Developers

Caustic Graphics is about to achieve our next major milestone in bringing cinema quality graphics to every display. We are introducing our OpenRL SDK V1.0 restricted BETA release this week, which is the first implementation of our Open Ray Tracing Library (OpenRL) specification. The OpenRL SDK also includes our new OpenRL shading language (RLSL), which is based on GLSL and provides run-time compiled programmable shaders for ray tracing.

Similar to OpenGL for rasterization, the OpenRL specification is a framework for writing ray tracing applications that execute across heterogeneous compute platforms. Today there is no open standard, cross-platform API for ray tracing. Consequently developers must program their ray tracing applications "to the metal" or accept “vendor lock-in” by using a proprietary closed standard that is limited to a specific subset of hardware.

Later this year, we will be proposing the OpenRL specification as an open standard to the non-profit technology consortium, the Khronos Group. Moreover, we will actively solicit and support the introduction of third-party implementations of OpenRL. In the meantime, we are pleased to introduce the first implementation of the OpenRL specification, which we are calling the OpenRL SDK.

Some quick facts and features slated for the OpenRL SDK:

• OS support for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux;
• Uses all OpenCL-based GPUs (e.g., AMD, nVidia, S3) and x86 CPUs (AMD, Intel) simultaneously;
• Adding more compute delivers an immediate and nearly linear performance boost;
• Plugging in one or more CausticOne or CausticTwo cards delivers the ultimate in ray tracing acceleration.

Target markets include but are not limited to, Film, Video, Games, Transportation, Education, Consumer Products, Architecture, Engineering, and Construction.

We would like to invite you to participate in our OpenRL BETA public program, slated for release this quarter. The OpenRL SDK Public BETA program will include free access to our developer forum where you can post your questions and answers to the OpenRL SDK, RLSL, CausticOne and CausticTwo.

Fill out the form below. Upon release we will send you an email with instructions to download the OpenRL SDK.

P.S. - For those of you who signed up for the CausticRT Emulator, well don't fret. The OpenRL SDK name supersedes CausticRT and CausticGL, whose names will be retired upon release of the production version of the OpenRL SDK.