EXTON, Pa.– Bentley Systems announced that Faraz Ravi, Bentley’s director of product management for point clouds, has been appointed chairman of the ASTM International Committee E57 on 3D Imaging Systems. Formed in 2006, Committee E57 develops standards for 3D imaging systems, including optical range cameras and laser scanners that capture point cloud data. Ravi co-founded Pointools Ltd, the hardware-neutral provider of point cloud software that Bentley acquired in 2011 to help it establish point clouds as a fundamental data type across all of its platforms, applications and information management services. Ravi now plays a key role in helping Bentley realize this vision of providing advanced point cloud workflows throughout the Bentley portfolio.

Bentley’s commitment to point clouds was first underscored in 2009 with its incorporation of the Vortex engine in its MicroStation information modeling environment. This past November, concurrent with its Pointools acquisition announcement, Bentley previewed advanced point cloud processing innovations in its forthcoming Bentley Descartes V8i (SELECTseries 3) release that speed point cloud workflows and reduce costs.

Commenting on his new appointment as chairman of the ASTM International Committee E57, Ravi said, “In working towards robust standards and promoting data interoperability, Committee E57 represents the interests of users exploiting rapidly advancing 3D imaging technologies for infrastructure workflows. The committee’s work is both timely and valuable, and I am honored to be a part of this important initiative.

“As chairman of this committee, I will encourage the wider adoption of the standards among vendors of 3D imaging hardware and software, and endeavor to broadly engage stakeholders via enhanced communications, the demonstration of key benefits and the presentation of the comprehensive E57 roadmap.

“Supported by Bentley’s commitment to interoperability and standards, I am excited about the progress we can make this year with E57 and the benefits we can deliver to users of point clouds and other 3D imaging data that are fundamental in infrastructure design workflows.”

Ravi was a director at IGLOO Software in London, U.K., from 2001 to 2003. He co-founded Pointools Ltd in 2003 and served as its CEO until the company was acquired by Bentley. Ravi graduated from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, with a Bachelor of Architecture and a Diploma of Architecture.