The 3D artists using GPU production rendering require at least 4 of the top of the line cards for their workstation. My workstation crams x5 980Tis in the case (2 off the board with PCIe risers).
Joining the community using this approach not only requires the hardware and ability to build it but also new rendering software and a lot of time to learn a new approach/mindset/workflow. The best software available is crucial. It is worth every penny to invest in the best rendering software when entering this environment. Right now, there are 3 that matter and none of the GPU-specific remdering softwares support OpenCL. There is a unique exception with V-Ray, the last gen maverick of rendering engines. V-Ray's future in GPU rendering could be bright if the new companies don't entirely outpace them in GPu development. Either way, every part of the people actually using this solution in the real world is investing all of their time, money, energy into Nvidia right now.
The devs at Redshift, my chosen renderer, insist OpenCL is not even close to having what they need.
Pseudo-realtime feedback could actually advance the craft to a new era and Nvidia is carrying the entire ecosystem.
The 3D artists using GPU production rendering require at least 4 of the top of the line cards for their workstation. My workstation crams x5 980Tis in the case (2 off the board with PCIe risers).
Joining the community using this approach not only requires the hardware and ability to build it but also new rendering software and a lot of time to learn a new approach/mindset/workflow. The best software available is crucial. It is worth every penny to invest in the best rendering software when entering this environment. Right now, there are 3 that matter and none of the GPU-specific remdering softwares support OpenCL. There is a unique exception with V-Ray, the last gen maverick of rendering engines. V-Ray's future in GPU rendering could be bright if the new companies don't entirely outpace them in GPu development. Either way, every part of the people actually using this solution in the real world is investing all of their time, money, energy into Nvidia right now.
The devs at Redshift, my chosen renderer, insist OpenCL is not even close to having what they need.
Pseudo-realtime feedback could actually advance the craft to a new era and Nvidia is carrying the entire ecosystem.