(c)iStock.com/Nicolas McComber
UK-based cloud and network provider Expontential-e has announced a collaboration with Microsoft Azure to provide a ‘render as a service’ (RaaS) platform for delivering near real-time rendering capabilities for industries that make use of 3D modelling, such as architecture, manufacturing and medicine.
The point and click solution is developed via the integration of Exponential-e’s high-speed, secure network with the hyperscale public cloud of Azure, and will provide private rendering capabilities that correspond to project delivery timescales and budget.
The solution will be powered by Exponential-e’s wholly-owned, 100 gig-Ethernet network, through private or hybrid local area networks (LANs) that connect the customer’s on premise data to the raw compute power offered by Azure.
Exponential-e managing director Mukesh Bavisi said: “Due to steadily rising image resolutions, rendering is requiring more and more computing horsepower. Also the limitations of power, space and cooling for in-house render farms means they are increasingly more expensive and complex to run. Exponential-e’s unique collaboration with Microsoft Azure solves the headache of restricted resource on maxed out internal render nodes. It provides an on-demand, scalable solution that enables seamless hybrid integration of on premise resource privately connected to the raw compute power. The service is managed as one environment via a single self-service pane of glass.”
The RaaS solution, currently in beta testing, will facilitate competitive bidding for larger projects that have bigger batch compute needs. BAFTA-award winning, visual effects (VFX) studio, Jellyfish Pictures is already using RaaS to flexibly scale resources on demand and significantly reduce production times, simplifying its entire business model.
Bavisi concludes: “Render as a service will alleviate the key pain point for businesses that utilise render processing across the globe. Marrying our network with the Microsoft Azure cloud means greater rendering efficiencies than ever before, and provides us with the opportunity to take this solution to new sectors. By alleviating a key challenge in rendering, our customers can instead focus on driving innovation in an increasingly competitive landscape.”