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• Digital polycarbonate material data integrated into Autodesk VRED 3D virtual prototyping solutions for the first time
• Vehicle designers can visualize material effects photo realistically without physical samples – for more efficient development processes
• Presence in digital tools of leading automotive manufacturers strengthens Covestro's position as the preferred material partner of the future
Deceptively real: Virtual design of a vehicle center console made of Bayblend® in the Autodesk VRED software platform.
Covestro and Autodesk VRED announced the direct integration of the digital sample library Imagio® of Covestro into Autodesk VRED 2026.1. Imagio® is a platform of Covestro for tens of thousands of photorealistic digital material twins for polycarbonate materials. It enables designers to experience and work with these materials virtually, without having to request physical prototypes or visit design centers.
The integration of the Imagio® material database into Autodesk's VRED, one of the world's leading design platforms for cars and other transportation vehicles such as aircraft or rail vehicles, provides designers worldwide with immediate access to photorealistic representations of color, gloss, transparency, translucency, or surface texture of the versatile polycarbonate materials of Covestro.
"The integration of our digital sample library into Autodesk VRED is a milestone for both partners," says Dr. Tobias Rausch, Business Development Manager for Digital Sampling in the Engineering Plastics Business Entity at Covestro. "We are effectively lowering the entry barrier to our material world for designers of vehicles and auto parts. They can now easily find our polycarbonate materials and their many facets and try them out realistically for their application with just a few clicks. This saves a series of iterations and thus time, money, and emissions associated with transport and sample production."
Higher Efficiency and Precision in Design
The time saved is a crucial advantage in an industry like automotive, where development cycles are becoming shorter and efficiency in the design process is increasingly important. The ability to easily experiment with photorealistic effects and surface structures that can be applied to the respective application via drag-and-drop is a major advantage. Unlike physical samples, this approach also leaves less room for interpretation and thus errors, which has always existed when transferring properties from a sample to the final application.
"The integration of Imagio® significantly expands the potential of our design portfolio and helps our users enormously," explains Marek Trawny, Director of Product Management - Automotive & Conceptual Design at Autodesk VRED. "In a time when speed and precision in the design process are crucial, photorealistic digital material twins offer our users a decisive advantage. Designers can now immediately and accurately see how polycarbonate materials will look in their designs. This aids decision-making and fuels creativity."
Up next: Mechanical Properties or Weathering Simulations
Autodesk is one of the main providers of design software for the automotive industry and is used by leading manufacturers. The exclusive presence of Covestro in this digital design tool, where design and material decisions are made, is a strategic milestone for both companies. Future functionalities are planned, such as connections to simulation tools for mechanical properties, rheology, or weathering simulations. This will allow designers to simulate how materials behave after years of exposure to sun and rain and visualize the resulting changes in appearance.
The Imagio® integration is available with Autodesk VRED Professional 2026.1. Users need an Imagio® account, which is available for business customers and public organizations. For users of other visualization platforms, Imagio® remains accessible through its web interface, offering the same comprehensive material library with downloadable AxF files compatible with most leading rendering software programs.
Covestro at K 2025
This project also underlines "The Material Effect" – the guiding concept of the presence of Covestro at this year's K trade fair in Düsseldorf. At stand A75 in hall 6, Covestro will place special emphasis on progress and innovations in the areas of sustainable future, automotive, electronics, healthcare, sports and leisure.
About Covestro:
Covestro is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality polymer materials and their components. With its innovative products, processes and methods, the company helps enhance sustainability and the quality of life in many areas. Covestro supplies customers around the world in key industries such as mobility, building and living, as well as the electrical and electronics sector. In addition, polymers from Covestro are also used in sectors such as sports and leisure, telecommunications and health, as well as in the chemical industry itself.
The company is geared completely to the circular economy. In addition, Covestro aims to achieve climate neutrality for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2035, and the Group’s Scope 3 emissions are also set to be climate neutral by 2050. Covestro generated sales of EUR 14.2 billion in fiscal year 2024. At the end of 2024, the company had 46 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 17,500 people (calculated as full-time equivalents).
Note: This story has not been edited by The Polymerupdate Editorial team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.
