Virtual worlds are for more than just gaming—they’re useful for planning infrastructure like roads and buildings, and they can also be used to test autonomous vehicles. NVIDIA’s Omniverse project is making it easier to create ultra-realistic virtual spaces for those real-world purposes. The platform combines the real-time ray-tracing technology of the brand’s latest graphics processing units with an array of open-source tools for collaborating live in photorealistic 3-D worlds. Architects like Foster + Partners are using the tech to visualize building details earlier in the design process, and BMW has built a “digital twin” of one of its factories, enabling the company to test more efficient assembly-line possibilities. —Jesse Will
More Must-Read Stories From TIME
- LeBron James Could Take Pickleball—Yes, Pickleball—to the Next Level
- It's Going to Be a Lot More Expensive to Heat Your Home This Winter. Here's What To Expect
- The U.S. Might Be the Surprising Determining Factor in the Future of Armenia
- Rapper Saucy Santana Is Opening a Door For His Community
- Here are the Biggest Moments from the TIME100 Leadership Forum and Impact Awards in Singapore
- Column: Russia Wants to Lock Ukraine Back in the Soviet Cellar
- As the Kanjuruhan Tragedy Shows, Indonesia Has Not Resolved Its Long-Standing Problem of Soccer Violence
- Here's Everything New on Netflix in October 2022
- A New Documentary Series Illuminates the History and Evolution of Queer Horror
