NVIDIA’s RTX Remix technology once again shows what it is capable of after a modder shows off the 1996 game now featuring path tracing. Modder “skurtyyskirts” is still working on their RTX Remix project but early images have been shared by PC Focus (via DSOG) where lighting, shadows, and reflections have been greatly improved upon. The effect is very reminiscent of the Quake II RTX edition which NVIDIA released in 2019 and we have a performance review of here.
RTX Remix Open Beta begins on January 22nd
NVIDIA made the RTX Remix runtime open-source last spring allowing early access in the modding community to take classic games to the next level with ray tracing effects enhanced by its RTX technology. Portal with RTX was released, further showing how older games can be upgraded using the tool kit. It is believed that as this modder shows off their efforts with the original Tomb Raider game they have been using the same runtime which NVIDIA did with the aforementioned games. NVIDIA recently announced that RTX Remix Open Beta begins on January 22nd. It is then that anyone can download the tool kit to use and the runtime has likely been updated. NVIDIA provided extensive screenshot comparisons and details in its announcement regarding its upcoming Half-Life 2 RTX Remix release and explanations on how its took kits can aid the modding community as well.
Per NVIDIA:
The RTX Remix app is your central UI for creating RTX mods of classic games. Easily import game captures, enhance assets, relight scenes with full ray traced lighting (also known as path-traced lighting), and review updates live in the viewport.
RTX Remix app features include:
- RTX Remix’s ingestion pipeline, which converts a variety of file formats to Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD), making it easy to open and edit them in your favorite Omniverse-connected app, including RTX Remix itself.
- Easy asset replacement. Upgrade models with new, high-poly replacements that rival the detail and fidelity of those found in modern games. RTX Remix features a free bank of high quality USD assets created by NVIDIA, ready to be used in your next mod. Import them into your mods as-is, or remix their properties using an Omniverse connected application of your choice, such as Blender or Adobe Substance.
- Support for a variety of PBR material maps, including albedo, metallic, roughness, emissive, normal, subsurface scattering and height maps, which can leverage Parallax Occlusion Mapping (POM) to make texture surfaces realistically bumpy, for improved interplay with fully ray traced light and shadow.
- Relighting with full ray tracing. Convert basic light sources into physically-accurate dynamic lights, capable of casting high-fidelity ray-traced shadows, illuminating scenery, and interacting with the Physically Based properties of enhanced textures. And insert new lights to transform the appearance of a scene even more.
- Multiple views to help with your remaster. For example, use wireframe mode to see the polygonal detail of every asset, or a “white mode” to view lighting in neutral conditions.