64-bit RenderDrive

ART VPS has released a new 64-bit version of its network system that can accommodate up to 48 of the company's AR350 dedicated ray-tracing processors. The new RenderDrive RD6400 provides off-line, final-frame rendering for an unlimited number of users. It can address model sizes of 30-million polygons and provides faster I/O speeds with new gigabit networking. is bundled with RenderPipe plug-in interfaces for 3ds max, Maya, Autodesk VIZ and CATIA, offering support for both Windows and Mac OS. It contains a library of advanced materials, lighting tools, ray tracing, radiosity, HDRI support, motion blur, and depth of field. RenderPipe will support global illumination in its next release, slated for early fall.

ART VPS's hardware ray-tracing technology is being used in a number of innovative new applications, such as producing computer-generated photographs of prototype cars that are indistinguishable from the real thing, and creating 3D animations with photorealistic quality.

Burrows, a design agency specializing in the automotive industry, uses RenderDrive for billboard-sized renderings and realistic animations of Ford and Mazda products. These images would be impossible to produce with software renderings, according to Derek Price, creative head at Burrows.

"Even though computers have advanced, an interior image that mimics real-life photography with 20 lighting sources, soft shadows and ray-traced shadows would virtually shut down the computer, even for a test render," says Price. "RenderDrive is the only solution we've found that can handle the large CAD data sets we require and give us the highest level of realism for Ford's automotive marketing materials."

RenderDrive RD6400 is available immediately in configurations of 16, 36 and 48 AR350 processors.

by MacNN Staff