What is real-time rendering and what are its main advantages over offline rendering?

Real-time rendering and offline rendering

Modern games and movies rely heavily on fantastic special effects, a lot more than we realize. With each passing year, it becomes increasingly difficult to meet audience expectations, yet producers still seem to be able to make us believe in the computer virtual realities they create by keeping us spellbound. How did they do it? The answer lies in continuous progress and finding new technical solutions, which of course also requires highly qualified professionals to push 3D visualization to the next level.

State-of-the-art rendering technology can work wonders. When it comes to production, it’s important for businesses to make the process more time-saving and profitable. Currently, methods such as real-time rendering and offline rendering seem to be popular. So, which one should you choose?

What is real-time rendering?

Real-time rendering refers to a rendering method that generates images in real time on a display device . It needs to complete the three-dimensional scene modeling, lighting calculation, multi-view rendering and other rendering processes as quickly as possible to generate and display images. Real-time rendering pursues an interactive picture update speed, usually 20-60 frames per second.

feature:

1. Quick response: can respond to user operations and interactions in real time

2. Low lag: short rendering delay time, providing a smooth experience

3. Applicable scenarios: Suitable for games, virtual reality, web 3D animation and other scenarios that require timely feedback

Real-time rendering is a technology that can quickly produce high-quality images, but it also has some drawbacks, such as the need for high-performance hardware, limitations on lighting and materials, and instability in rendering times. In order to solve these problems, 3DCAT Real-time Rendering Cloud provides a real-time rendering service based on cloud computing, which has the following benefits:

• Powerful XR application running platform

It provides powerful real-time graphics rendering computing services. The platform is equipped with elastic GPU resource clusters, supports automatic load balancing and scaling, and supports a large number of users to securely access applications at the same time, allowing any device to access online 3D applications anytime, anywhere.

• Leading CloudXR SaaS service

Integrated with CloudXR technology, it can provide users with high-definition and low-latency immersive XR application streaming services. Users can use the 3DCAT cloud rendering power to obtain a high-definition streaming experience without deploying a workstation or external XR tracking system.

• Self-developed RayStreaming protocol

Push 3D applications to the terminal in real time through streaming, and interact with the terminal in real time, making it more immersive and accessible.

• Integrate self-developed Raysync transmission system

The Raysync transmission system is superimposed on the data pipeline, which can greatly improve the file transfer speed.

What is offline rendering?

Offline rendering refers to the method of completing all image rendering calculations and then outputting the rendering results . It focuses on rendering quality and realism, and usually requires a long time to complete complex lighting and material calculations to achieve photorealistic effects. The output results of offline rendering can be used for post-production jobs such as movies and advertisements.

feature:

1. High quality: complex rendering algorithms and materials can be used to achieve ultra-high quality effects

2. Long render times: Typically each image frame takes anywhere from a few seconds to a few days to render

3. Applicable scenarios: Suitable for movies, advertisements, etc. that require a high degree of realism and sophistication.

The difference between real-time rendering and offline rendering

The main differences between real-time rendering and offline rendering are:

1. The rendering time points are different. Real-time rendering uses instant generation of images to be displayed on the screen in real time; offline rendering uses all rendering calculations to be completed in advance and output results are delayed.

2. The rendering quality is different. Due to time constraints, real-time rendering is difficult to use too complex rendering algorithms and materials, and the image quality is relatively low. Offline rendering can use various means to pursue highly realistic rendering quality.

3. Whether it supports interaction. Real-time rendering can support real-time user interaction and update the screen immediately; offline rendering cannot support interaction because the rendering is completed in advance.

4. The delay time is different. Real-time rendering is usually controlled at 20-60 frames per second, with a short delay; offline rendering can take a few seconds to several days to calculate each frame, with a longer delay.

5. The applicable scenarios are different. Real-time rendering is suitable for scenes that require low latency and real-time response, such as games and VR; offline rendering is more suitable for movies, special effects, etc. that require high quality and realism.

6. Hardware requirements are different. Real-time rendering requires high-performance GPU and other hardware to complete real-time calculations; offline rendering can complete rendering tasks distributed through a large number of cluster resources, and the hardware threshold is low.

Summarize

Both real-time and offline rendering can be excellent visualization strategies. If your goal is to create a seamless experience that mimics real-time footage and takes viewers on an immersive 3D journey, choosing real-time rendering is a smarter choice. For example, if you are creating an interactive tour or game, choosing real-time rendering is even more important and can make filmmaking easier.

Real-time rendering can also provide a sense of realism that is difficult to achieve otherwise. This method doesn't require a long time or a larger budget, which is an added bonus.

If your goal is not to create this type of illusion, then using offline rendering will satisfy all your needs. It provides high-quality visualizations by adding depth and realism to your scenes through the lights and textures you use.