Simulon
Founded 2019 · 11 employees on LinkedIn · 3 known investors
Simulon builds an iPhone-based visual effects app that composites photorealistic 3D assets into live-action footage.
Also known as Beamm Technologies Inc
Investors · 3
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Simulon develops a visual effects tool that runs an end-to-end VFX workflow on the iPhone, from capture through to final render, aimed at both newcomers to 3D and professional artists. The iOS app lets users preview and frame CG assets directly in the iPhone viewfinder while recording, generates a full 360-degree 32-bit HDR environment map in seconds without additional hardware, and reconstructs the filmed environment as a scale-accurate 3D mesh with world anchors for occlusion, shadows and set extensions. The app emulates iPhone sensor characteristics to match light, color, depth and motion frame by frame, and supports importing industry-standard 3D file formats.
Alongside the mobile app, the company ships Simulon Hub, a desktop application for macOS and Windows that handles downloads of take artifacts (clean plate, audio and raw camera frame data) and upload of .usdz/.glb assets, and works with a Blender plugin (Simulon Link, requiring Blender 4.4.3 or above). Through Simulon Link, artists can load takes captured in the app into Blender with lighting, camera data and asset animation, make edits such as particle systems, fog or scan geometry cleanup, and sync those changes back to Simulon's cloud as a versioned delta so takes can be re-rendered with the updated scene. Rendering is offered both locally and via a distributed cloud render farm producing path-traced output up to 4K with multi-layer EXR support.
Founding story
Divesh Naidoo is identified as founder and CEO of Simulon, and discussed building the startup from South Africa in a November 2023 podcast interview. [3]
Business model
Simulon distributes its iOS app free with in-app purchases, including a free tier introduced in version 1.2.0 and paid subscription options; listed in-app purchase items include Core at $29.00, Plus at $24.99, Plus at $239.00 and Pro at $55. Companion desktop software (Simulon Hub) and Blender plugins are provided to support the workflow, with rendering available locally or through the company's cloud render farm. [0][1][2]
In-app purchases and subscriptions on the iOS App Store, spanning free, Core, Plus and Pro tiers, with cloud rendering delivered on demand. [0]
Traction
The iOS app reached version 1.0.0 in October 2025 and has shipped frequent updates through version 1.5.1 in April, adding a free tier, local rendering, new subscription options, video tutorials and lighting accuracy improvements. It holds a 4.4 average rating from 29 ratings on the U.S. App Store. [0]
Latest developments
Recent iOS releases added a free tier, new subscription options and local rendering (version 1.2.0, January), an updated onboarding flow, and UX refinements with live virtual focus preview and increased lighting accuracy (version 1.5.1, April). [0]
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Positioned as a high-fidelity visual effects tool that brings an end-to-end VFX pipeline onto a consumer iPhone, an approach described in 2023 podcast coverage as making high-end visual effects accessible to a wider set of creators. [0][3]
Unifies capture, lighting capture, environment reconstruction, authoring and rendering in a single mobile app without specialized capture hardware, with non-destructive round-trip editing into Blender and cloud path-traced rendering. [0][1][2]
Technology
The product combines in-camera CG preview during filming, generation of 32-bit 360-degree HDRI lighting from the phone alone, 3D environment reconstruction into a scale-accurate mesh with world anchors for occlusion and shadows, and emulation of iPhone sensor data to match light, color, depth and motion per frame. Assets are imported in standard formats such as .usdz and .glb. A desktop Hub application on macOS and Windows bridges the app to Blender 4.4.3+ via the Simulon Link plugin, loading takes with lighting and camera data and syncing scene edits back to the cloud as incremental scene versions. Renders are executed locally or on a distributed path-traced cloud render farm at up to 4K with multi-layer EXR output. [0][1][2]
Go-to-market
Direct distribution of the iPhone app through the Apple App Store, supported by public product documentation, downloadable desktop installers for macOS and Windows, in-app video tutorials, and a beta signup program referenced during earlier press and podcast coverage. [0][1][3]
Creators and studios working on visual effects, spanning users new to 3D as well as experienced artists, including Blender users who want to author and edit scenes on the desktop. [0][1][2]
Geography
Podcast coverage describes the founder building the startup in South Africa; the iOS app is listed in English and sold by Beamm Technologies Inc. [0][3]
History
Simulon was publicly discussed as an emerging VFX app with a beta signup in late 2023. The iPhone app was released at version 1.0.0 on 2025-10-11, followed by a series of updates including a free tier and local rendering in version 1.2.0 and version 1.5.1 in April. [0][3]
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsUpdate delivering UX refinement, live virtual focus preview and increased lighting accuracy.
Version 1.2.0 introduced a free tier, new subscription options, local rendering and UI updates, alongside a new onboarding flow in version 1.2.1.
Initial 1.0.0 release of the Simulon iOS visual effects app, offering an end-to-end VFX workflow from capture to render on iPhone.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- Simulon - App Store - Appleapps.apple.com · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Simulon do?
- Simulon builds an iPhone-based visual effects app that composites photorealistic 3D assets into live-action footage.
- Who are Simulon's investors?
- Simulon's investors include First Spark Ventures, Llc, GMG Ventures, Mercuri.vc.