2024 · AWE · Main Stage
IKEA's Journey Through 3D Visualization and Spatial Computing
27-minute keynote at AWE 2024 in the US. Most-watched talk from the event — over 17,000 views within 20 days.
Watch →Hello, I'm
Martin Enthed
Passionate about Spatial Computing, 3D and anything Neural Network.
VP of Labs at Physicl.ai — formerly 18 years at IKEA.
Now
VP of Labs — Physicl.ai
November 2025 —
Helping drive the next revolution in AI — beyond text and images — into spatially aware, 3D-powered intelligence. What I like to call Physical AI or World Models: where AI doesn't just see or read, but actually understands space.
I first met Alex and the Physicl team during the IKEA Bootcamp in 2017, where they were selected from over a thousand applicants. Today, Alex has built the company grounded in scalable 3D, now expanding into the frontier I'm most passionate about: the fusion of 3D and AI.
At Physicl, I focus on spatial reasoning AI, leveraging their vast dataset of 3D scenes to push the limits of what's possible.
18 Years at IKEA
Two distinct chapters — first pioneering digital 3D production at scale, then leading the innovation efforts that prepared IKEA for a spatially aware, AI-supported future.
2016 — 2025
Innovation & Spatial Computing
Built and led an innovation team preparing IKEA for a spatially aware, AI-supported future. Ignited IKEA's involvement in open standards with AOUSD and MSF. Contributed to the Khronos Group for five years, serving as Vice President and helping shape future-forward industry collaborations including 3D Commerce.
Spatial Computing
AR / VR / MR
USD
Khronos VP
Open Standards
2007 — 2016
Pioneering CG / 3D Production at Scale
Pioneered CG/3D for high-end photorealistic image production at scale — bringing digital visuals alongside traditional photography to a global audience. IKEA's catalogue became a landmark example of the invisible transition from photography to full 3D renders.
3D Visualization
V-Ray
Production Pipeline
CG at Scale
Last recorded talk at IKEA — AWE 2024, US
IKEA wins VR Award — most creative use for marketing, 2017
3D live presentation after the first 9 years, 2016
Talks & Presentations
Selected public speaking engagements. Full YouTube playlist →
2023–2025 · Wharton MBA
Customer Lifetime Value — Wharton Executive MBA
Guest session on the Wharton Executive MBA programme with Peter Fader, three years running. The Q&A is the best part.
2022 · Building the Open Metaverse · Podcast
Building the Open Metaverse
Invited by Marc Petit (Epic Games) and Patrick Cozzi (Cesium) to talk about open standards and what the metaverse actually needs to work.
Watch →2021 · Real Time Conference
Populating the Metaverse One Standard at a Time
Panel with speakers from Pixar, Adobe, Autodesk, and Khronos Group on open standards for the metaverse.
Watch →2021 · Various Venues
The Human Brain and Realtime 3D
How the human brain perceives realtime 3D and what that means for spatial computing design.
Watch →2020 · Real Time Conference · Keynote
IKEA's Progress in Real-Time Graphics
Keynote on IKEA's journey into real-time rendering and its impact on retail and the customer experience.
Watch →2018 · SIGGRAPH · Vancouver
glTF Session at SIGGRAPH 2018
Part of a 60-minute session by 11 speakers on the glTF open standard for 3D asset delivery.
Watch →2017–2018 · Global
IKEA VR/AR/MR — and Meatballs
Multiple international venues including Autodesk University Las Vegas, SIGGRAPH Los Angeles, and VRX San Francisco. The recording is the later delivery, at Total Chaos 2018.
Watch →2013–2014 · SIGGRAPH
A Retailer's Way Into 3D: IKEA
One of the first public discussions of how IKEA built its 3D production pipeline, presented at SIGGRAPH.
Read PDF →Articles & Podcasts
2026 · Virtual, For Real · RapidPipeline
From IKEA to AI: How 3D Evolved, and What Comes Next
First conversation after leaving IKEA — recorded before Physicl was announced. How IKEA led the shift from photography to CGI, why AI-generated images are ahead of 3D, and what spatial understanding needs next.
Watch →2022 · Podcast
Voices of VR #1098 — Metaverse Standards Forum
Open standards and the role of MSF in building an interoperable metaverse.
Listen →2022 · Cesium
3D Commerce in the Metaverse — Open Metaverse Podcast
3D commerce and its role in the emerging metaverse ecosystem.
Watch →2022 · Venture Beat
USD's Potential Role in the Metaverse
Universal Scene Description (USD) and its emerging role in metaverse infrastructure and digital twins.
Read →2020 · XR for Business
Delivering Digital Swedish Meatballs in AR
IKEA's AR applications and the future of retail augmented reality.
Listen →2018 · Chaos Group
V-Ray's Visualization Capabilities for IKEA
How IKEA uses V-Ray for interior visualization at global production scale. Chaos published the piece as both a 9-minute video and a written article.
Watch →2016 · CG Garage · Chaos
CG Garage #84 — Martin Enthed, IKEA
75-minute conversation on building IKEA's 3D pipeline — around 20,000 listens in its first year.
Listen →2016 · CGSociety
Building 3D with IKEA
CGSociety feature article on how IKEA built its 3D production pipeline and made the invisible transition from photography to full CG renders.
Read PDF →2012 · Wall Street Journal
IKEA's New Catalogs: Less Pine, More Pixels
WSJ piece on IKEA's shift from traditional photography to computer-generated imagery in their iconic catalogue.
News
In 2014 a CGSociety interview let slip that three-quarters of the IKEA catalogue was computer-generated. It travelled further than anyone expected.
2014 · PetaPixel
When You Flip Through an IKEA Catalog, 75% of the 'Photography' You See is CGI
The photography press picks up the story — and asks what it means when the most photographic images in the catalogue were never photographed.
Read →2014 · TODAY · NBC
Say it ain't so: Ikea reveals 75% of catalog images are CGI
The story reaches mainstream US morning television's website, framed as a small betrayal of the reader's trust.
Read →2014 · Fast Company
75% Of Ikea's Catalog Is Computer Generated Imagery
Fast Company on the production economics behind the switch — why rendering a room beat flying a photographer to it.
Read →Standards & Industry
Active in shaping open industry standards for 3D and spatial computing:
- Khronos Group — Member and Vice President, contributing to glTF and 3D Commerce working groups
- Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD) — Ignited IKEA's involvement in Universal Scene Description standards
- Metaverse Standards Forum (MSF) — Representative for open metaverse interoperability
- 3D Commerce — Realtime Asset Creation Guidelines for retail and e-commerce
Get in touch
Interested in spatial computing, 3D AI, or want to collaborate? Reach out.
And if you need my advice, the answer is always 42.