3D Animation - Real-Time Renderers
Software That's Revolutionizing Multiple Industries
What are Real Time Renderers?
Real-Time Renderers are software that actively outputs a "final render" in real time. That is, as the end-user provides inputs, the software immediately reacts and returns an updated "final render" output.
Traditionally, this was mostly limited to video games, and the uses were fairly limited.
However, in recent years "game engines" have received major technological advancements, to the point that many industries are now trying to incorporate and use these technologies.
Current Uses of Real-Time Rendering
Unreal Engine and Unity are currently the main two leaders of this "real time technology." But Godot is also a potential contender within this space.
Major graphical and performance improvements have made these engines appealing for uses outside of just games. For example:
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Architecture and Interior Design is increasingly using this technology to design and preview new spaces, without ever having to spend money on expensive materials and construction cost.
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Similar to above, Automotive and Product design companies are using this technology to design new products, without ever having to spend money on physical materials.
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Science and Engineering fields are using this technology to create simulations of prototypes, designs, and more.
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Military and Medical fields are using this technology to create simulations of rare or dangerous-to-replicate scenarios, to train staff of real occurrences.
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Even some Multimedia and Animation applications are using this technology, in order to create media in a faster, more iterative format.
Part of the appeal is that these software engines are trying to make this technology as accessible as possible, so that the software is used as much as possible.
That means this technology isn't limited to just large companies. Even smaller studios and indie projects can use real-time rendering to create a final project in less time.
Why Would We Use Traditional Rendering Over Real-Time?
Traditional rendering ( such as that you can find in Maya or Blender ), can potentially take hours per frame, particularly for complicated scenes.
So why would we ever want to resort for that, when we have new, instant-rendering options at our fingertips?
The answer is simple: Instant gratification, while nice, is not always superior.
Media That Doesn't Care About "Real Time Reactions"
There are some mediums where we don't care about user input, at least not in the moment.
For example, Movies and TV shows are projects that involve a lot of a lot of work, and end in a single, specific output. This output will never change, regardless of who is consuming the media or what they're doing at the moment.
For these, the "real time reaction to user input" is not beneficial.
Drawbacks of Real-Time Renderers
A major drawback is that Real-Time Rendering software tends to prioritize efficiency and performance, at the expense of slightly limiting artist options and creativity.
This can be fine in some use cases, such as Medical Training. For this, it's probably more important that the training simulation keeps up with the doctor's actions, rather than it look pretty and artistic. So this is an acceptable trade off.
Similarly, Video Games tow this line, wanting to have "good fps" and keep up with user interactions, but also create visually stunning and compelling sequences to illicit emotions.
However, things like Movies and TV Shows tend to prefer giving maximum creative control to their artists. Sometimes, this may mean intentionally creating something that's computationally very expensive to render, but makes the scene absolutely stunning. In such a case, Real-Time Renderer's priority for "performance" is actually a drawback, and will get in the way of the creative process.
Ultimately, the chosen software should fit the needs and purpose of the end-product. Real-Time Rendering can be powerful and is shaking up many industries. But we should always evaluate if it's useful to our specific needs, before we jump to using it within our pipeline.
External References
Relevant Youtube Videos
Youtube | Blender + Substance Designer + Unreal Engine = Product Visualization
Example of creating a few alternatives to a product, then use the power of real-time to let a manager / boss /CEO decide on the final end product.
Youtube | Interactive Architecture Visualization | Interactive Virtual Tour | Unreal Engine
Example of creating a customizable entire floor of a building for a real-time walk through.
Youtube | Is Unreal Engine 5 Good For Archviz
A brief history of architecture software, and why live interaction matters.
