Nvidia has announced that it has launched the world's first ray tracing engine – with Nvidia OptiX promising to help developers bring new levels of realism to applications.
OptiX joins Nvidia's other acceleration engines, SceniX, CompleX and PhysX – with all, it seems, containing the X-factor.
The technology, which leverages the GPU, will allow for intricate tasks like examining the way reflection and refraction of light on glass should appear.
In Nvidia's words: "By tapping into the massively parallel computing power of Nvidia Quadro processors, the OptiX engine greatly accelerates the ray tracing used across a spectrum of disciplines, including: photorealistic rendering, automotive styling, acoustical design, optics simulation, volume calculations and radiation research."
Tipping point for GPUs
"Thousands of applications are being created today that harness the phenomenal power of GPUs, a clear sign that GPU computing has reached a tipping point, adds Nvidia's Jeff Brown. Manager.
"The world of computing is shifting from host-bound processing on CPUs to balanced co-processing on GPUs and CPUs.
"NVIDIA application acceleration engines arm developers with the tools they need to further revolutionize both real-time graphics and advanced data analysis."