Google buys Zync, a cloud-based visual effects rendering firm

Google acquired Zync, a Boston-based firm that specializes in visual effects rendering through the Internet. In the visual effects industry, rendering is the process of taking computer generated 3-D models and turning them into the realistic 2-D visuals that we see in movies. But rendering requires a lot of computing power, and as a result most visual effects companies build out entire "render farms" to create their scenes. Zync's technology, called Zync Render, enables companies to render visuals through the cloud, letting artists create imagery without having to own and maintain a render farm.