UPDATED 14:41 EDT / NOVEMBER 14 2013

New Autodesk 3D cloud-streaming applications bring high-end power into the browser

More than ever the cloud and mobile devices are freeing up workers from being chained to their offices to get work done and the first wave has been collaboration and support—but the technology just hadn’t quite cracked the nut for highly computational tasks such as 3D rendering and design. This is the domain of Autodesk and with cloud-driven apps delivered via AWS in the pocket, the sky is the limit.

Autodesk is now just introducing industry first 3D design via a web browser. In collaboration with Amazon Web Services, Mozilla, NVIDIA and OTOY, Autodesk has developed a full-fledged high performance 3D design, engineering and entertainment work in a browser. The maker of AutoCAD and Maya extended the support of Autodesk InventorAutodesk RevitAutodesk Maya and Autodesk 3ds Max design tools via a web browser.

Under the hood

To get tasks like this done, Mozilla and OTOY designed ORBX.js, a JavaScript library that can send a 1080p video stream at 60 frames per second to the web browser of the user. The bulk of the computational effort is made on the server side where the image of the application, in response to user commands is generated and then streamed to the client.

This new service allows Amazon to organize work with modern graphics applications from any computer from anywhere using a standard web browser, without the need to install a separate local programs and purchasing powerful hardware to run them–applications such as Autodesk fall squarely into this category.

ORBX.js requires no separate browser plugin and is not dependent on the browser’s codecs. As well, ORBX.js brags coding techniques that can achieve 25% higher compression rates compared with H.264. Working with data applications on the client side can execute in any web-browser that supports JavaScript and HTML5, including through mobile browsers. Among the other advantages of any framework developed with ORBX.js video codec is the support for adaptive bit rate change depending on bandwidth, more efficient methods of coding intermediate frames, parallel processing and better color depth.

As a result, Autodesk’s new offering in a browser provides a high-quality, client-agnostic 3D experience using AWS, OTOY and NVIDIA technology. NVIDIA’s GRID technology provides a workhorse that provisions cloud-based graphic processing units (GPUs) for users running graphics-intensive applications making it perfect for design applications such as Autodesk.

Putting the engine to work not just in the office, but in the field

If an impression of the horsepower and technology above isn’t enough to whet readers appetites there’s always the hands on approach. The company is also offering 90-day trials of Inventor, Revit, Maya and 3ds Max software provided through Autodesk Remote software.

With this sort of technology designers, field workers, contractors, surveyors, and others are no longer tied to their desks when working on big projects. A big firm with offices across the world doesn’t need to worry about transferring giant globs of data across vast distances to stay in sync (since the engine is in the cloud) and its workers can access, visualize, and change their work from the office, home, or on site without having to worry about physical access to expensive hardware.

“Designers and engineers face deadline pressures and efficiency targets that demand work be more mobile than ever,” said Jeff Kowalski, chief technology officer at Autodesk. “It’s no longer a requirement to run sophisticated 3D design applications such as Inventor, Revit, 3ds Max or Maya on a powerful workstation. Now all you need is a simple browser and an Internet connection. We are excited to be first in the design industry to provide this capability.”

Better yet, since Autodesk is moving from a software-centric model to a rent-model that opens up whole new horizons for how firms allow employees to access sophisticated hardware and software. With the traditional model, a powerful workstation and an expensive license would have been needed for each architect or designer on a project—but with Autodesk’s new AWS-cloud system it’s as easy as flicking on a computer, opening up a browser, and diving right into the project.

Adding new workers to a project on the short term also doesn’t mean having to share limited licenses or buy new expensive hardware. Running in the cloud, software such as Inventor can be scaled up or scaled back according to business needs providing a much more elastic experience with costs and opportunity.

 

The end product looks and feels like it’s happening in your lap

With the advent of a GPU cloud available in AWS thanks to NVIDIA GRID it’s now more possible than ever to abstract highly graphics-intensive computational platforms via the cloud and Autodesk demonstrated this to SiliconANGLE in action.

While the action took place in on an employee’s remote machine (at home) in a web browser running on a residential cable connection still maintained about 60 frames-per-second. Although I watched the demonstration through a Go To Meeting screen share, the fidelity and capability of the software was astounding. It also provided exemplar why Autodesk went with AWS rather than offering a simple remote desktop solution as even the best remote software still suffers from notable latency and frame loss—instead Inventor ran with the same immersion as if it were executing right there.

Even at this introductory stage, Autodesk has produced a virtual workspace that acts just like a powerful workstation appearing in any compatible browser.

Inventor delivered through a browser isn’t just ready for prime time; it will become prime time for the on-the-go design firm. By virtualizing a powerful workstation in the AWS cloud, Autodesk is giving firms the ability to take that power with them.

Contributing authors: Kyt Dotson and Saroj Kar


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