GPU based renderers are most likely the future. The Cell isn't it -- it's only somewhat parallel, and it's not well-suited to double precision arithmetic. It's a better suited to rendering than to gaming, but it's definitely nowhere near to being all that it's cracked up to be.
The latest generation of GPU's from nVidia and AMD/ATI are, however, exactly what you're describing -- massively parallel, with extremely fast buses, and with general-purpose computing engines rather than dedicated hardware to run shaders. The latest nVidia GPU's do double-precision arithmetic well, which is specifically for high-performance computing. The consistency isn't due to the GPU's being GPU's, it's because general-purpose GPU's are relatively new, and there aren't any standards for them yet. It will change, especially with programming languages for them becoming standardized. Intel's Larabee processor is specifically geared toward general-purpose computing -- it's a collection of small, fast processors with very fast interconnects and it's well-suited to applications such as rendering. And lastly... the reason that the industry is being so conservative about parallelism is that most programmers don't understand even the simplest issues in parallel programming -- how to partition and re-assemble data, handle node failures, mutual exclusion, resource contention, that sort of thing. ---------------------------- Rakesh Malik http://www.whitecranephotography.com http://www.flickr.com/baratheon On Mon, Jul 19, 2010 at 6:46 PM, Jean-Sebastien Perron <j...@neuroworld.ws>wrote: > GPU based renderer are doomed unless there is a open and documented > standard. > Like any hardware-dependent renderer they will fade over time. > > It's sad that the the Cell processor was ignored by the industry. > The Cell in the hand of good old programmers (Assembler and c++) not > (scripters) could do so much. > > I hate AMD and Intel and Arm and Motorolla, > The secret to faster computing is parallel work. > Like the hundreds of "Blitters" in the old arcade motherboard of the 80's. > Programming in parallel require thinking, and the industry is playing it > safe. > > We don't need 4 core we need 32 or 64 and more. > Simple core that only do floating point math vectoring. > Not all purpose crap like intel(int tel) like in integer. > > GPU are useless in generating images, no 2 videocard produce the same > result. > What is important is math math math .... Vector and matrix nothing else > And still to this day, only one processor in the world deliver that : The > Cell > > If I had the money of Bill Gate, In a year I would completely change the > computer world. > Company are behaving like the petrol industry : holding technology, and > improving slowly to make more money. > I would have thought that buy now we would not need to think about > computing speed. > > The solution is so simple : (a really really simple RISC processor * 64) + > a lot of memory inside the processor) in a single chip. > A computer in a chip, everything in a chip. No dedicated hardware or > instructions. > > Actually not all of the above is true, but mostly true > > Jean-Sebastien Perron > www.CombadZ.com > > > On 10-07-19 04:00 PM, aidan o driscoll wrote: > >> OR http://www.refractivesoftware.com/ >> >> Octane Render is the world's first GPU based, un-biased, physically >> based renderer. €99 >> >> Bought this recently on offer - €49. Very nice renderer too. Use it with >> Modo! >> >> Plugs for other apps being developed for this also .... >> >> Aidan >> >> On 19 July 2010 20:42, Neil Cooke<ne...@xtra.co.nz> wrote: >> >> >>> Nice Archviz there Arfo!!! >>> Thanks >>> Neil Cooke >>> PS: I dont know enough about renderers to comment and RS does it Ok for >>> me >>> ... in my ignorance perhaps. >>> ________________________________ >>> From: Arjo Rozendaal<arjo.rozend...@xs4all.nl> >>> To: user-list@light.realsoft3d.com >>> Sent: Tue, 20 July, 2010 6:36:03 AM >>> Subject: RE: Fryrender plugin support >>> >>> Hi Jason, >>> >>> >>> >>> I think Realsoft really needs a better render engine. But rendering with >>> third party plugins would mean some serious changes. Solid objects won't >>> be >>> possible, everything will have to be turned into SDS/polygonal objects. >>> VSL >>> will be of no use anymore. All the materials will have to be created to >>> work >>> with the render engine. I doubt if this is what most Realsoft users like. >>> I >>> always liked the special things of Realsoft like the VSL and solid >>> objects. >>> I'm afraid the mainstream production market is quite covered by the other >>> apps. So I guess Realsoft is more for the users that like the special >>> options. >>> >>> However I must admit that these specialties have some severe limitations. >>> In >>> terms of production, VSL is far too technical and time consuming to >>> create >>> nice materials. Solids have limitations if you want to add bevels, >>> deform >>> them or things like that. >>> >>> But if Vesa and Juha find some solution that could bring the high quality >>> rendering to Realsoft without losing VSL and solids it would be very >>> impressive. >>> >>> >>> >>> Anyway, I'm even not sure if Fryrender is the best choise. I chose Vray, >>> which is not an unbiased renderer lik Fry or Maxwell. But it's a lot >>> faster. >>> >>> And IMHO it renders very nice images too. But as always there are a lot >>> of >>> different opinions when it comes to choosing a render app. And all the >>> software galeries show the nicest results of their users. Here are some >>> results of myself: >>> >>> Two different interior projects I did this year (rendered with Vray): >>> http://www.xs4all.nl/~joly/show/kantoor.html and >>> http://www..xs4all.nl/~joly/show/wrobel.html >>> >>> Both completely different atmosphere in terms of style. Modern/clean >>> office; >>> the other an private flat in Paris. >>> >>> >>> >>> Arjo. >>> >>> >>> >>> Van: owner-l...@light.realsoft3d.com >>> [mailto:owner-l...@light.realsoft3d.com] Namens Jason Saunders >>> Verzonden: maandag 19 juli 2010 17:03 >>> Aan: user-list@light.realsoft3d.com >>> Onderwerp: Fryrender plugin support >>> >>> >>> >>> Hi, >>> >>> >>> >>> Any votes for development starting on a plug-in for using this render >>> engine >>> in Realsoft ? >>> >>> >>> >>> Seeing as all the other major and not so major 3D apps have it supported, >>> makes sense to try and catch up me thinks. >>> >>> >>> >>> www.randomcontrol.com/fryrender-gallery >>> >>> >>> >>> Regards >>> >>> >>> >>> Jason >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> >
