ZibraVDB is a new solution for virtual production studios and game development companies seeking to enhance volumetric VFX integration. This innovative technology enables real-time replay of large VFX volumes stored in OpenVDB format within Unreal Engine, achieving up to 100x compression and rendering times twice as fast as Unreal’s SVT.
At SideFX’s Houdini HIVE event, Zibra AI introduced the Alpha version of the solution for Houdini, marking a significant optimization for VDB sequences. With ZibraVDB, previously impractical render volumes are now feasible in real-time environments, transforming possibilities for creators and game developers.
Key facts:
- ZibraVDB is a product of Zibra AI, a Ukrainian deep-tech company founded in 2021, specializing in AI-powered solutions for VFX and 3D creation across gaming, TV, film, and more.
- The plugin offers unprecedented performance, enabling the compression of OpenVDB files to fit into GPU memory, with real-time decompression on the fly, significantly reducing memory footprint.
- ZibraVDB supports up to 15 light sources simultaneously, offers self-shadowing from all light types, and seamlessly integrates with Unreal Engine’s rendering pipelines without altering its code.
How ZibraVDB enhances real-time VFX
ZibraVDB tackles common challenges in VFX production, such as high memory usage and costly volume rendering. By compressing VDB sequences and enabling them to be fully loaded into VRAM, the plugin optimizes both storage and performance. Its advanced volumetric renderer, 2-3 times faster than Unreal’s implementation, allows for real-time rendering of VDBs of any size, making it an essential tool for both games and virtual production projects.
Services and Features:
Illumination. ZibraVDB offers the following illumination features to enhance visual realism and performance:
- Different light types; directional, point, and spotlights
- Supports up to 15 light sources simultaneously
- Ambient Lighting
- Blending with Exponential Height Fog
- Self-shadowing from all light types
- Toggle shadows from specific light types
- Shadows received from scene geometry
- Projected shadows from volume
- Reflections
Received Shadows. ZibraVDB volumes can receive shadows from the scene using an implementation based on the Global SDF. It supports shadows from directional, point, and spotlights. Users can toggle shadows from different light types to optimize rendering.
Projected Shadows. ZibraVDB provides projected shadows for real-time VDBs, ensuring realistic integration of effects into the scene. Key aspects include:
- Support for all light types, allowing volumes to cast multiple shadows simultaneously
- Efficient performance with minimal impact, even with numerous shadows
- Seamless integration into standard rendering pipelines without altering Unreal Engine’s code
- This feature maintains visual fidelity without compromising performance, allowing for exceptional effect appearance in scenes with multiple lights.
Reflections. ZibraVDB introduces a highly performant method for rendering precise, real-time reflections. Key features include:
- Accurate reflections that account for shadows and illumination by different light types
- Utilization of different bitmaps of the volume texture based on roughness
- Ability to manually specify which objects should reflect which volumes for optimized performance
ZibraVDB’s demographics and audience’s pain points
ZibraVDB is designed for professionals in the Visual Effects (VFX), Film Production, Virtual Production, and Digital Marketing industries, particularly those focused on cutting-edge virtual production techniques. Geographically, the focus is on regions with a high concentration of media and entertainment companies, such as North America, Europe, and parts of Asia.
One of the most pressing challenges faced by these professionals is balancing visual fidelity with performance, particularly in real-time environments like Unreal Engine. The need for high-quality volumetric effects often comes with the trade-off of increased storage demands and complex integration processes.
ZibraVDB addresses these pain points by offering advanced compression techniques that significantly reduce memory usage and storage space while maintaining top-tier visual quality. Moreover, its integration into existing software ecosystems like Unreal Engine ensures that users can incorporate these tools without disrupting their workflow, allowing for greater efficiency and more creative freedom.
Case Study. The “Car Accident” demo project
To showcase the capabilities of ZibraVDB, the Zibra AI team created the “Car Accident” demo using Unreal Engine 5.4. This project demonstrates the plugin’s ability to compress and render VDB sequences in real-time, achieving 60 FPS in 2K on mid-level GPUs like the 4070Ti. The demo further illustrates how ZibraVDB can be optimized for lower-end GPUs like the AMD RX5700XT, highlighting its flexibility and scalability for diverse gaming scenarios.
Pricing and Availability
ZibraVDB for Unreal Engine is available with two pricing plans:
- Individual Plan: $29/month or $299/year, including one node-locked license and perpetual rendering.
- Studio Plan: Flexible pricing and licensing options, including floating licenses and offline licenses, tailored to larger teams.
ZibraVDB for Houdini is currently in free Alpha mode, with access available through pre-approval and feedback required.
“ZibraVDB is about to revolutionize the VFX landscape by offering unparalleled performance and flexibility in real-time volumetric effects,” said Alex Petrenko, Co-Founder of Zibra AI. “With its ability to compress and render large VFX volumes in real-time, ZibraVDB empowers creators to push the boundaries of what’s possible in gaming and virtual production. As Zibra AI continues to develop and refine its AI-powered solutions, the future of VFX looks brighter and faster than ever before.”
