Omniverse is a cloud-based collaboration platform created by NVIDIA. The idea is to facilitate the work of teams without them being physically in the same place, like a Google Doc but for 3D creation. It is with the help of Omniverse that artists have for example created Marbles at Night RTX, the demo with raytracing lighting presented recently by NVIDIA.

A complex architecture!

In concrete terms, Omniverse is presented as a way to connect classic creation tools, assets and projects. To achieve this, NVIDIA relies on USD (Universal Scene Description, an open-source format developed by Pixar) and MDL (Material Definition Language, an open-source format proposed by NVIDIA), but also on GPU raytracing/path tracing made possible by its graphics cards. Five key components are actually used: Omniverse Connect, Nucleus, Kit, Simulation and RTX. Together, they allow to manage the links between tools and to collaborate, while offering a multitude of options and services, such as simulation tools. It is even possible to create applications.

Omniverse: for whom, for what?

NVIDIA claims that its platform will be useful for both teams and solo users:

•  for a freelancer, for example, it will mean not wasting time exporting and easily switching from one application to another via the Omniverse environment;
•  for teams, it will allow collaboration between teams spread across the globe and simplify workflows by making updates and iterations instantaneous.

In both cases, RTX technology will also allow for the combination of real-time and photorealistic rendering, NVIDIA promises. To make it more concrete, NVIDIA has worked on applications and experiments that give an idea of the possibilities of the platform, beyond an architecture that may seem quite complex at first glance. For example, there are:

• NVIDIA Omniverse AEC Experience, a collaboration system for architecture, engineering and construction that focuses on concept design, visualization and review. In particular, the system links Revit, Rhino, SketchUp
• Isaac Sim, a simulator focused on robotics and AI;
• Omniverse Machinima, which facilitates the creation of animations using video games;
• Omniverse Audio2Face, which uses artificial intelligence to generate animation: an audio sequence is used to animate the lips of a face.

Omniverse, with whom?

Of course, Omniverse only makes sense with the collaboration of many partners. And NVIDIA has announced that many entities are involved, from Autodesk to the Blender team, from Pixar to Adobe, including Epic Games, Unity, SideFX.

Source: https://www.3dvf.com