Developers and engineers working with high-end rendering and computer-aided design engines can often find that those tools can consume large portions of system resources and power. While less of a problem on desktop PCs, it can be a major issue when developing for mobile devices. As such, Basemark has launched a graphics rendering solution called Rocksolid that reduces resource consumption while increasing performance.
Basemark has said that the Rocksolid system stands to benefit developers who are working on virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) operating systems and hardware. Developers will be able to utilise higher frame rates, better response times and less power consumption on apps running with Rocksolid enabled. Basemark cite the example of a real-world CAD model that, when rendered using Rocksolid got double the FPS, one seventh the CPU utilisation and less than half the normal power consumption.
Crucially, Rocksolid does not require users to learn how to use another tool, as Rocksolid runs ‘underneath’ existing applications such as Unity 3D. Rocksolid reads existing content, such as a Unity 3D project and converts it into a format that is usable by the Rocksolid Engine all without any need for user intervention, so users can continue to use whichever tools they prefer.
Rocksolid is cross-platform and works on Windows, Linux, Android or MacOS. It is also graphics APU agnostic and works with Vulkan, OpenGL, DirectX and Metal, taking full advantage of the GPU capabilities present in Vulkan and DirectX12.
Basemark’s rendering solution is available now for certain commercial partners, with further information found on the Basemark website. The Rocksolid solution will also be demonstrated at the Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara later this week.
Earlier this year Basemark launched VR benchmarking software VRScore PC, so users could evaluate how their computer performs by measuring PC and head-mounted display (HMD) rendering performance and latency.
VRFocus will provide further information on Rocksolid and other industry tools as it becomes available.