Google’s Tilt Brush will soon create windows from VR into reality

Google's Tilt Brush, the app that lets you "sculpt" paintings in virtual reality, is getting a new set of features that move the VR tool far beyond the realm of interactive art.

Previewed in a video released on Friday, a new set of prototype features includes a multi-user mode that allows several users to work on the same piece of art at once.

Usually, art is a single-person activity, but given the three-dimensional nature of Tilt Brush creations, the "multiplayer" mode is not only practical, but could also be a first step toward gamifying the art creation experience.

And to make it easier to use that mode, the app will soon allow users to customize their avatars with artistic flourishes that are, in some cases, animated.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Another prototype tool that could change the process of creating art and designs is the addition of a posable mannequin with articulated joints. This feature could be particularly useful for fashion professionals using the HTC Vive (the hardware needed to use the app) to craft new styles.

There's also a new "zoetrope" feature (named after the classic, non-VR animation style) that allows you to preview how an animation might look by letting you create a circular model of it. The process isn't meant for elaborate, detailed animations, but it's a great early look at what creating fully formed animated works will be like in the future.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

But the most stunning part of the new features demo is called Portal Brush, a brush that allows you to "erase" any part of your virtual reality to peek at what's happening in the real world around you

This window into the real world could work brilliantly as a means of interacting with team members attempting to give direction or suggestions from outside of the VR environment.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

No dates have been given for when the updates will appear in the app, but knowing that this is what's on the way may get VR fans who were considering the HTC Vive and Tilt Brush a little more excited about adopting the still-developing art creation platform.