CUDA Spotlight: Vlado Koylazov




Vlado Koylazov

CUDA-Accelerated Visual Effects

This week's Spotlight is on Vladimir "Vlado" Koylazov, co-founder and head of software development at Chaos Group, the makers of V-Ray and V-Ray RT.

Chaos Group was founded in 1997 in Bulgaria and has grown to a team of more than 100 people in Europe, USA, Japan and Korea. This interview is part of the CUDA Spotlight Series.


Q & A with Vlado Koylazov

NVIDIA: Vlado, what is your role in the visual effects industry?
Vlado: I co-founded Chaos Group. We develop innovative rendering software for the media, entertainment and design industries.

NVIDIA: How do you utilize GPU technology at your company?
Vlado: Our interactive ray tracing software, V-Ray RT, leverages GPUs to create photorealistic computer-generated imagery in real time. We use CUDA to perform accelerated GPU ray tracing.

NVIDIA: How does GPU computing help your customers?
Vlado: The increased speed and interactivity enabled by GPU computing allows our users to work more efficiently than ever before. Using real time ray tracing, artists are able to rapidly develop the final look of their imagery and iterate more effectively.

Chaos Group's V-Ray Demo Real, 2012
Chaos Group's V-Ray Demo Real, 2012

NVIDIA: What's an example of work your customers have produced with VRay-RT?
Vlado: One of our customers, Studio a52, recently beta tested the newest version of V-Ray RT running on CUDA and NVIDIA Maximus 2.0. They were able iterate faster and work more efficiently, setting up lighting and materials for two animated commercials – one for Ben & Jerry's ice cream and one for Lexus. The feedback we received was very positive, and the results were great.

Lexus ad created with Chaos Group's V-Ray RT
Lexus ad created with Chaos Group's V-Ray RT

NVIDIA: How far do your customers go to get the maximum performance from VRay-RT?
Vlado: I've seen several different multi-GPU systems where customers have added anywhere from three to nine additional GPUs. At Siggraph this year, we demoed using a Boxx workstation and GPU Expander with an NVIDIA Quadro 6000 and six NVIDIA Tesla 2075s. That was fast! And of course, you can add even more if you want.

Ben & Jerry's ad created with Chaos Group's V-Ray RT
Ben & Jerry's ad created with Chaos Group's V-Ray RT

NVIDIA: Where do you see V-Ray RT being in five years?
Vlado: The feature set for V-Ray RT will continue to grow and mature into a fully capable production renderer. Advances in GPU technology will allow extremely complex scenes to be rendered in real-time. We're certainly excited about the possibilities!

NVIDIA: What do you enjoy most about your job?
Vlado: Our software is used by artists to create so many amazing things. Whether it's a new electric vehicle, an energy efficient building or a blockbuster film, we're providing the tools to help artists visualize their imaginative designs. I enjoy the fact that our work helps solve their problems and make their lives easier.

NVIDIA: How did you get into your current line of work? And what advice would you give to someone interested in that career?
Vlado: Computer graphics has always been my passion. While I was studying at Sofia University, I was lucky enough to meet my business partner, Peter Mitev. Peter introduced me to Autodesk 3ds Max and the field of professional graphics programming; soon after, we formed Chaos Group.

Computer graphics is a vast field with a wide range of opportunities. For anyone interested in this career, my advice is to work hard and try your hand at many things.


Bio for Vlado Koylazov

Vlado Koylazov is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Chaos Group. He oversees the development of all software products, including the V-Ray rendering engine and its integrations in Autodesk 3ds Max, Maya, Softimage, etc. Vlado graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Informatics and a Master's Degree in Computer Graphics from FMI, Sofia University.

Relevant Links
https://www.facebook.com/chaosgroup
http://www.chaosgroup.com/en/2/index.html

Contact Info
contacts (at) chaosgroup.com

Note: Originally posted at www.nvisionapp.com