NVIDIA transforms Product Design with Iray VCA

NVIDIA has introduced a GPU rendering appliance that dramatically accelerates ray tracing, enabling professional designers to interact with computer models of such high visual fidelity that it can largely replace the lengthy, costly process of building physical prototypes.

The NVIDIA Iray Visual Computing Appliance (VCA) combines hardware and software to greatly accelerate the work of NVIDIA Iray – a photo realistic renderer integrated into leading design tools like Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA and Autodesk’s 3ds Max. Because the appliance is scalable, multiple units can be linked, speeding up by hundreds of times or more the simulation of light bouncing off surfaces in the real world.

As a result, automobiles and other complex designs can be viewed seamlessly at high visual fidelity from all angles. This enables the viewer to move around a model while it is still in the digital domain, as if it were a 3D physical prototype.

“Iray VCA lets designers do what they have always wanted to – interact with their ideas as if they were already real,” said Jeff Brown, Vice-President & General Manager of Professional Visualization and Design, NVIDIA. “It removes the time-consuming step of building prototypes or rendering out movies, enabling designs to be explored, tweaked and confirmed in real time. Months, even years – and enormous cost – can be saved in bringing products to market.”

NVIDIA is working with all software companies that license Iray technology about adding support for Iray VCA. At this week’s GPU Technology Conference, Iray VCA is being shown powering a range of applications, including Bunk speed Drive, from RTT; Iray for Maya, from 0x1 Software; and Iray+ for 3ds Max, from Lightwork Design.