NVIDIA Announces Streamline SDK to Simplify Integration of Super Resolution Technologies; RTX SDKs Got Updated
NVIDIA DLAA will be the visual fidelity option to NVIDIA DLSS.
NVIDIA announced several new and updated tools for game developers at GDC 2022, starting with the Streamline SDK. Available now through GitHub, Streamline is described as an open source and cross-vendor framework to help developers with the integration of the many super resolution technologies available. NVIDIA explained:
It sits between the game and render API, and abstracts the SDK-specific API calls into an easy-to-use Streamline framework. Instead of manually integrating each SDK, developers simply identify which resources (motion vectors, depth, etc) are required for the target super-resolution plug-ins and then set where they want the plug-ins to run in their graphics pipeline.
Support for NVIDIA DLSS/DLAA is already available, with NVIDIA Image Scaling (NIS) support coming soon. But Intel is also working on integrating its XeSS technology into the Streamline SDK. Andre Bremer, vice president of AXG and director of game engineering at Intel, said:
Intel believes strongly in the power of open interfaces. We are excited to support Streamline, an open, cross-IHV framework for new graphics effects. This will simplify game developers’ integration efforts and accelerate the adoption of new technology.
The Streamline framework isn’t limited to super resolution SDKs either, as game developers can also use it to add NVIDIA Real-time Denoisers (NRD) to their titles.
Beyond Streamline, NVIDIA confirmed at GDC 2022 that its RTX SDKs have been updated. The RTXGI plugin, for example, has been released for Unreal Engine 5; Unreal Engine 4.27 received performance and quality improvements, while the NVIDIA branch of UE4 got skylight enhancements in addition to support for ray traced reflections and translucency.
The RTXDI SDK received image quality improvements for glossy surfaces, while NVIDIA Real-time Denoisers introduced NVIDIA Image Scaling and a path-tracing mode within the sample application. NRD also has a new performance mode optimized for lower spec systems. Reflex had its SDK updated to version 1.6.
It’s also easier than ever for game developers to get started with ray tracing thanks to the new Kickstart RT SDK.
Traditionally, game engines must bind all active materials in a scene. Kickstart RT delivers beautiful ray-traced effects, while foregoing legacy requirements and invasive changes to existing material systems.
Kickstart RT provides a convenient starting point for developers to quickly and easily include realistic dynamic lighting of complex scenes in their game engines in a much shorter timespan than traditional methods. It’s also helpful for those who may find upgrading their engine to the DirectX12 API difficult.
Lastly, NVIDIA announced that game developers can now take advantage of GeForce NOW Cloud Playtest to enhance their testing capabilities.
This is the first in a set of virtual development tools built on GFN infrastructure enabling developers to manage their content on the GFN service, triage issues, and move more of their game development workflow into the cloud. Its first feature, GFN Cloud Playtest, virtualizes all aspects of testing a pre-released game with a set of external players: game build distribution, scheduling, playing in and observing sessions are all performed via the cloud.
If you’re interested in learning more about GFN Cloud Playtest, watch this GDC 2022 presentation.
