How Oculus and 3D printers will let artists sculpt with digital clay
Now that we finally have the Oculus Rift's Touch controllers, VR gaming on the platform is about to get a lot more interactive. However, based on a video released by Oculus on Monday, the best use of the Touch controller may turn out be Medium, a software tool from Oculus that allows you to sculpt with digital clay in virtual reality.
In the launch video, we first see a user sketch out an idea using an Apple Pencil on the iPad Pro. Then the user takes the concept from that sketch and recreates it in Medium, constructing a 3D character in VR using layers, lighting effects and stamp tools.
Later, the user saves the character inside a Medium 3D model collection, downloads a file, and then prints his creation with a standard 3D printer (a dynamic similar to what Sketchfab currently offers.)
And instead of a VR art tool like Google's Tilt Brush for the HTC Vive, which delivers mostly rough (yet brilliant) sketches of ideas and figures, Medium appears to render smoother, more controllable strokes, images and figures, resulting in 3D models that look more finished and ready use.
In short, it looks like someone took a basic version of Autodesk Maya and Photoshop and transported them into VR, potentially offering a radical change in the way 3D artists will work in the future.
Oculus gave us an early peek at Medium a few months ago (see video above), but this latest demo is far more detailed and, frankly, convincing.
It's too early to tell just how groundbreaking this tool is without full testing, but if the video delivers on its promises, Tilt Brush may have just been outclassed. Medium is now available on the Oculus app store for $29.99.
Topics Oculus
