Zac Duff: The Tasmanian Who Made Learning Come Alive in 3D

Remember the last time you tried to explain something confusing and complex to someone? Maybe you drew on a paper, used your hands to explain, or wished you could just show them the thing rather than having to tell them. Zac Duff felt this frustration, too, but unlike us, he did something about it. Today, he owns a company called JigSpace, which has over 5 million users around the world who can create 3D presentations. 

From a small island to global recognition, Duff’s story shows us what happens when someone decides to create something. His journey isn’t just about how he made a big company, but more about how he taught millions of people to learn and create better by sharing knowledge. 

Island Roots, Global Dreams

Tasmania may not sound like a very likely place to start a tech revolution, but for Zac Duff, it was perfect. Growing up on this Australian Island, he developed what the locals called “Island creativity,” – the ability to make something from nothing because you can’t just go down to a store there for whatever you need. 

His curiosity with 3D design started early. When other kids were playing around, he was stuck to his computer, learning how to design games and do digital art. Tasmania’s small tech space meant he had to be resourceful and teach himself. 

The Island’s isolation also gave a unique advantage to Duff based on communication. When you’re living away from the mainland, you automatically learn to make every conversation worth it. You become very good at explaining complex things easily, because you don’t know when you’ll see the person again to clear up misunderstandings. These skills proved very helpful when he started thinking about helping people communicate complex ideas. 

Duff studied game design in Australia, then he worked in the game industry and later taught digital art and game design as well. Standing in front of students, trying to explain 3D concepts using flat PowerPoint slides. And one day, he realized how limited traditional tools are in reality. “I kept thinking, why am I showing them a picture of something when I could show them the actual thing?” Duff recalled in an interview from 2022. 

When Teaching Hit a Wall

Every great invention starts with someone getting really annoyed by how things work around them. The same was for Duff. This moment came when he was in a classroom filled with confused students who stared at a flat screen about 3D concepts. He was trying his best to teach digital art and game design to them, but his tools were not working as he wanted them to, making teaching and explaining very hard. 

The breaking point came during one lesson about 3D modeling. Duff was clicking through slide after slide, trying to explain how objects work in 3D space using 2D images. His students were completely lost and couldn’t understand a thing. Then one student finally raised her hand and asked him, “Can you just show us what you mean?” and this simple question changed everything. 

That night, after teaching, Duff went home thinking about V,R which was starting to make headlines in the year 2015. He then called his friend Numa Bertron, and they talked about creating a VR classroom where students could learn together remotely. It sounded very futuristic, students from around the world could sit and learn. 

But when they actually started working, they found something that nobody talked about. Creating VR content was very, very difficult. The software was expensive, complicated to understand, and designed for professional and experienced 3D artists, not at all for students and teachers. “We kept asking ourselves, how is a history teacher supposed to create a virtual Roman Colosseum?” Duff said during a tech conference in Melbourne. 

This is when they both realized they were solving the wrong issue. The problem wasn’t where people would view 3D content – it was how to create it in the first place. They completely changed the idea and moved from a VR classroom and started creating and planning something different. They started working on a tool that would let anyone create 3D presentations, even if they didn’t know anything about 3D software. 

From Classroom Tool to Corporate Favorite

The early days of JigSpace were like most startups – lots of coffee, late nights, failed plans, and constant changes. But Duff had an advantage; he understood his users because he was also one of them. He knew what made teachers feel frustrated because he was in that space before. 

The first version of JigSpace was created, and it was simple but powerful. Through it users could import 3D models and break them to show how things work or how it was made. A biology teacher could show how a human heart pumps blood by animating each part of the heart. And the best part of all this was, students loved it. Because they could finally understand the concepts easily.

After some time, word spread through education networks. Teachers started sharing their own experiences and creations online. Suddenly, JigSpace has multiple users from different countries. The platform wasn’t marketed to corporations in the starting stages, but companies reached out themselves when their employees began using it for internal presentations and training. 

The corporate interest surprised Duff, “We created this for classrooms, but then Panasonic asked if they could use it to train technicians on new products,” he said in a 2021 interview. Then, major companies like PepsiCo and Alfa Romeo were using JigSpace for everything from training to product launches. 

Corporate customers bought new opportunities. They needed features like security controls, analytics, and more. Duff had to balance the needs of keeping the platform simple for teachers and adding the requests of companies. He came up with a solution, JigSpace remained free for individual users and offered premium features for big companies. This idea helped JigSpace grow to over 5 million users across 80 different countries around the world. 

Finally 

What drives someone to spend years building tools that most people didn’t even know they needed? For Duff, it comes to one simple belief: communication shouldn’t be limited because of outdated tools. His background in game design influences how he thinks about user experiences. Games succeed only when they’re engaging. And JigSpace applied the same principles to educational presentations and business presentations. The result was a software that felt more like playing than working. 

His vision goes beyond the current achievements of JigSpace. He sees a future where 3D communication is as common as email or video calls. He imagines doctors explaining complex procedures to patients using 3D models. “We’re still in the early days of spatial computing,” Duff said in a tech podcast. He continues to tell the world about AR and VR adoption throughout different industries. He speaks at conferences and mentors entrepreneurs for better tech education. His goal isn’t just to create a successful company, but to change how humans exchange knowledge.