asked Questions About Aerospace & Defence
What is 3D visualization and AR used for in aviation, space and defence technology?
To show satellites, aircraft and systems as decision-ready before hardware exists: in funding rounds, investor pitches and procurement preparation. System architecture, deployment scenarios and dimensions become tangible where only CAD fragments, sketches or concepts exist so far.
How does a usable 3D or AR model emerge from CAD fragments or an idea?
Existing CAD data is reduced and prepared for sales use, missing assemblies are plausibly extrapolated and aligned with the engineers. The foundation is an OpenUSD master file, from which renderings, AR, animations and web output are generated. FFD and DIEGOSat started from a concept and CAD fragments respectively.
When does it make sense to use this in an aerospace project?
Whenever decisions are made before hardware exists and the decision-makers are not engineers: funding panels, investors, procurement officers. Spatial representation replaces repeated rounds of explanation. The earlier the model is ready, the longer it carries value through every project phase.
When is augmented reality not the right choice?
If a product is already tangible and self-explanatory, AR is unnecessary effort. Photo, video or a rendering are enough in that case. AR pays off when something is too large, too complex or not yet built.
What does 3D and AR offer over a physical model or a slide presentation?
A physical model is expensive, difficult to transport and static, slides remain abstract. From a single OpenUSD source, by contrast, come a pitch on the iPad, a rendering for the press, an animation for the trade show and a 1:1 model in the parking lot, all from the same data source and updatable at any time.
What is OpenUSD and why is it relevant for aerospace projects?
OpenUSD is an open 3D standard, backed by Apple, NVIDIA, Pixar and the Alliance for OpenUSD. For aerospace this means: a single data source delivers every output format, from AR through rendering to web, without platform lock-in and without duplicate pipelines. This protects investment over the long project lifecycle.
→ OpenUSD for decision-makers, with an example from naval shipbuilding (frigate F126)
How is confidential engineering data protected?
NDA in advance, abstracted models, sealed files, on-premise and offline deployment available. Source data stays with the client.
Does viSales also work on dual-use and defence technology products?
Yes, under clear rules: contractual confidentiality, German data hosting on request, visualization for communication and decision preparation.
On which devices do the AR models run?
iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro. Android without an app in the browser. Access via QR code or link.
→ Apple vs. Android AR: the differences explained
What does 3D visualization or an AR model for an aerospace project cost?
As a guideline: a deployable AR exhibit starts at roughly 3,000 to 6,000 euros, a more comprehensive AR solution ranges between 4,000 and 20,000 euros, depending on data basis and scope. Initial consultation is free. More on the Augmented Reality and Trade Shows pages.
→ Book an initial assessment call
Aerospace and Defence References at a Glance
| Reference | Relationship | Domain |
|---|---|---|
| Astrofein | Customer | Space |
| ESA / ESERO Deutschland | Customer | Space |
| VTOLogic (USA) | Customer | Aviation |
| FFD Fire Fighting Dragon | Customer | Public Safety |
| Polaris Spaceplanes | Customer | Defence & Dual-Use |
| DeterTech | Customer | Defence & Dual-Use |
| Auner | Customer | Defence & Dual-Use |
| Starship | Technology Reference | Space |