The entire architectural community is excited about NVIDIA Omniverse. But is your practice ready to adopt it? Here is my opinion, writes Karl Smith.

With sustainability, global collaboration and digital transformation driving the architecture industry forward, Omniverse is turning heads at the world’s leading architecture practices – and for good reason.

Within firms who have adopted it successfully, the platform is revolutionising the way #architects work, thanks to its comprehensive support for Open USD, which streamlines the integration of various #design tools into a single, fluid workflow.

Omniverse’s #digitaltwin technology is another standout feature, as it offers architects the ability to simulate and interact with their creations throughout the entire lifecycle of a building. Combined with incorporating #AI functionalities that automate routine tasks and refine design processes, this is accelerating architectural firms in their pursuit of enhancing #sustainability and operational efficiency in projects.

Despite the excitement around NVIDIA Omniverse, however, many practices I meet find themselves not quite ready to take the leap – even if they want to.

For a firm to be genuinely prepared to fully embrace Omniverse, there are two fundamental elements that must be in place before considering the platform.

The first critical step in adopting NVIDIA Omniverse is assessing whether your #IT infrastructure is up to the task. A common oversight for many architectural firms is underestimating the hardware requirements, particularly #GPUs, on which Omniverse relies heavily. This omission can lead to unexpected expense and project delays. Another often overlooked but equally critical element is assessing your network’s capability to manage the extensive data exchange required for real-time, global #collaboration.

Every successful Omniverse integration I’ve witnessed shares one common factor… the second keystone for success is a dedicated champion within the organisation.

This individual, deeply versed in both the technical nuances and practical applications of Omniverse, plays a crucial role in streamlining the adoption process. They spearhead training, easing the firm through the initial learning phase, and can clearly illustrate Omniverse’s benefits for projects.

Unfortunately, practices I speak with who lack such a champion face frequent hurdles in overcoming any IT infrastructure obstacles and realising the platform’s full potential. Many will struggle to even get Omniverse adoption off the ground.