ARSOFT and the practical use of Extended Reality in naval training and maintenance

The ability to visualize complex processes, better understand machinery, and access information exactly when it is needed has opened up new ways of working for shipping companies and shipyards. In this context, EyeFlow, ARSOFT’s XR content creation platform, emerges as a natural way to bring technical knowledge into the digital environment.

For years, major shipping companies and shipyards knew they needed to digitize their training and maintenance processes. They had seen the demos, read the success stories, and even invested in Extended Reality devices (Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality). But at the end of the day, those devices often ended up in a drawer, because creating content required specialized teams, weeks of development, and budgets that could only be justified for very specific procedures.

No one was going to hire a 3D development studio to digitize the maintenance manual for a hydraulic pump—no matter how useful it might be. EyeFlow, the XR content creation platform developed by ARSOFT, was born precisely out of that frustration. Not specifically from the naval sector, but from the same realization: XR technology will only be truly transformative when the people who know the procedure can create the content themselves. No intermediaries. No months of waiting. No inflated budgets.

From PDF to interactive model in one afternoon
EyeFlow’s value proposition is simple yet highly innovative: if you have a PDF manual, you can turn it into an interactive 3D manual. Not in weeks. In hours.
The platform works with a logic that anyone who has used PowerPoint will understand: drag, drop, annotate, link. The difference is that instead of slides, you are working with three-dimensional models. You can directly import files, add annotations to critical components, create step-by-step sequences, insert videos of real procedures, link technical documentation, and more.

This is important because it completely changes who can create this type of content. There is no longer a need for an IT department. A training manager who has spent 15 years in the shipyard and knows every corner of a vessel can sit down, open EyeFlow, and start transferring their knowledge into a 3D format.

EYEFLOW: Visual knowledge, accessible and easy to maintain
But here’s the key point: ease of use does not mean limited functionality. A maintenance technician on a ferry does not have the same needs as a trainer in a shipyard. The former needs quick access to specific procedures while working in the engine room, probably with their hands occupied and background noise. The latter needs to create assembly simulations for new operators, with the ability to repeat sequences, assess whether the process has been understood, and adapt the content as questions arise.

EyeFlow addresses both scenarios. Content can be viewed on a smartphone, tablet, augmented reality glasses, or even on a standard screen, depending on what each situation requires. And the important thing is that it’s the same content: you create it once and deploy it wherever you need it. This is changing the way some companies in the sector approach training. Instead of organizing two-week, in-person courses where an expert explains procedures to ten people, they can create the content once and allow each new operator to work through it at their own pace, repeating complex parts as many times as needed, directly from the workshop.

Navalia and the naval industry at a turning point
ARSOFT will be at Navalia 2026 because we believe the naval sector is at a turning point. Not in terms of XR technology in general, but in terms of accessibility. The tools are maturing. Devices are better and more affordable. But above all, the mindset is changing: it’s no longer about running large pilot projects, but about integrating these tools into everyday operations.

And for that to happen, they need to be usable. A maintenance manager must be able to update a procedure when a part changes. A trainer must be able to add a note to a 3D model when they notice operators consistently get confused at the same step. Technology needs to adapt to the company’s pace—not the other way around. There’s a phrase we hear often during demos: “Oh, I can do this myself.” Exactly. That’s the point.