3D with Purpose: Patrick Cozzi on Openness, Access, and the Future of Digital Twins

When we think about the future of 3D, we often picture immersive worlds and digital twins at planetary scale. 
But behind every breakthrough technology lies something deeper, vision, integrity, and purpose. 

In this episode of Virtual For Real, Max Limper welcomes Patrick Cozzi, CEO and Co-founder of Cesium and Chief Platform Officer at Bentley Systems, for a conversation that blends innovation, openness, and humanity.

🌍 From City Rendering to Planetary Digital Twins

Patrick’s journey began at the University of Pennsylvania, where he explored city rendering and large-scale visualization. 
That research became the foundation for Cesium, an open-source platform now used to visualize massive geospatial datasets, from detailed cities to full digital twins of Earth, the Moon, and Mars. 

Cesium’s success grew from one principle: make technology open, so the community can build on it. 
What started as a tool for aerospace evolved into a global ecosystem connecting developers, engineers, and creators around the world. 

When Openness Meets Infrastructure

In 2023, Cesium joined Bentley Systems, a leader in infrastructure digital twins. 
The partnership merged two complementary worlds: Bentley’s iTwin platform, focused on infrastructure and engineering data, and Cesium’s real-time visualization technology. 

The result is an open foundation that bridges the built and natural environments, from roads and bridges to terrain and oceans, all powered by open standards and shared innovation. 

Purpose Beyond Technology

Beyond the technical side, Patrick’s work is also a story of legacy. 
In honor of his late parents, he co-founded Create Access, together with his partner Liz Dailey. Create Access is a nonprofit that helps young people discover 3D creation, coding, and design, especially those who might not otherwise have access to such tools. 

Through hands-on projects in photogrammetry, Unreal Editor, and 3D printing, Create Access gives students a first experience of what it means to create, not just consume, digital worlds. 

“3D creation can be a way to open doors, to creativity, confidence, and careers.” 

The Next Chapter of Openness

As 3D technology evolves, AI is becoming an unexpected ally. 
Because Cesium’s documentation, forums, and code examples are open, developers can now use tools like ChatGPT to generate functional Cesium apps from simple prompts. 

Patrick sees this as the next evolution of openness, one where collaboration between humans and AI lowers barriers to entry, making 3D creation accessible to all. 

Building a Digital World, Together

This episode of Virtual For Real is more than a conversation about data and platforms. 
It’s a story about people who build technology not just for performance, but for progress, for inclusion, education, and purpose. 

From open standards to open hearts, Patrick Cozzi embodies a vision where the digital world becomes a space for everyone to create. 

🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform.

Meet the Author

DGG Team

The 3D Pipeline Company

DGG is on a mission to connect the real and virtual by making 3D models as easy to handle as 2D images.