I think this will probably change the world of computer graphics, imagine a render package that uses the CUDA language to then multi-thread render jobs. Results are immediately viewable on the workspace, and the shader network system is node-based which you can edit within the UI. And how much did you say? AUD$200 (thereabouts). Per node. Puts renderman to shame I say.
Only drawback, it renders using GI, Final Gather, (Physical Sun) ambient occlusion area lights... You get the picture, so it is limited in having custom an indifivualised look. But hey, if you're a good compositor, you can make well up for it. I say this is an awesome package.
"Octane Render is the world's first GPU based, un-biased, physically
based renderer. What does that mean? It uses the video card in your
computer to render photorealistic results fast...really fast. This
allows the user to create stunning works in a fraction of the time of
traditional CPU based renderers."
Octane Render by Refractive Software
Octane Render 1.0 Beta 1 Overview from Phil Beauchamp on Vimeo.
