NVIDIA, a leading technology company, has recently announced a significant update to its NVIDIA Omniverse platform. This update includes new foundation applications and services that aim to optimize and enhance 3D pipelines for developers and industrial enterprises. The new features of this update make use of the OpenUSD framework and generative AI technology.
Omniverse, which is an OpenUSD-native software platform, allows for the connection, description, and simulation across various 3D tools and applications. This update aims to accelerate the creation of virtual worlds and advanced workflows for industrial digitalization. Notable additions to the Omniverse platform include Cesium, Convai, Move AI, SideFX Houdini, and Wonder Dynamics, all of which are now connected to Omniverse via OpenUSD.
Key improvements in this update focus on enhancing the Omniverse Kit, which serves as the engine for developing native OpenUSD applications and extensions. The update introduces a new Omniverse Kit Extension Registry, which acts as a central repository for accessing, sharing, and managing Omniverse extensions. Developers can now easily enable or disable specific functionalities in their applications, allowing for more customizable app development. With over 600 core Omniverse extensions provided by NVIDIA, developers have a wide range of options to choose from.
Additionally, the update provides new developer templates and resources, which offer a major headstart for those getting started with OpenUSD and Omniverse. These templates require minimal coding, making it easier for developers to dive into the platform.
The platform update also focuses on improving efficiency and user experience. New rendering optimizations have been implemented to fully take advantage of NVIDIA RTX GPUs with DLSS 3 technology. This allows for real-time 4K path tracing of massive industrial scenes. The update also includes native RTX-powered spatial integration, which enables the integration of extended reality (XR) developer tools into Omniverse-based applications.
The upgraded applications in this update include Omniverse USD Composer and Omniverse Audio2Face. The USD Composer allows 3D users to assemble large-scale scenes using OpenUSD, while the Audio2Face provides access to generative AI application programming interfaces for creating realistic facial animations and gestures from audio files. The Audio2Face application now includes multilingual support and a new female base model.
In addition to these improvements, NVIDIA has also expanded the Omniverse ecosystem through its partnership with several frameworks, resources, and services. They have introduced new Omniverse Cloud APIs, which allow developers to seamlessly implement and deploy OpenUSD pipelines and applications.
NVIDIA has also collaborated with Adobe to incorporate Adobe Firefly, a family of creative generative AI models, as APIs in Omniverse. This collaboration will enhance the design processes for developers and creators.
Other partnerships include Wonder Dynamics, which offers OpenUSD export support through its AI platform Wonder Studio, and Luma AI, whose reality-capture models can be readily imported to Omniverse. Convai and Inworld AI, both avatar and character-engine companies respectively, have also connected their AI tools to Omniverse.
The update further expands the compatibility of Omniverse with other spatial computing platforms such as AR Kit and RealityKit. Additionally, support for the OpenXR open standard from the Khronos Group has also been added, allowing more headsets from different manufacturers to use Omniverse.
Customers from various industries have already started utilizing Omniverse for their digitalization efforts. Boston Dynamics AI Institute is using the platform to simulate robots and their interactions to enable novel robotics design. Continental, a leading automotive and autonomous systems company, is leveraging Omniverse to generate physically accurate synthetic data for training computer-vision AI models and system-integration testing.
Volvo Cars has transitioned its digital twin to be OpenUSD-based, using Omniverse to create immersive visualizations for online purchasing decisions. Marks Design, a brand design and experience agency, is using Omniverse and OpenUSD to streamline collaboration and improve animation, visualization, and rendering workflows.
NVIDIA has also introduced new systems and partners to further enhance the Omniverse platform. They are collaborating with global systems manufacturers to bring optimized RTX workstations to designers, architects, and engineers. These workstations are equipped with NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation GPUs and bundled with NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise software.
The latest Omniverse release is currently available in beta for free download and will soon be available in Omniverse Enterprise. For more information, interested individuals can visit the NVIDIA Omniverse website and watch the SIGGRAPH keynote presented by NVIDIA’s founder and CEO, Jensen Huang.
Since its inception in 1993, NVIDIA has been a pioneer in accelerated computing. The company’s invention of the GPU in 1999 revolutionized computer graphics, gaming, and AI. Today, NVIDIA is a full-stack computing company that fuels industrial digitalization across various markets.
