Photo-Realistic 3D Graphics Coming to iOS

[Paul Daniel Ash]

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The company that provides graphics chips for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch has just bought another company that is known for its photo-realistic 3D graphics technology. Imagination Technologies says that it is definitely going to bring the cutting-edge ray tracing technologies it's getting from Caustic Graphics into its mobile products, which means that iDevices are going to see a significant improvement in their graphics capability.

Hossein Yassaie, chief executive of the UK-based Imagination Technologies, said his company's £17 million ($27 million US) acquisition of San Francisco's Caustic Graphics would bring "Avatar-style graphics" to smartphones, game consoles and TVs within a few years. "Today, 3D graphics don't look like the real thing," he said. "But Caustic's technology is different... these are photo-realistic images." It's Caustic's ability to do high-end ray tracing - more sophisticated lighting effects with reflection, refraction, and scattering that usually require a dedicated non-real-time processor - in a way that can be implemented on a lower-power mobile chip that drew Imagination's attention. Imagination Technologies PR Director David Harold said in an interview with TechRadar that "ray tracing is a key additional technology that traditionally has been regarded as the exclusive domain of specialised markets and non real-time applications. We will change that." Caustic Graphics developed the OpenRL SDK, a cross-platform, industry-standard programming API that layers ray tracing extensions on top of the OpenGL and OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL) APIs.

Apple owns a 9.5% share in Imagination, which designed the PowerVR SGX graphics processor inside the A4, and it's clear that the revolutionary graphics will be coming to an iDevice in the future. "We would not have acquired [Caustic] technology," Yassaie said, "if we did not believe we could get it into handsets."

Source: AppleInsider

[wolverinemarky]

man this will be pretty sweet love my pics to go to that next level makes you really not need a point and shoot camera anymore

[zeroskater61]

So looking forward to this!!

[iNT3Rv3NTiONZz]

cant wait for thw first game to be released using this!

[iNT3Rv3NTiONZz]

man this will be pretty sweet love my pics to go to that next level makes you really not need a point and shoot camera anymore

what? these graphics are for games...

[vruls]

so would these need new graphic cards or something????

[j.eck.art.3d]

so would these need new graphic cards or something????

This is for iDevices... the "graphics cards" are integrated into the chip sets themselves. This wouldn't be a "mod" or upgrade to current devices, instead this would be new technology that is integrated into future devices.

[swifty7]

it's funny when they say 'avatar like graphics for the smart phone' LOL!!! yeah RIGHT!!! like we're going to get graphic quality that high in our iphones in the near future. I believe it when I see it. Developers don't even bother taking the full advantage of what iphone 4 can do let alone avatar like graphics......pshhhhhhh....please!!!!

[redwolf]

been hearing "photo realistic" graphic since PlayStation 1.... Toy Story alike etc etc etc etc.....

[Sanady361]

Would be cool if it happened.

[CynicalDriver]

been hearing "photo realistic" graphic since PlayStation 1.... Toy Story alike etc etc etc etc.....

That's because it's a power word, like magical, that makes people want it. In reality, it's just code for "the best picture yet."

[whereswaldo]

Maybe we'll have a 3GS and a 3DS

[Zokunei]

I actually almost don't want this to happen for a couple years lol. It sounds awesome, but I just got a new iDevice in Speptrmber and don't want games to require an upgrade in six months. I'm sure it won't happen for a while though, these business moves always take a couple yeas to hit paydirt.

[Jahooba]

I think eventually this may happen, sure, as long as the textures are photo-real and don't get all blurry at an angle. But they'll need a lot of video RAM for that. Unless they have some kind of magical software they've been developing...

[CX3NT3_713]

nice

[Zokunei]

Lol, can anyone explain what's going on in that photo?

[nautical79]

Probably apple its thinking on Gaming, who knows.

[EskimoRuler]

would be nice

[Andrew LB]

The graphics capability of the iPhone has always impressed me, especially the iPhone 4. A few weeks ago a friend told me to download a demo called Rage, from ID software (good ol' john Carmak of Doom fame) and I was astonished at what this "phone" can render.

I even hooked it up to my 46" Samsung LED LCD via component video cables running TVOut2 and the game looked amazing.

[Zokunei]

The graphics capability of the iPhone has always impressed me, especially the iPhone 4. A few weeks ago a friend told me to download a demo called Rage, from ID software (good ol' john Carmak of Doom fame) and I was astonished at what this "phone" can render.

I even hooked it up to my 46" Samsung LED LCD via component video cables running TVOut2 and the game looked amazing.

Infinity Blade is almost photo-realistic too. The game gets worn out in a couple days though, definitely not my favorite game, but the controls and graphics are nice.