Nvidia’s GauGan algorithm showcases some cutting edge AI, capable of transforming sketches into realistic landscapes in real time.

Almost as if reading your mind, you can tell GauGan where to place a rock, water, sand or any other landscape, and it will render a realistic image for you. The underlying AI uses the GAN architecture, which spawned a wave of neural networks capable of mimicking realism to scary accuracy (You might have heard the term deep fake).

By watching the video it becomes pretty clear why this is such a tough task to accomplish. Not only does the texture at each region have to look realistic, but, it has to accurately reflect the environment around it. A rock’s shadow must form on the opposite side of the sun, and similarly all shadows should have the same angle for the image to look realistic. Light will bend on water, and water will reflect a tree under the right light conditions.

Watch these incredible videos and see how GauGan does just that. Or, go strait to their website and start experimenting.