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
VP of Labs at Physicl.ai — formerly 18 years at IKEA
For more than four decades, I've followed the leading edge of computing — from early programming and 3D graphics to spatial computing and today's work in Physical AI. I've built companies, helped lead IKEA's transformation to 3D, and spent nine years leading its Spatial Computing Lab. During those years, my team explored and delivered more than 400 innovation projects — roughly one every week — with some of that work resulting in patented inventions.
The common thread has always been curiosity: learning what's next, building it, and figuring out how to make it useful.
Now
Latest · SIGGRAPH 2026, Los Angeles · 21 July 2026
Physicl joins the Alliance for OpenUSD
“Physicl is built on open standards, and OpenUSD is central to how we handle 3D data for simulation, where interoperable physics matters most. We're joining AOUSD to contribute to the Physics Working Group and help push toward a normative physics schema that lets simulation data move reliably between tools. For an industry where the value of a simulation depends entirely on the quality of the data behind it, a shared standard is what lets everyone build on the same foundation instead of reinventing it alone.”
April 2026 · Virtual, For Real — the RapidPipeline podcast
From IKEA to AI: How 3D Evolved, and What Comes Next
Recorded around joining Physicl, and before it was announced — so the new company is in the conversation without being named. How IKEA led the shift from photography to CGI, why AI-generated images are running ahead of 3D, and what spatial understanding needs next.
Watch — 37 min →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.
Traces
In 2014 a CGSociety interview revealed that three-quarters of IKEA's product pictures were computer-generated. It travelled further than anyone expected — 56 traces in 8 languages, most of them an alarmed headline over an admiring article. See the whole wave →
Jun 2014 · CGSociety
Building 3D with IKEA — the original interview
Kirsty Parkin's interview — the piece every article above is quoting. CGSociety's site is long gone; this is the Internet Archive's capture from September 2014.
Read →Jun 2014 · CGSociety · local copy
Building 3D with IKEA (PDF)
The same interview as a PDF, kept here in case the archive copy ever goes too.
Read →Aug 2014 · Hacker News
Building 3D with Ikea — discussion
337 points and 61 comments, mostly from people who build rendering pipelines themselves — so it goes straight past “IKEA furniture is flimsy” and into how the work is actually done.
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