NVIDIA Empowers SWAY Studio for GM Super Bowl XLI Commercial

 Visual effects
studios dream of rendering photo-real images in real time. SWAY Studio of
Westwood, Calif., realized the dream by integrating NVIDIA Quadro based
solutions from NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in
programmable graphics processor technologies, into its production pipeline for
the creation and delivery of a :60 commercial for GM, which will debut during
Super Bowl XLI on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2007.
 

 (Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020613/NVDALOGO )
 

 The commercial follows a small robot that accidentally drops a bolt while
working on the GM vehicle assembly line. The mistake causes the line to shut
down, and the robot is ultimately banished from the company premises. Forlorn
and uncertain of his future, the robot does his best to move on with life.
 

 "Our biggest challenge was to seamlessly create and integrate a realistic
CG robot into footage of the actual robot we filmed on set," said Mark Glaser,
owner and creative director of SWAY Studio. "NVIDIA Quadro based solutions
allowed us to easily work at this high level of resolution and detail in real
time, which saved us a considerable amount of time throughout the project."
 

 For the spot, the talented animators at SWAY successfully created an
unsullied computer-generated (CG) replication of a real-life robot that evokes
precise movement and realistic emotion. To accurately create motion not easily
achieved by the real-life robot used during the filming process, SWAY shot
basic photography of the robot in various positions creating a model reference
to aid in the 3D replication. High Dynamic Range Imagery (HDRI) was also
recorded from multiple angles to generate a simulated render of what the CG
robot would have looked like had it been filmed in real life. SWAY found that
while animating the highly detailed 3D model of the robot, with all the detail
necessary for HDTV resolution, visual interaction was solid and unshakable due
to the extreme reliability of NVIDIA Quadro graphics.
 

 SWAY also created the precise illusion of a water-filled LA River. To add
the effects of moving water into the usually vacant Los Angeles River, SWAY
perfected the look by studying the nuances of a real river and applying those
observations to the CG water surface as multiple layers of procedural
textures. To create these exact effects, SWAY used Nuke from D2 Software,
high-end compositing software that utilizes the advanced features of Quadro
graphics technology.
 

 "When it comes to compositing with Nuke, NVIDIA is the only option,"
explains Glaser. "Its Open-GL driver interface displays flawlessly on NVIDIA
graphic cards. With other graphics board solutions, you can expect to have
interface rendering problems, but that is not the case with NVIDIA Quadro
graphics. The key is that NVIDIA delivers the best quality drivers -- always
stable and dependable."
 

 "We use NVIDIA Quadro solutions for all our projects and are thrilled
about the power of the latest NVIDIA GPUs-they generate an opportunity for us
to be more creative and efficient in our work," continued Glaser. "We get
excited about faster CPUs, but what is truly exciting is the advancement
NVIDIA is making with its GPUs, as this brings us closer to our vision of
producing real-time photorealistic CG."
 

 About NVIDIA
 

 NVIDIA Corporation is the worldwide leader in programmable graphics
processor technologies. The Company creates innovative, industry-changing
products for computing, consumer electronics, and mobile devices. NVIDIA is
headquartered in Santa Clara, CA and has offices throughout Asia, Europe, and
the Americas. For more information, visit http://www.nvidia.com.
 

 Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to,
statements as to the features, uses, benefits, capabilities and performance of
NVIDIA GPUs and other technology and the GM advertisement are forward-looking
statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause
results to be materially different than expectations. Important factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially include: loss or differences
in performance when products are integrated; development of faster or more
efficient GPUs; software defects; manufacturing defects; the impact of
technological development and competition; general industry trends; changes in
industry standards and interfaces as well as other factors detailed from time
to time in the reports NVIDIA files with the Securities and Exchange
Commission including its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 29, 2006.
Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on our Web site and are
available from NVIDIA without charge. These forward-looking statements are not
guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and,
except as required by law, NVIDIA disclaims any obligation to update these
forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.
 

 All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or
registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated.
Features, pricing, availability, and specifications are subject to change
without notice.
 

 SOURCE  NVIDIA Corporation
 

 Kelly Dove of NVIDIA Corporation, +1-512-401-4514, kdove@nvidia.com
 

 http://www.nvidia.com