Born in the 1980's as an architectural design studio, Virtual Lab later became a dynamic italian company specialised in CAD software development based off the MiniCad/VectorWorks graphic engine by Diehl Graphisoft Inc. U.S.A. (now known as Nemetschek North America), developers dedicated to architecture, design and building in the Mac OS and Windows operating environments.
The product which received the most feedback was GEO 3D VectorSpace, a powerful 2D and 3D CAD application based off the MiniCad/VectorWorks engine.
The founding engineer Marco Parolini is known as one of the pioneers of computer aided design on the Mac OS platform in Italy and is currently responsible for the italian and australian development department for the new DOTgroup Consortium (already known as Synthetic Technologies Inc).
Between 1992-1993, directed by Prof. Maria Antonietta Crippa, Marco Parolini taught a Diploma in engineering of building and territorial systems at the "Politecnico di Milano" institute as well as having been the chairman of numerous conventions about computer design merging with virtual reality.
Beside specific articles on magazines like Applicando, MacWorld Italia, Modulo and Ville e Giardini (VIllas and Gardens) references to Maria's I.T. work can be found in texts like "La Dimora Alpina" (The Alpine Home) edited by the Cooperativa Editoriale Quaderni Valtellinesi (Editorial Co-operative for Valtellina Notebooks) and "Dimore Rurali della Tradizione del Trentino" (Traditional Trentino Rural Homes) edited by Luni Editrice - Milano.
Marco Parolini however decides to leave the VectorWorks loop in order to study a new software that doesn't just bring the same functionalities to the table, but also operative speed and an extremely simple user interface.
In the meantime on the other side of the globe, Architect Hernan Pisani, president of DOTSoft Inc. has created products such as MasterCAD (the first CAD available on the Atari platform) and ArchiDOT followed by DenebaCAD which were a huge success with thousand installations sold. He now seeks to create a new piece of CAD software based on parametric calculation. In order to do this he united with other programmers to found GraphiCAD C.A. in Caracas, Venezuela.
IN 2001 a potential contact between Hernan Pisani and Marco Parolini is formed, and thus Synthetic Technologies is born. DCAD VectorSpace is the revolutionary result of this union.
In 2006 this group renames itself to DOTgroup Consortium (Design Oriented Technologies & CAD Solutions).
June 2008 - sees the birth of its spanish subsidiary CADOT S.L. (Computer Aided Design Oriented Tools, S.L.) with Hernan Pisani as it’s president which makes CADOT S.L. another part of the DOTgroup Consortium.
July 2010 - sees the birth of its australian subsidiary Virtual Lab Australia with Mauro and Martina Maitan as referents in Melbourne and the arch. Mario Ciaramellano as technical and commercial reference in Sydney.
November 2012 - following the Australian commercial project, birth definitively Virtual Lab Australia PTY Ltd with Marco Parolini and Mario Ciaramellano as directors.
January 2014 - arch. Sebastiano Ghezzi is the new Virtual Lab Australia technical and commercial reference in Melbourne office.
At a glance, DOTgroup Consortium's work can be considered a union of fantasy and technology in which the solutions given don't just have a high level of computer engineering behind them but also play on psychological aspects on the user's keeping him/her enthusiastic about his/her work whilst maintaining identity as a designer visibly neat and professional in his/her work.
DOTgroup Consortium is a corporation of:
DOTSoft Inc. - GraphiCAD C.A. - CADOT - Virtual Lab Sas - Virtual Lab Australia PTY Ltd
DOTgroup (Italian Subsidiary): Virtual Lab S.a.s. - Ref. Eng. Marco Parolini -
Via Dante nr.14 - 20090 Vimodrone (MI) - (Italy) - Ph. +39-340-994.00.83 - info@virtuallab.it - info@virtuallab-tech.com
DOTgroup (Australian Subsidiary): Technical and commercial office in Melbourne, VIC - Ref. arch. Sebastiano Ghezzi - Ph. +61-408.801.320 - email: seb@sg2design.com
DOTgroup (Spanish Subsidiary): CADOT S.L. - Ref. Arch. Hernan Pisani -
Calle Peñalara #5 P1-1D, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28224, Madrid - (Spain) - Ph. +34-666-770774 - email: cadot.sl@gmail.com
DOTgroup (Venezuelan Subsidiary- South America): Aplicaciones GraphiCAD C.A. -
Ref. Arch. Hernan Pisani - Av. Cuyuni Res. Nana, Suite 2 - Colinas de Bello Monte - Caracas, 1060 - (Venezuela) - email: teodolito@gmail.com
DOTgroup (American Subsidiary): DOTSoft Inc. - CCS 1160, 4440 NW 73rd Avenue - Miami, FL, 33166 (USA) - email: dotsoft.inc@gmail.com
