Local businesses with heavy modelling and rendering demands are to be offered a new purpose-built hardware option, with Central Innovation's hardware subsidiary, IC3D, picking up the US-based Boxx Technologies brand.

Central innovation CEO Max Piper says the deal reflects a trend in hardware away from traditional vendors.

"The ‘off-the-shelf' era is yielding to customisation because ‘off-the-shelf' has to cater to a broader audience,” Piper says, "and this places significant limits on higher-end processing speeds.

"Basically, anyone working with professional or commercial modelling and rendering software today needs ‘super powered' machines.

Boxx workstations feature over-clocked and liquid-cooled CPUs housed in custom carriages, which the makers say can turn a 30-minute render into a minute and a half.

That sort of boost is invaluable for anyone in the media and entertainment sector, as well as architecture, engineering, manufacturing, and higher education.

Central Innovation also incorporates Graphisoft and Intercad, which was purchased in a management buy-out in January.

"When we announced our management buy-out, we made it clear that we would seek ways of meeting ANZ's need for leading technology,” Piper says.

"Today's announcement drives this home, because we are building on our company's expertise by taking on a critical issue that impacts a very wide customer base.