NVIDIA Omniverse is a computing platform that enables individuals and teams to develop Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD) -based 3D workflows and applications. It is built on Pixar’s OpenUSD, NVIDIA RTX, and NVIDIA AI technologies, and offers a modular, scalable, and interoperable solution for creating and operating metaverse applications. Omniverse allows users to connect their favorite 3D tools, collaborate in real time, and leverage NVIDIA’s advanced rendering, simulation, and AI capabilities.
What you can do with NVIDIA Omniverse
Omniverse has several features and capabilities that make it a powerful platform for 3D development and digitalization. Some of them are:
OpenUSD:
Omniverse is entirely built on OpenUSD, an open and extensible ecosystem for describing, composing, simulating, and collaborating within 3D worlds. OpenUSD enables users to work with multiple 3D formats, assets, and applications in a unified way, and to create complex and large-scale 3D scenes with high performance and fidelity.
NVIDIA RTX:
Omniverse leverages NVIDIA RTX technology to deliver real-time ray tracing and path tracing, which produce photorealistic lighting, shadows, reflections, and global illumination. NVIDIA RTX also enables users to access NVIDIA’s GPU-accelerated libraries for physics, animation, audio, video, and more.
NVIDIA AI:
Omniverse integrates NVIDIA AI technologies to enhance the 3D workflows and applications with intelligent features such as synthetic data generation, content creation, style transfer, denoising, super resolution, segmentation, pose estimation, face animation, speech synthesis, natural language understanding, and more.
Connectors:
Omniverse provides connectors to various industry-leading 3D tools such as Autodesk Maya, Blender, Unreal Engine, Unity, Adobe Substance, Reallusion iClone, and more. Connectors enable users to sync their 3D data and assets between these tools and Omniverse in real time, and to work with them in a unified view.
Apps and Extensions:
Omniverse offers a range of apps and extensions that are built on the platform to accelerate the 3D workflows and projects. These include Omniverse Create, Omniverse Machinima, Omniverse Audio2Face, Omniverse Isaac Sim, Omniverse Nucleus Server, Omniverse Kit, Omniverse Code, Omniverse USD Composer, Omniverse USD Presenter, Omniverse RTX Remix, Omniverse SyncTwin, and more. Each app and extension is provided as source code, so users can inspect, customize, and enhance them as they wish.
Cloud APIs:
Omniverse also provides cloud APIs that enable users to access some of the platform’s features and capabilities through web services. These include ChatUSD LLM for conversing in USD, RunUSD for translating USD to images, and DeepSearch LLM for semantic 3D search.
User Interface
Omniverse has a user-friendly interface that allows users to navigate the platform’s features and capabilities with ease. The interface consists of several components such as:
- Launcher: The launcher is the entry point to the platform. It allows users to download and update the apps and extensions they need, manage their projects, access the documentation, and explore the community resources.
- Viewport: The viewport is the main window where users can view and interact with their 3D scenes. It supports multiple cameras, lighting modes, rendering modes, and gizmos.
- Explorer: The explorer is the panel where users can browse and manage their 3D assets, files, and folders. It supports drag-and-drop, search, filtering, and tagging.
- Properties: The properties panel shows the attributes of the selected object or layer in the scene. It allows users to edit the properties such as transform, material, physics, animation, and more.
- Console: The console is the panel where users can execute commands, scripts, and queries in Python or C++. It also shows the output, errors, and logs of the platform.
- Extensions: The extensions panel shows the available extensions that users can enable or disable for their project. Extensions add functionality to the platform such as physics simulation, AI services, audio processing, video encoding, and more.
Workflow
Omniverse supports a flexible and efficient workflow for 3D development and digitalization. The workflow consists of several steps such as:
Connect: Users can connect their favorite 3D tools to Omniverse using connectors. Connectors allow users to sync their 3D data and assets between these tools and Omniverse in real time, and to work with them in a unified view.
Create: Users can create their 3D scenes using Omniverse Create or other apps. They can import or export their assets in various formats such as USDZ, FBX, OBJ, GLTF, and more. They can also use NVIDIA AI technologies to generate synthetic data or content for their scenes.
Simulate: Users can simulate their 3D scenes using Omniverse extensions such as PhysX, Blast, Flow, Flex, and more. They can also use Omniverse Isaac Sim or other apps to simulate robotics, autonomous vehicles, or other complex systems.
Render: Users can render their 3D scenes using Omniverse RTX technology. They can choose from various rendering modes such as ray tracing, path tracing, rasterization, or hybrid. They can also use Omniverse RTX Remix or other apps to enhance their scenes with post-processing effects such as denoising, super resolution, style transfer, and more.
Present: Users can present their 3D scenes using Omniverse USD Presenter or other apps. They can export their scenes as images, videos, or interactive applications. They can also use Omniverse cloud APIs to access their scenes through web services.
Collaborate: Users can collaborate with other users on their 3D scenes using Omniverse Nucleus Server or other apps. They can share their scenes with other users in real time, and work on them simultaneously with live sync and version control. They can also use Omniverse ChatUSD LLM or other apps to communicate with other users in USD.
NVIDIA Integration
Omniverse integrates with various 3D tools, platforms, and services to provide a seamless and interoperable solution for 3D development and digitalization. Some of the integration options are:
3D Tools: Omniverse provides connectors to various industry-leading 3D tools such as Autodesk Maya, Blender, Unreal Engine, Unity, Adobe Substance, Reallusion iClone, and more. Connectors enable users to sync their 3D data and assets between these tools and Omniverse in real time, and to work with them in a unified view.
Cloud Platforms: Omniverse supports various cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and NVIDIA CloudXR. Users can deploy their 3D scenes and applications on these platforms, and access them from anywhere using any device.
Web Services: Omniverse provides cloud APIs that enable users to access some of the platform’s features and capabilities through web services. These include ChatUSD LLM for conversing in USD, RunUSD for translating USD to images, and DeepSearch LLM for semantic 3D search.
XR Devices: Omniverse supports various XR devices such as Oculus Quest, HTC Vive, Microsoft HoloLens, and Varjo VR/XR. Users can view and interact with their 3D scenes and applications using these devices, and experience immersive visualization and simulation.
Who Can Benefit from NVIDIA Omniverse and How?
Omniverse has a wide range of use cases across various industries and domains. Some of the use cases are:
Entertainment: Omniverse enables artists and creators to produce stunning 3D content for movies, games, animation, and more. They can use Omniverse to connect their favorite 3D tools, collaborate in real time, and leverage NVIDIA’s advanced rendering, simulation, and AI capabilities.
Architecture: Omniverse enables architects and designers to create realistic 3D models of buildings, interiors, and landscapes. They can use Omniverse to import or export their models in various formats, simulate lighting and materials, and present their designs in interactive applications or XR devices.
Manufacturing: Omniverse enables engineers and operators to create digital twins of factories, machines, and products. They can use Omniverse to connect their CAD/CAM/CAE tools, simulate physics and dynamics, and optimize their performance and efficiency.
Healthcare: Omniverse enables doctors and researchers to create 3D models of human anatomy, organs, and tissues. They can use Omniverse to import or export medical images or scans, simulate blood flow and biomechanics, and diagnose or treat diseases.
Education: Omniverse enables teachers and students to create 3D models of natural phenomena, historical events, or fictional worlds. They can use Omniverse to import or export educational resources or curricula, simulate physics and chemistry, and learn or teach in immersive environments.
Customization and Training
Omniverse is a fully customizable platform that allows users to modify or extend its features and capabilities according to their needs. Users can customize Omniverse by:
Developing Apps and Extensions: Users can develop their own apps and extensions for Omniverse using Python or C++. They can use the Omniverse Kit or the Omniverse Code app to access the platform’s source code, libraries, and tools. They can also use the NVIDIA AI technologies to enhance their apps and extensions with intelligent features.
Publishing Apps and Extensions: Users can publish their apps and extensions on the Omniverse Exchange Publishing Portal. They can reach a multitude of customers across all industries in the NVIDIA ecosystem. They can also download or purchase apps and extensions from other developers on the portal.
Training AI Models: Users can train their own AI models for Omniverse using NVIDIA’s GPU-accelerated frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, MXNet, etc. They can use the NVIDIA DGX systems or the NVIDIA GPU Cloud (NGC) to access the hardware and and software resources for training. They can also use the NVIDIA AI technologies to train their models faster and better.
Community and Collaboration
Omniverse is a collaborative platform that enables users to work with other users on their 3D scenes and projects. Users can collaborate with other users by:
Sharing Scenes: Users can share their 3D scenes with other users using Omniverse Nucleus Server or other apps. They can invite other users to join their projects, and work on them simultaneously with live sync and version control. They can also use Omniverse ChatUSD LLM or other apps to communicate with other users in USD.
Joining Teams: Users can join teams of other users who share similar interests, goals, or skills. They can create or join teams on the Omniverse Teams Portal, and access the team’s projects, assets, and resources. They can also use the Omniverse Teams app to manage their team’s members, roles, and permissions.
Participating in Events: Users can participate in various events that are organized by NVIDIA or the community. They can join events such as hackathons, challenges, webinars, workshops, and more on the Omniverse Events Portal. They can also use the Omniverse Events app to register for events, submit their entries, and view the results.
Support and Resources
Omniverse provides various support and resources for users to learn and use the platform effectively. Some of the support and resources are:
Documentation: Users can access the comprehensive documentation of Omniverse on the Omniverse Documentation Portal. They can find information about the platform’s features, capabilities, apps, extensions, connectors, APIs, and more. They can also use the Omniverse Documentation app to access the documentation offline.
Tutorials: Users can access various tutorials of Omniverse on the Omniverse Tutorials Portal. They can find tutorials for beginners, intermediate, and advanced users. They can also use the Omniverse Tutorials app to access the tutorials offline.
Forums: Users can access various forums of Omniverse on the Omniverse Forums Portal. They can ask questions, share feedback, report issues, request features, and more. They can also use the Omniverse Forums app to access the forums offline.
Blogs: Users can access various blogs of Omniverse on the Omniverse Blogs Portal. They can read articles, stories, interviews, reviews, and more from NVIDIA and the community. They can also use the Omniverse Blogs app to access the blogs offline.
How NVIDIA Plans to Lead the Metaverse Revolution
Omniverse is a constantly evolving platform that aims to provide the best solution for 3D development and digitalization. Some of the future developments are:
New Apps and Extensions: NVIDIA plans to release new apps and extensions for Omniverse that will enhance the platform’s features and capabilities. Some of the upcoming apps and extensions are Omniverse Metaverse Maker, Omniverse Avatar Creator, Omniverse AI2USD, Omniverse USD2AI, Omniverse USD2NFT, and more.
New Connectors: NVIDIA plans to release new connectors for Omniverse that will integrate more 3D tools with the platform. Some of the upcoming connectors are Autodesk 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Houdini, SketchUp, ZBrush, and more.
New Cloud APIs: NVIDIA plans to release new cloud APIs for Omniverse that will enable more web services for the platform. Some of the upcoming cloud APIs are RenderUSD for rendering USD scenes in cloud, SimulateUSD for simulating USD scenes in cloud, and CollaborateUSD for collaborating in USD scenes in cloud.
Conclusion
Omniverse is a platform for creating and operating metaverse applications. It is built on Pixar’s OpenUSD, NVIDIA RTX, and NVIDIA AI technologies, and offers a modular, scalable, and interoperable solution for 3D development and digitalization. Omniverse allows users to connect their favorite 3D tools, collaborate in real time, and leverage NVIDIA’s advanced rendering, simulation, and AI capabilities.
NVIDIA Omniverse has a wide range of use cases across various industries and domains, and provides various support and resources for users to learn and use the platform effectively. Omniverse is a constantly evolving platform that aims to provide the best solution for 3D development and digitalization.
