Trio Teams Up to Push 3D Rendering Software

CAD shading and rendering tools got a boost on both ends of the performance spectrum thanks to the announcement of a new high-performance graphics server from NVIDIA Corp. and a partnership between the graphics processor leader and CAD pioneer Dassault Systémes.

Dassault and NVIDIA forged a technical partnership — along with mental images, known for its photo-realistic rendering software — in which they will collaborate on a family of shader tools that will meet the needs of the range of users involved in the digital mock-up and review processes. Dassault's built-in rendering capabilities will now be augmented by NVIDIA's FX Composer 2.0, a development environment for building shaders, and mental mill, shader technology from mental images, which is geared more for artists and creative professionals. Dassault will ensure compatibility so shaders created with FX Composer or mental mill can be used with its V5 platform.

While Dassault's CATIA, ENOVIA and DELMIA PLM software ship with a variety of shaders, its palette is not broad enough to address the multitude of materials supported by the V5 platform, Dassault officials say. Also, the FX Composer and mental mill technologies enable users to create their own shaders without having to be an expert in shader programming. “Before, high-quality rendering was dedicated to V5 experts,” says Christopher Delattre, visualization manager for R&D at Dassault.

As 3D becomes a more important paradigm for communicating product designs in the consumer goods world, shaders become even more important. “The number of materials in automotive and aerospace is limited (and therefore shaders),” says a Dassault spokesman.

Separately, NVIDIA took steps to take rendering applications to the next level. The company introduced the NVIDIA Quadro Plex Visual Computing System (VCS) Model S4, a graphics server featuring a record number of graphics processing units (GPUs) in a standard 1U server form factor. The new server contains more Quadro graphics processing power in less space than NVIDIA has ever been able to provide, making it a prime platform for data-centric and performance-hungry applications such as off-line rendering, remote graphics and embedded visual computing. The Model S4 incorporates four NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 professional GPUs.

“This box is dedicated to the high-end of the market,” says Dassault's Delattre. “It's all about performance.”

	Advanced shader technology moves rendering a step ahead in realism and ease-of-use and allows engineers to accurately visualize aesthetics during the design phase.