Nvidia takes virtual reality one step closer to the holodeck with IRAY VR

Virtual reality has transported us into a whole new world of immersive experiences and now Nvidia is pushing the envelop even farther with photorealistic IRAY VR.

While virtual reality has let us dive into video games and footage captured by 360-degree cameras, but they have only been so detailed so far. At its GTC developer conference, Nvidia demonstrated how IRAY VR can render real-life detail to the extent of the feeling like you're actually there.

Of course, with such a realistic rendering, process of creating IRAY VR is extensive and complicated. First it starts with using light probes to photograph a room users want to interact with. These probes not only capture the aesthetics of a space, they also record how light is emanating from thousands of spots.

The resulting render requires a super computer to process and even with this high-end hardware it can take 100 hours just to create a photorealistic room. This is because IRAY VR requires a space to be stitched from hundreds of light probes to essentially create a 4K picture you can look around and explore.

While on stage, Nvidia chief executive Jen-Hsun Huang demonstrated how he could use Iray VR look around the interior of Nvidia's brand new 500,000-square feet.

Now for those of us who don't have super computers to drive this photo realistic experience, Nvidia also announce IRAY Lite. While it can't render full 3D as beautifully, with just the a press of a button users will be able to create a completely ray-traced photosphere they can stand in.

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Image Credit: Nvidia