NVIDIA has officially released RTX Remix, which has been in beta for over a year. The platform lets you improve the graphics of classic PC games using AI and DLSS 4, making them look like they’ve been remastered.
The official release includes several important updates. One major improvement is the addition of DLSS 4, which has Multi-Frame Generation and RTX Neural Shaders. DLSS 4 boosts performance by improving ray tracing and frame generation, which basically means it increases frame rates. In a demo with Half-Life, using DLSS 4 with Multi-Frame Generation, a 10.2 times performance increase was achieved at 4K resolution in the Ultra settings.
NVIDIA has also introduced a new feature called Neural Radiance Cache, a type of neural shader that helps improve how light is handled in gaming engines. This technology uses AI to calculate how indirect light looks in real time, making lighting more accurate and responsive. In the Half-Life demo, for instance, users have noticed up to a 15% boost in performance.
Additionally, there have been improvements in the RTX Remix runtime that can also lead to a performance increase of up to 15%, depending on the game. There’s also a new texture streaming system that manages video memory usage by adjusting the quality of textures on the fly. This system works alongside RTX IO to ensure that games load quickly while maintaining high visual quality.
The updated RTX Remix offers better tools for modders. Now, you can change character models in games that support GPU skinning to make them look better. RTX Skin uses ray tracing to make characters and materials look more realistic by simulating how light moves through them. RTX Volumetrics allows for the creation of impressive lighting effects, like rays of light and atmospheric details such as fog and dust.
One thing that not many people know about animating meshes is that an improperly rigged skeleton can ruin everything. It’s an important step that can make bodyparts look disjointed and ruin immersion. The new Skeletal Remapper tool also helps match new character designs to the original skeletons so they animate correctly.
The RTX Remix application has also been updated and includes a new Stage Manager feature. This tool makes managing and changing game elements like lights, 3D models, and materials easier. New guides and tutorials are also available to help modders make the most of the platform.
During the beta for RTX Remix, over 30,000 modders have used it to improve hundreds of games. More than a million gamers have tried out the new mods, which is a win for the company. This move from beta also comes with improved performance for GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards, including quicker frame generation and less VRAM usage. The new AI model in DLSS improves the image quality of ray tracing on all GeForce RTX GPUs.
On March 18, a demo of Half-Life created by Orbifold Studios will be released on Steam to show everyone the improvements. This demo highlights what RTX Remix can do, featuring improved levels from Ravenholm and Nova Prospekt. A complete remaster of the game is expected to come out later.
Orbifold Studios has worked on enhancing textures, models, and levels by adding more details and using fully ray-traced lighting. They’ve also updated the atmospheric effects, visuals, and audio. The demo takes advantage of all the new features in RTX Remix, including DLSS 4, Neural Radiance Cache, RTX Skin, and RTX Volumetrics.
While it’s recommended to have a GeForce RTX 50 series GPU for the best performance at the highest settings, that’s not a hard rule. You can always adjust the settings to work with older graphics cards. Just keep in mind that improper use of the settings will cause your computer or laptop to run hot.
You can download NVIDIA RTX Remix from the NVIDIA app or website. To create mods, you need a GeForce RTX graphics card, but the mods you create will work on any hardware that can run games using Vulkan with ray tracing. To find and share mods, it’s a good idea to check out ModDB and the RTX Remix Showcase Discord server.
Source: NVIDIA
