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Background

Mipmap3D builds photogrammetry software for surveyors, architects, and construction teams — turning drone imagery into accurate 3D models. They had a functional desktop application, but the distribution model was a dead end: every customer required a full license purchase, installations had to be managed per machine, and there was no way to onboard users at scale.

They needed to move to the web. A cloud-based product would let them offer monthly subscriptions, reach users without an install, and build a real acquisition funnel. We were brought in to design and build the web frontend and backend API that made that transition possible.

The Challenges

  • Desktop-only distribution required a full license purchase per user — no trial, no subscription path
  • No web presence meant no self-serve onboarding; every sale was manual
  • The existing Qt desktop codebase wasn't portable to the browser — a full frontend rebuild was required
  • Processing workloads needed to move server-side without changing the output quality users depended on
  • The team needed to keep the desktop product running while the cloud version was built in parallel
We had a product people paid for, but no way to grow it. Every new customer required a license conversation. We needed a platform people could just sign up for.
Mipmap3D Team

Our Approach

We rebuilt the product surface in two layers: a web frontend users could access from any browser, and a backend API that handled processing jobs server-side.

Phase 01: Web Frontend — Replacing the Desktop Client

We designed and built a React/Next.js web application that replicated the core workflow of the desktop client: project creation, image upload, job submission, and results download. The goal was feature parity with the existing app, delivered entirely in-browser with no installation required.

  • React + Next.js web app replacing the Qt desktop client
  • Project management dashboard with real-time job status
  • File upload and results download — no local installation

Phase 02: Backend API — Moving Processing to the Cloud

We built a backend API layer that accepts job submissions from the web frontend, queues processing tasks, and returns results asynchronously. This decoupled the user-facing product from the compute layer and made it possible to scale processing independently of the frontend.

  • REST API for job submission, status polling, and results retrieval
  • Async job queue for processing tasks
  • Cloud-hosted compute — users pay for what they use, not a per-machine license

Phase 03: Subscription Model & User Accounts

With the product on the web, we wired up user authentication, account management, and a monthly subscription billing flow. Users could now sign up, start a free trial, and upgrade — without any manual sales involvement.

  • User authentication and account management
  • Monthly subscription billing integration
  • Self-serve onboarding — sign up to first job without human intervention

The Results

  • Desktop-only product successfully migrated to a web-based SaaS
  • Monthly subscription model live — replacing per-license sales
  • Self-serve onboarding enabled for the first time
  • Processing moved server-side — no installation required for end users
  • Foundation in place for Mipmap3D to build a scalable acquisition funnel
The desktop version got us our first customers. The web version is how we grow.
Mipmap3D Team

Final Takeaway

Moving from desktop to cloud isn't just a technical migration — it's a business model change. By rebuilding Mipmap3D's product surface as a web SaaS with a subscription billing flow, we gave them a product they could actually sell at scale.

Technologies We Use

Modern, proven technologies to build robust applications

React

React

Next.js

Next.js

Node.js

Node.js

TypeScript

TypeScript

A

AWS

Docker

Docker

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Our Partners

  • Amazon Web Services

    Amazon Web Services

    We design and run production workloads on AWS—from landing zones and migrations to AI services, data, and security at scale. Our teams work the way enterprise and regulated environments expect: documented, observable, and ready to operate on day one.

  • Google Cloud

    Google Cloud

    We build on Google Cloud for data, Kubernetes, and analytics-heavy platforms where performance and cost discipline matter. Whether you are modernizing in place or replatforming, we bring architecture leadership and hands-on engineering through launch and steady-state operations.