NVIDIA Gelato Pro Gpu-Powered Rendering Software Now Freely Available

[HellasVagabond]

NVIDIA Corporation, the world leader in visual computing technologies, today announced NVIDIA® Gelato® Pro 2.2 rendering software, the Company’s advanced GPU-accelerated rendering software for professionals, is available as a no-cost download at NVIDIA Gelato Zone. Well suited for rendering of 3D digital content and design, Gelato Pro software now replaces the basic version of Gelato software, which was previously available directly from NVIDIA.

“NVIDIA Gelato Pro 2.2 software is extremely powerful GPU-accelerated rendering software and we are excited to support the creative community by making it freely available,” said Dominick Spina, senior product manager, Digital Film Group, NVIDIA. “Now all artists and designers with NVIDIA Quadro graphics cards can enhance their production pipelines with Gelato Pro—without a licensing fee.”

Gelato Pro 2.2 will be the final version of NVIDIA Gelato rendering software. Moving forward, the NVIDIA Gelato and mental images rendering teams will focus on the development of mental ray software, reinforcing NVIDIA’s investment in, and commitment to, accelerated rendering.

Gelato software is a GPU-accelerated, final-frame renderer for the creation of high-quality computer-generated images using NVIDIA Quadro® graphics cards. Originally developed to render film and broadcast visual effects and animation, Gelato software can be used with 3D software applications that require advanced rendering such as game development, CAD, industrial design, and architecture.

Features of the Gelato renderer include sub-pixel antialiasing, true displacement, high-quality motion blur, depth of field, support for NURBS, subdivision surfaces, particles, and ray tracing, including global illumination effects and ambient occlusion. The fully programmable Frantic Films’ Amaretto plug-in provides advanced rendering functionality with Autodesk’s 3ds Max software; complementing the Mango plug-in for rendering with Autodesk’s Maya software.

Features of Gelato Pro 2.2 software, which until now required payment of a license fee to access, include the Sorbetto™ interactive relighting engine, network parallel rendering, multi-threading, 64-bit support, and DSO shadeops. Gelato Pro also supports Joe Alter’s Shave and a Haircut software for computer-generated hair and fur effects and includes support for Autodesk Maya 8.5 and 3ds Max 9.0, offering improved stereo rendering, fog lights, and significant performance improvements.

NVIDIA Gelato Pro 2.2 software supports Windows XP and Linux operating systems and runs on any NVIDIA Quadro graphics solution. Gelato is available for download at NVIDIA Gelato Zone . As a freely downloadable product, NVIDIA will no longer be developing or supporting the Gelato software products.

[Áedán]

Only if you have Quadro based cards...

[HellasVagabond]

I think the 8800 series work too...

[Áedán]

Gelato Pro requires a Quadro card. Gelato requires at least an GeForce FX5200 or better.

Gelato Pro gets you the core Gelato renderer, plus NVIDIA Sorbetto interactive relighting, DSO shadeops, multithreading, and network parallel rendering.

[HellasVagabond]

And you can easily flash an 8800 to a quadro card
IF you need that much to use Gelato pro..

[Áedán]

I thought there were issues with attempting to do that, in as much as you end up with a card with the Quadro BIOS, but the GPU still reports as an 8800 device?

[danrok]

Compatible NVIDIA GeForce boards
Gelato can be run on the following hardware in lieu of NVIDIA Quadro FX. Note that Gelato Pro is not certified or supported on these boards:

* GeForce 8800
* GeForce 7950 GX2 / 7950 GT
* GeForce 7300 GT / 7300 SE
* GeForce 7100 GS
* GeForce 7900 GT / 7900 GTX
* GeForce 7600 GT / 7600 GS
* GeForce 7800 / 7800 GS / 7800 GT / 7800 GTX / GTX 512
* GeForce 7300 LE / 7300 GS
* GeForce 6800 / 6800 XT / 6800 XE / 6800 LE / 6800 GT / 6800 GS / 6800 Ultra
* GeForce 6700 XL
* GeForce 6600 / 6600 VE / 6600 LE / 6600 GT
* GeForce 6500
* GeForce 6200 / 6200 LE
* GeForce FX 5950 Ultra
* GeForce FX 5900 / 5900 Ultra
* GeForce FX 5800 / 5800 Ultra
* GeForce FX 5700 / 5700 VE / 5700 LE / 5700 Ultra
* GeForce FX 5600 / 5600 XT / 5600 Ultra
* GeForce FX 5600
* GeForce FX 5500
* GeForce FX 5200 / 5200 LE / 5200 Ultra
* GeForce Go 7800 GTX
* GeForce Go 7600
* GeForce Go 7400
* GeForce Go 7300
* GeForce Go 7200
* GeForce Go 6800 / 6800 Ultra
* GeForce Go 6600
* GeForce Go 6200/6400

NVIDIA does not recommend that Gelato be run on cards using TurboCache™ technology.

[Samuknow]

I thought the Quadro were different hardware. I can't remember what the diff is but maybe something to do with bandwidth.

[danrok]

Here's an occlusion test, which I've run using my 8800 GTX...

[HellasVagabond]

[Áedán]

Originally Posted by danrok

Here's an occlusion test, which I've run using my 8800 GTX...

With Gelato or Gelato Pro?

[dsio]

In the past the difference between Quadro and non Quadro has often been non existant and only implemented at a driver level (much like Creative using the same chip on 10 different cards and claiming them to have different features). I don't know about modern ones but I do know that my old 6800GT was able to spoof a Quadro perfectly.