Torch 3D

Torch 3D, founded in 2017, was a company that developed a prototyping platform for augmented and virtual reality. The founders, Paul Reynolds, Josh Faust, and Antony Falco, brought together experience from notable tech ventures. Reynolds and Faust were both engineering veterans from Magic Leap, an augmented reality company, while Falco had co-founded Orchestrate, a database company acquired by CenturyLink. Their collective background in AR and cloud infrastructure shaped Torch's mission to simplify 3D design.

The company's primary offering was a software platform that enabled designers and developers to build and iterate on 3D concepts directly within virtual and augmented reality environments. This addressed a significant bottleneck in the development process, which often relied on less efficient methods like pencil and paper. Torch's platform was designed to be accessible to users without extensive coding or 3D development experience, aiming to reduce the design phase from days to hours. It featured a mobile-first workflow, allowing users to import various assets like images, videos, and 3D models, and collaborate with team members in near real-time across different devices. The business model included free designer versions and paid developer licenses that offered more advanced features like Web AR publishing and the ability to create standalone apps.

In October 2017, Torch 3D announced a $3.5 million seed funding round led by The Venture Reality Fund and Silicon Valley Data Capital, which was intended to help finalize their beta product and expand the team. Despite its efforts to transform 3D production economics, the company found the market for AR development tools was not yet large enough to sustain its business. Torch announced the discontinuation of its services on September 1st, 2020. Following the shutdown, the company was acquired by Fyusion, a 3D computer vision and machine learning company with a focus on the automotive industry, in 2020.

Keywords: Torch 3D, augmented reality prototyping, virtual reality design, 3D development platform, no-code AR, mobile AR, Paul Reynolds, Josh Faust, Antony Falco, Magic Leap alumni, AR/VR tools, 3D asset management, collaborative design, Fyusion acquisition, discontinued service, AR app builder, immersive design, WebAR, real-time 3D, design workflow automation