LOS ANGELES — At the SIGGRAPH Conference in Los Angeles, Nvidia introduced DesignWorks VR, a GPU-accelerated toolset that enables headset and application developers to push the limits of photorealism and interactivity. Virtual Reality is garnering a lot of attention right now for PC gaming as an immersive experience that’s very different than sitting in front of a computer. Because that experience can provide a better sense of how humans and products might interact, businesses are also putting VR technology to use.
To address the VR needs of professional designers, Nvidia has unveiled DesignWorks VR, a set of APIs, libraries, and features that enable VR headset and application developers to deliver high quality VR experiences. DesignWorks VR has components that enable VR environments like head mounted displays (HMD), immersive VR spaces such as CAVEs and other immersive displays, and cluster solutions.
DesignWorks VR builds on the company’s existing GameWorks VR SDK for game developers, with improved support for OpenGL and features critical for professional VR applications. The first automotive company to use VR to create vehicles, Ford Motor Company, is in the Nvidia booth, showing how they’ve made VR central to automotive development over the last few years. Ford’s team of globally dispersed engineers and designers work in an ultra high-definition, virtual reality space, which helps them provide simultaneous input on digital prototypes, before building physical prototypes.
Filmmakers are showing interest in interactive cinematic VR, too, and at the Nvidia booth, they are showing an example of what’s possible. Visitors can try on a prototype headset from Oculus and step inside Thief in the Shadows. Created by Weta Digital and Epic Games, this fully immersive experience is set in the Lord of the Rings universe and lets viewers take on the role of a hobbit, prowling for treasure in a dragon’s lair. It’s powered by the Nvidia Quadro M6000.