AnyRender Cloud Renderer

Project Description

Launched in 2019 before diffusion-based generative AI rendering tech was commonplace, AnyRender was a deterministic and photorealistic browser-based 3D rendering application, powered by cloud technology, the Cycles renderer and WebGL. On the backend service, the rendering engine heavily utilized an early version of NVIDIA's denoising technology running on NVIDIA GTX 1080 GPUs that would later become part of NVIDIA DLSS and NRD.

The frontend app solved a key pain point for interior design support staff. Since it required no download and was accessible through modern web browsers, it was accessible to salespeople and consultants to allow on the spot customisation of interior designs. It had low system requirements, meaning users don't require a powerful PC with a fast GPU to create photorealistic renders at real-time speeds. It was possible to render scenes from an Ultrabook or light-weight sales laptop, right on a showroom floor, drastically reducing the turnaround time for material variations or small placement adjustments to furniture in a scene. Built-in tools allowed models to be uploaded and edited to split geometry apart and adjust their materials. A full range of image based lighting and raytraced options was available to make scenes pop.

The application used an Ember.js frontend which communicated with a Ruby backend service and render queue powered by GPU renderer nodes. Initially THREE.js was used in the frontend, but we eventually re-wrote most the the THREE.js helper code as native WebGL to maximise performance and align it more closely with the cloud renderer output.

My role in the product development team included delivering features such as:

• UI Upgrades

• WebGL UX Improvements

• New 3D Scene Controls

• User Account Management

• 3D Animation Timeline Editor

• Shader Improvements

• 360 Degree Rendering For VR

Additionally, using Babylon.js and Angular frameworks I developed a number of new product prototypes, including a web-based 3D furniture visualiser and floor planning application with placeable furniture that worked cross device on desktop and mobile browsers.

The AnyRender service had a public launch and was used by interior designers and 3D artists to improve their rendering workflows, with the main use-case of creating renders for marketing content or for client feedback.