When are 3d apps going to use gpu?

Most graphics and 3d apps are JUST starting to use the gpu question is when will 3dsmax,maya and other 3d apps will start to use gpu for calculations?.

I know photoshop is this oct.

The issue is that 3DSmax and Maya, etc need to be adapted to use GPGPU acceleration, and the question is method.
With the improvements in Brook+ you will likely see add-ons perhaps later this year.
There are other implemetnations out there like open source add-ons for Blender or nV's proprietary Gelato based work, but right now the major development companies haven't quite adopted GPGPU assistance since initially ther were a few limitations. Now it's improving a bit more and hopefully they will add GPU co-processing into future releases. The fall refreshes seem like the perfrect time for it, but who knows, GPGPU development is very niche and very slow, but should is progressing at faster rates with wider use. Also I think nV is pushing extra hard to justify their existence with this whole GPU vs CPU fight they're having with intel.

Yep, and that should be nice, although kinda annoying that it won't be a plug-in for those who already shelled out a mint for CS3, requiring a CS4 upgrade may be a little painful for some, but my understanding is that it can't just be added due to limitations in how CS3 handles the images and filters, etc.

I thought there was a new Brooks add-on for blender to do some output assist in the final render (may be something they're still working on, but I'd seen something from SC07 about it).

As for how it currently works, yes that's correct, but considering that there is still alot of simple and vector based calculations there would be a great use for current SPU based GPUs to act as co-processors. The GPU would never take over completely but to act as a geometry amplifier, lighting, culling detection or similar tasks would be well suited for GPUs, while the CPU would act as the unit to still put all the facets together.

This is the way it works with MetalRay and Gelato, and while I don't know much about it, supposedly RTsquare is greating a GPGPU client to work with Maybe, 3DSmax and others (but I think they are currently primarily Beta, or at least for Maya it's like an Alpha or early Beta according to the folks at GPGPU).

So for the OP he may want to check out R2's information on the subject and what they've brought to the table, I haven't looked at it, and don't currently have time to do more than a cursory glance, but it may hold the most promise.

http://www.rtsquare.eu/
http://www.rtsquare.eu/index.php?o [...] Itemid=266

Some nice news on Photoshop CS4

http://www.trustedreviews.com/soft [...] eration/p1