SIG: OTOY announces new X.IO App Streaming services to bring Windows CAD and 3D apps to Mac and other platforms

Cloud graphics pionner, OTOY, Inc., today announced X.IO App Streaming, a new application virtualization service that instantaneously ports Windows desktop application to the cloud without needing to modify any code, enabling users access to them on any Internet-connected device, regardless of form-factor or OS platform.

Graphics Intensive Apps Through the Web Browser

Using technology OTOY gained from a recent acquisition earlier this year, X.IO was built from the ground up to handle the demanding nature of graphics-intensive applications, including image-editing, CAD, and 3D modeling and rendering applications—making the editing of even the most complex files a breeze on low-performance devices, though the service is equally suitable for any Windows application.

X.IO App

With X.IO App Streaming, application developers and independent software vendors (ISVs) can realize the most from their development investments, saving millions of dollars in development costs and the need to retool development team skill sets while making their applications multi-platform and device agnostic through a white-labeled service. Users, be they employees or customers, gain one-click access to any application along with use of cloud storage including Dropbox, Box, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive accounts, improving collaboration by making the sharing and editing of documents easier.

01 – Autodesk Revit 2015 running on X.IO App Streaming via a browser.

“The cloud has enabled a new wave of collaborative software that has transformed enterprises and startups alike through collective sharing and editing, but legacy applications, especially demanding workstation-class applications have largely been left behind until today,” said Jules Urbach, Founder and CEO, OTOY. “X.IO App Streaming gives developers an incredibly simple, cost-effective way to empower their employees and end customers, giving them access to workstation-class applications and performance and a full-function user experience from virtually any device with an Internet connection all without needing to change a thing in the development pipeline.”

MORE: Why OTOY will change our 3D world: A conversation with Jules Urbach

OTOY is demonstrating X.IO App Streaming this week at the annual international conference on computer graphics, SIGGRAPH 2014, in booth 1447 of the Vancouver Convention Center. The service is currently in beta with a launch planned for later this year. To sign up for the beta visit X.IO.

Benefits of X.IO App Streaming

There are many benefits for using X.IO App Streaming for your needs, such as:

• Easily Expand Platform Reach — For smaller development teams or companies that have focused on only one platform, X.IO immediately makes you multi-platform. For large-scale subscription-based ISVs, X.IO affords you a quick and cost-effective means of easily introducing collaboration to your products, providing users with a one-click launcher into any given application for any file sharing and editing.
• Full Functionality On Any Device — Along with X.IO’s Cloud Storage Bridge that connects applications to popular cloud storage services, X.IO also supports printing and peripherals to ensure maximum productivity, and boasts out-of-the-box support for mobile, native desktop, and web access.
• High-Quality – Low Latency — Based on OTOY’s ORBX technology, X.IO app sessions provide an exceptional user experience with round-trip latency averaging less than 50 ms and bandwidth usage below 1 Mbps. Through our global network X.IO runs application sessions as close to users as possible, ensuring great performance and decreased latency all without any administration.
• Increased Security — All X.IO connections are secured using the latest SSL technology, and OTOY’s data centers meet the strictest compliance standards, including PCI DSS Level 1 and ISO 27001. Additionally, dynamic session technology ensures data never stays on the servers after the session ends.
• Reduced setup and maintenance costs — X.IO is designed to be easy for both users and developers. The API enables complete control over the user experience, and integration libraries and support make it possible to integrate an application in an afternoon. Existing Windows apps continue to run as they always have without any changes. Concerns over registry corruption, different operating system versions, and having separate builds for 32-bit and 64-bit architectures are a thing of the past.

How X.IO App Streaming Works

The way X.IO works is that OTOY provides APIs and SKDs to developers that aid in the quick and easy integration of the Windows application into the X.IO service. Developers have options for how they can package apps up for employees and end customers. Once the app is setup OTOY manages the rest, including distribution to the global network, scaling and optimization.

02 – What the end user may see when logging into a X.IO App Session.

For end users, launching an application hosted on X.IO is as simple as clicking a link or pasting a single line of code into a browser. Cloud resources get dynamically allocated, a virtual session is setup and secured, and a secure tunnel is created between end user, the session, and optionally their cloud storage accounts. Once the tunnel is established the end user can interact with the application just as if it was running on their local computer.

03 – This image says it all…what OTOY has directly in mind with this technology. Read our interview with Jules Urbach to understand why they believe in this approach. (image courtesy of OTOY, Inc. All rights reserved.)

X.IO sends the graphical output from the application, and relays the input signals (keyboard and mouse on end user side) back to the session, ensuring the highest level of security. Data is never sent to the end user, the data remains in the cloud with the application service.

SIGGRAPH Demonstrations

For more information on X.IO App Streaming or to view a demonstration, visit OTOY at SIGGRAPH 2014, August 12-14, booth 1447 in the Vancouver Convention Center, contact OTOY to arrange a meeting at the show, or visit X.IO.

You can sign up for the beta for X.IO here. View images of X.IO here or above.

Architosh Analysis

We interview Jules Urbach earlier this year and in our title we did explain that OTOY may be changing the world of 3D. Well, this announcement certain portends to just that. While it remains to be seen how pivotal this technology may turn out, one thing is for sure it looks to be a real technological possibility and the advantages to developers and user alike are hard contest.

Now if you look at the images included in this news post, we may be hinting at something (hint hint!) But that is news for another time. We have been slowly hinting at things for quite some time with respect to the biggest developer in the design and engineering software market. The cloud has many advantages, but surely one thing that some readers may be thinking is: “well yes, I can run a Windows app on my Mac this way, but I want a native Mac application!”

Indeed, this technology is actually going to force Apple to start innovating harder at the Mac OS X level if they are going to keep big developers interested in writing native OS X apps. If the cloud can work this way, why as a developer write an app for more than one operating system? On another note, who is to say Apple might not also provide such technology and encourage newer and younger talented developers to write natively for OS X and ask them to reach other platforms—like Windows—via the cloud? Or is that just too bullish of a thought on Apple? You tell us.