Alex Tolson

Building the infrastructure layer AI agents will need to understand the physical world. Founder of Swyvl and a weekend farmer. 🇦🇺

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

We're building spatial data infrastructure for the physical world. Every day, surveyors and drone operators capture incredible 3D data — LiDAR, photogrammetry, drone scans, 3DGS — then deliver it via Dropbox. Their clients get files they can't open, with no context, no map, no history. We're fixing the infrastructure layer. Every delivery builds a searchable, time-stamped spatial record that grows with every job.
The long-term bet: AI agents will need to understand the physical world. Not just text and images — actual 3D geometry, coordinates, change over time. We're building the foundation for that, starting at the site level.

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

Another machine I've stuck a camera to.

This time, underground at BHP's Olympic Dam — turning a working mine into a highly realistic experience that brings the site to you in a completely new way

The future is big.

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

@Aurelien_Gz @DuckbillStudio splats are great!

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

New glamping site at the farm coming along 👌

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

@DuckbillStudio A beautiful garden in full bloom. Great quality splat!

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

@willeastcott Splats are a great way to record a snapshot in time of historical places like this. It probably won't be until many years until the true value of captures like this will be known

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

What if you combined WeTransfer with a viewer for every type of file — photos, videos, point clouds, drone surveys, 360° tours, 3D models, even Gaussian splats?

That's what I thought.

So I built it.

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

@KenLin1985 I've found similar things

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

My Google Analytics said traffic dropped 29% after a site relaunch.

Cloudflare Web Analytics said it was up.
Search Console said impressions hit an all-time high.

Turns out: GA4 with a cookie consent banner under-counts by ~7x on small sites.

What is everyone using for analytics?

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

Where your data lives matters. That's why you can now choose your region when you create your Swyvl account. Eight to pick from, and your files stay put.

[swyvl.io @swyvl_io]

Sovereignty isn't marketing speak.
It's eight cities. You pick one. We don't move it.

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

@BenjaminEmHe Splats are a great way to document sites

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

@nicklaunches Started as a mechanical engineering working on mine sites, then got into software and 3d visualisation

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

How many read the plan that Claude Code creates? Like every part?

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

This is what it looks like now. Feedback very welcome.

https://t.co/V4YMZoYcu8

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

We've updated our tagline: The System of Record for Physical Environments.

For a while we'd been focusing on the outcome, a virtual site tour, but that's just one of the many benefits of using Swyvl.

New website is live 👇

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

The platform has come a long way since launch: 14 file viewers in the browser (point clouds, orthomosaics, 360°, IFC, splats, more), map-anchored sites, timeline view, audit and access controls, branded client portals.

The old site wasn't showing any of that.

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

@iBrews Congrats, this is Epic!

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

Please create a video of me walking steadily forward toward the camera in a single continuous, uncut shot. The camera is stationary, slightly low angle. Maintains consistent scale, lighting, and forward motion throughout. The background behind should seamlessly and continuously morph — fluid, dreamlike transitions — through the following real-world environments in order:

1. A remote rural Australian road — red dirt shoulders, pale eucalyptus trees, vast open sky, heat haze on the horizon

2. The plant room of a commercial building — large HVAC machinery, industrial pipes, concrete floor, warm overhead lighting

3. An iron ore mine in the Pilbara, Western Australia — vivid red earth, massive haul trucks, open-cut pit stretching into the distance, dust haze

4. An active construction site in New York City — scaffolding, concrete formwork, midtown high-rises in the background, midday light

5. A music festival in the Netherlands — dense crowd, colourful stage lighting, festival tents, golden hour atmosphere

6. A water treatment plant in the UK — large circular settling tanks, grey overcast sky, industrial catwalks, muted tones

7. A high-voltage power substation in the United States — large transformers, metal lattice towers, chain-link fencing, flat open landscape

Use cinematic realism. Lighting shifts naturally with each environment. The subject is always in sharp focus; backgrounds transition continuously with no hard cuts or jump edits. Square aspect ratio (1:1).

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

Testing out the new Gemini Omni video generation tool.

Pretty impressive (and quick using Flash), however it doesn't look like me 🤷‍♂️

Prompt I used in comments.

[Alex Tolson @AlexTolson91]

@TTrimoreau Grok