The idea of storing 3-dimensional (3D) geology data in a computer and being able to interpolate and visualise it is not new. At first, people tried to use computer aided design (CAD) or geographic information systems (GIS) software. This had limited success because geologists think differently to designers and map makers. Scientists at BRGM decided to create a 3D geology editor that would be more suitable for geologists

From 1995 to 2000 BRGM conducted a research & development project, GeoFrance 3D, to develop a 3D geological modelling tool suitable for Geologists. They produced the prototype 3D Web Editeur Geologique (3DWEG), the precursor to 3D GeoModeller.

At this time, Intrepid Geophysics was working to optimise the use of modern airbourne geological datasets to aid geological interpretation. This work continued for more than 5 years. The results include:

• Extended Euler deconvolution
• Naudy Automatic Model interpretation
• Software to automatically locate body edges in magnetic and gravity grids (known as Worms)

Intrepid Geophysics and BRGM formed a joint venture to commercialise 3DWEG, creating a marketable product. Using 3D GeoModeller, geoscientists can create, interpret and visualise 3D geological models using a combination of geology and geophysics data.

Starting in 2003 with the help of developers seconded from BRGM, Intrepid Geophysics developed 3D GeoModeller as a commercial product, releasing 3D GeoModeller Version 1.0 in 2005 and version 1.2 in November 2006. Version 1.2 included:

• Joint litho-constrained magnetics and gravity inversion
• Scaled geological map composition

3D GeoModeller Version 1.3, developed by a team of Intrepid Geophysics and BRGM developers and released in 2009 includes:

• Vertical exaggeration in both 2D and 3D visualisation
• Improved 3D visualisation for folds and intersecting bodies
• Geothermal data forward modelling
• Multi-mode wizard for easy data import to 3D GeoModeller
• Expanded range of import and export formats