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Google VR Blocks: A Free 3D Modeling Tool for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

275 points by antichaos 9y ago

mmcclellan 9y ago
Coverage: Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/6/15929312/google-blocks-vr-modeling-app-oculus-rift-htc-vive https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/6/15929312/google-blocks-vr-... Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/google-blocks-vr/ https://www.wired.com/story/google-blocks-vr/ Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/06/google-blocks-virtual-3d-object-drawing-app-htc-vive-oculus/ https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/06/google-blocks-virtual-3d...
BinaryIdiot 9y ago
Should I be surprised that this doesn't work with Google's own Daydream? I would have assumed support for that before Vive and Rift. I'm assuming there are technical limitations to doing this on Daydream but is it just not doable at all on it? Is the control not precise enough or do you need two? Edit: Okay thanks for the clarification! I guess I wouldn't be surprised if Google has it working internally on their own standalone Daydream hardware.
- sheepdestroyer 9y ago
  vive and rift are accurately positioned in space while daydream has just an approximation from the gyro and a lot less inputs. So yeah, basically just not doable on this platform and similar ones like samsung's
- avaer 9y ago
  Performance aside, Daydream does not have 6DOF. There's a bunch of hacks you can do around 3DOF, but the experience would be severely crippled without 3D tracked controllers.
  - Stanleyc23 9y ago
    once 6DOF technology gets more advanced and more distribution, is there any use case or niche for 3DOF where it is actually the better solution?
    - avaer 9y ago
      As far as UI goes I can see it being a keyboard to your mouse. Some UIs like menus are actually easier to design and interact with in a 3DOF plane. But as far as hardware goes 3DOF is just a stepping stone; we only use it because it's easier to make. Once good, efficient 6DOF is available we can pull 3DOF out of it whenever we need to.
    - meheleventyone 9y ago
      Other than cost to produce, not really and you can always ignore position or rotational tracking to drop down from six to three which will likely be the default when losing tracking from an inside out system.
    - alexqgb 9y ago
      Assuming rough parity in terms of simplicity and cost, no. Unlike, the limited range of B&W photography vs. color, there is no intrinsic value in having a compromised sense of space and severely limited range of motion when using immersive media.
- Impossible 9y ago
  When Google releases a 6DOF standalone or mobile Daydream they will port all of their desktop PC VR apps to mobile. We're close to this, as the standalone Daydream hardware (mobile Vive) has 6DOF inside out headtracking, even though it lacks a 6DOF controller required for all VR content creation apps. For now, mobile devices don't have the input and tracking capabilities to provide a good modeling experience.
- alexqgb 9y ago
  Not if you understand the difference between a system that only tracks three degrees of freedom (i.e., rotational motion only / e.g., Daydream and GearVR), and one that tracks all six (i.e., rotational + translational / e.g., Vive and Rift). Since 3 DoF systems are widely-viewed within the industry as being time-limited, most designers with long-range plans for their work will build for 6 DoF first and foremost, and maybe develop a 3 DoF version if the basic concept and funding stream allows. Being a general authoring tool rather than a specific title, Google's VR Blocks fit squarely (sorry) in the Do 6 DoF First category.
thenomad 9y ago
I've been testing this tool this afternoon. It's surprisingly powerful. The scale-shifting means it's very easy to work on something at toy soldier scale, and then shift it to be an epic hall or similar. And being able to immediately visualise the space you've created in VR, without having to work on a 2D screen then throw a headset on, is a major improvement on current VR authoring. (I'm the developer of Left-Hand Path, a VR RPG that's been in production for a year or so, and so have authored rather a lot of VR content.) Blocks is obviously not trying to be a pro modeling tool, but it might still end up being useful for some professional applications. And it certainly shows just how powerful a pro modeling tool in VR could be.
- stephengillie 9y ago
  Having developers spend more time "in-helmet" will help them make more compelling VR experiences. It's obvious from the state of experiences that most devs aren't spending all day in VR, the way someone might spend all day in League or WoW or EvE. Hopefully this will fix that. I'm excited to get home and try this.
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  - pmoriarty 9y ago
    The problem with spending a lot of time in VR is that the current generation of VR headsets get incredibly uncomfortable before too long. Developers generally get paid for their efforts, so maybe they'll put up with the discomfort, but I certainly wouldn't want to spend that much time in VR if I could help it.. not before the headsets get a lot more comfortable.
    - hesdeadjim 9y ago
      This. I've spent the last year developing a VR game and making a lot of content and I cannot envision spending even more time in the headset. Double the resolution and give me eye tracking (so my eyes don't wear out from being forced to stare straight ahead) and I will happily change my opinion.
BatFastard 9y ago
Idea is great, dying to try it out. The cost of getting 3d content has been growing more and more cost prohibitive every year. Does it export ot a fbx or obj format? Interesting that it is a mesh building tool with a voxel representation. Can you do any type of scripting or animation with it? So many things needed. I want displacement maps, and collision hulls, and ...
- meheleventyone 9y ago
  It's not voxel based as far as I can tell, it's a regular poly mesh editor albeit with a great interface for VR. It does provide some constraints that disallow edits that result in the mesh ending up in a bad state. Right now there aren't any tools for animation or anything else like that. Just basic object creation, extrusion and feature manipulation.
  - BatFastard 9y ago
    That's a good start at least. Do you know if it is open source?
    - meheleventyone 9y ago
      Not from what I can see.
- clebio 9y ago
  Solid questions (no pun intended)! * FBX export? * scripting/animation? * Displacement maps, collision hulls, etc. Would also like to know.
- deleted 9y ago
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secure 9y ago
I used this tool to create a 3D model of a rack deployment. It was quite intuitive and I finished my model in an hour or so, which was way less than using traditional tools like sketchup (I tried before and gave up frustrated). 3D modeling really is an area where VR is just way more pleasant to use than any other option, at least for beginners :)
mkw5053 9y ago
Wow, I can't wait to get home to try this out on my Vive! Does anyone know what tools (like possibly Unity) were used to make this?
whywhywhywhy 9y ago
Disappoints me that major creative tools for VR are mostly being pushed out by the likes of Google and FB who are extremely likely to drop the projects within the next 2 years as their objectives shift because they're not creative tools companies. Would be much happier if some indie devs took up this space.
- Impossible 9y ago
  There are plenty of creative tools made by indie developers, including 3D modeling and sculpting tools. Most of Google's creative tools are aquihires (Tiltbrush, Soundstage) although Blocks appears to be internally developed. Some cool ones I can think of off the top of my head include SculptVR, Kodo, VRTX, Bound, Tvori and King Spray.
  - thenomad 9y ago
    MMVR too, which is, iirc, basically an attempt to create a full-scale modeling tool in VR.
    - andybak 9y ago
      I failed to find anything named that other than a medical app. I eventually realised you meant "Mesh Maker VR". Sigh. My crusade against over-use of acronyms by people who want to save themselves 2 seconds typing continues!
      - thenomad 9y ago
        Sorry, my bad - I thought that was actually its formal name, as that's what I'm used to seeing it called by the person who created it.
        andybak 9y ago
        Holey-moley - he's just open-sourced it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/6ltk6p/mesh_maker_vr_is_now_mit_licensed_open_source/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/6ltk6p/mesh_maker_vr_... This is a really interesting move.
snakeanus 9y ago
How does it compare with things like Blender?
- makx 9y ago
  It's much more simple than professional modeling tools. You can make some simple objects, but you don't have the tools required for more complex work. If you want something something like Blender in VR, your best option is to actually get a VR user interface for whatever software you're using, like MARUI [1] is for Maya. [1] https://www.marui-plugin.com https://www.marui-plugin.com
  - thenomad 9y ago
    There's actually a Blender addition that allows you to use it in VR. Haven't tried it, so don't know how good it is, but: https://blendervr.limsi.fr/doku.php https://blendervr.limsi.fr/doku.php
Fifer82 9y ago
Why does VR on the PC always seem like vaporware? It is prohibitively expensive and that does not seem to change year on year, I don't even really think I have seen a news story or anything about VR for the last 18 months apart from Sony's crappy offering.
- andybak 9y ago
  Meanwhile me and others are having a blast in VR day in, day out. Funny definition of "vaporware"... > I don't even really think I have seen a news story or anything about VR for the last 18 months apart from Sony's crappy offering. 1. Microsoft's Windows VR platform announced and launched to devs. 2. Bethesda announced 3 major AAA VR titles at E3: Fallout, Skyrim and Doom 3. Valve's innovative Knuckles controllers are in the hards of developers 4. Several new headsets announced - 3 for the new Windows VR platform, another Steam VR compatible headset from LG and some standalone headsets. 5. The Rift and Touch is now under 449 Euros 6. Apple announced SteamVR support and their own VR framework for Metal That's just from memory.
- bni 9y ago
  Yesterday I was ripping robots to pieces in Robo Recall, and later took a supercar for a spin around Spa in Assetto Corsa. Both using my Oculus Rift. I must have bene dreaming since this is supposedly just vapour?
iso-8859-1 9y ago
Imagine coupling this with a structural code editor like Lamdu: https://github.com/lamdu/lamdu https://github.com/lamdu/lamdu (but in 3D) Then I would spend my days waving my arms around to make code instead of typing on the keyboard. It'd be great.
rasz 9y ago
1992 is here again http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTjB4fCPpaM&t=6m38s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTjB4fCPpaM&t=6m38s
mintplant 9y ago
Can't wait to try this out. Better UIs for 3D modeling is at the very top of my software wishlist. Personally, I've always thought that an "art" 3D modeling tool (eg Blender) with a parametric/sketch-and-extrude modeling interface (as in CAD software like Inventor) would be an interesting direction for this.
suyash 9y ago
3D modelling is no easy play. I bet this tool is just a fun to use app but can't be utilized for serious work as navigating in VR with controllers in a heavy headset is extremely tiring. It's done in 2D screens because that is way more effective way as of now.

275 points by antichaos 9y ago

Coverage: Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/6/15929312/google-blocks-vr-modeling-app-oculus-rift-htc-vive https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/6/15929312/google-blocks-vr-... Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/google-blocks-vr/ https://www.wired.com/story/google-blocks-vr/ Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/06/google-blocks-virtual-3d-object-drawing-app-htc-vive-oculus/ https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/06/google-blocks-virtual-3d...

BinaryIdiot 9y ago

Should I be surprised that this doesn't work with Google's own Daydream? I would have assumed support for that before Vive and Rift. I'm assuming there are technical limitations to doing this on Daydream but is it just not doable at all on it? Is the control not precise enough or do you need two? Edit: Okay thanks for the clarification! I guess I wouldn't be surprised if Google has it working internally on their own standalone Daydream hardware.

sheepdestroyer 9y ago
vive and rift are accurately positioned in space while daydream has just an approximation from the gyro and a lot less inputs. So yeah, basically just not doable on this platform and similar ones like samsung's
avaer 9y ago
Performance aside, Daydream does not have 6DOF. There's a bunch of hacks you can do around 3DOF, but the experience would be severely crippled without 3D tracked controllers.
- Stanleyc23 9y ago
  once 6DOF technology gets more advanced and more distribution, is there any use case or niche for 3DOF where it is actually the better solution?
  - avaer 9y ago
    As far as UI goes I can see it being a keyboard to your mouse. Some UIs like menus are actually easier to design and interact with in a 3DOF plane. But as far as hardware goes 3DOF is just a stepping stone; we only use it because it's easier to make. Once good, efficient 6DOF is available we can pull 3DOF out of it whenever we need to.
  - meheleventyone 9y ago
    Other than cost to produce, not really and you can always ignore position or rotational tracking to drop down from six to three which will likely be the default when losing tracking from an inside out system.
  - alexqgb 9y ago
    Assuming rough parity in terms of simplicity and cost, no. Unlike, the limited range of B&W photography vs. color, there is no intrinsic value in having a compromised sense of space and severely limited range of motion when using immersive media.
Impossible 9y ago
When Google releases a 6DOF standalone or mobile Daydream they will port all of their desktop PC VR apps to mobile. We're close to this, as the standalone Daydream hardware (mobile Vive) has 6DOF inside out headtracking, even though it lacks a 6DOF controller required for all VR content creation apps. For now, mobile devices don't have the input and tracking capabilities to provide a good modeling experience.
alexqgb 9y ago
Not if you understand the difference between a system that only tracks three degrees of freedom (i.e., rotational motion only / e.g., Daydream and GearVR), and one that tracks all six (i.e., rotational + translational / e.g., Vive and Rift). Since 3 DoF systems are widely-viewed within the industry as being time-limited, most designers with long-range plans for their work will build for 6 DoF first and foremost, and maybe develop a 3 DoF version if the basic concept and funding stream allows. Being a general authoring tool rather than a specific title, Google's VR Blocks fit squarely (sorry) in the Do 6 DoF First category.

thenomad 9y ago

I've been testing this tool this afternoon. It's surprisingly powerful. The scale-shifting means it's very easy to work on something at toy soldier scale, and then shift it to be an epic hall or similar. And being able to immediately visualise the space you've created in VR, without having to work on a 2D screen then throw a headset on, is a major improvement on current VR authoring. (I'm the developer of Left-Hand Path, a VR RPG that's been in production for a year or so, and so have authored rather a lot of VR content.) Blocks is obviously not trying to be a pro modeling tool, but it might still end up being useful for some professional applications. And it certainly shows just how powerful a pro modeling tool in VR could be.

stephengillie 9y ago
Having developers spend more time "in-helmet" will help them make more compelling VR experiences. It's obvious from the state of experiences that most devs aren't spending all day in VR, the way someone might spend all day in League or WoW or EvE. Hopefully this will fix that. I'm excited to get home and try this.
- deleted 9y ago
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- deleted 9y ago
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- pmoriarty 9y ago
  The problem with spending a lot of time in VR is that the current generation of VR headsets get incredibly uncomfortable before too long. Developers generally get paid for their efforts, so maybe they'll put up with the discomfort, but I certainly wouldn't want to spend that much time in VR if I could help it.. not before the headsets get a lot more comfortable.
  - hesdeadjim 9y ago
    This. I've spent the last year developing a VR game and making a lot of content and I cannot envision spending even more time in the headset. Double the resolution and give me eye tracking (so my eyes don't wear out from being forced to stare straight ahead) and I will happily change my opinion.

BatFastard 9y ago

Idea is great, dying to try it out. The cost of getting 3d content has been growing more and more cost prohibitive every year. Does it export ot a fbx or obj format? Interesting that it is a mesh building tool with a voxel representation. Can you do any type of scripting or animation with it? So many things needed. I want displacement maps, and collision hulls, and ...

meheleventyone 9y ago
It's not voxel based as far as I can tell, it's a regular poly mesh editor albeit with a great interface for VR. It does provide some constraints that disallow edits that result in the mesh ending up in a bad state. Right now there aren't any tools for animation or anything else like that. Just basic object creation, extrusion and feature manipulation.
- BatFastard 9y ago
  That's a good start at least. Do you know if it is open source?
  - meheleventyone 9y ago
    Not from what I can see.
clebio 9y ago
Solid questions (no pun intended)! * FBX export? * scripting/animation? * Displacement maps, collision hulls, etc. Would also like to know.
deleted 9y ago
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secure 9y ago

I used this tool to create a 3D model of a rack deployment. It was quite intuitive and I finished my model in an hour or so, which was way less than using traditional tools like sketchup (I tried before and gave up frustrated). 3D modeling really is an area where VR is just way more pleasant to use than any other option, at least for beginners :)

mkw5053 9y ago

Wow, I can't wait to get home to try this out on my Vive! Does anyone know what tools (like possibly Unity) were used to make this?

whywhywhywhy 9y ago

Disappoints me that major creative tools for VR are mostly being pushed out by the likes of Google and FB who are extremely likely to drop the projects within the next 2 years as their objectives shift because they're not creative tools companies. Would be much happier if some indie devs took up this space.

Impossible 9y ago
There are plenty of creative tools made by indie developers, including 3D modeling and sculpting tools. Most of Google's creative tools are aquihires (Tiltbrush, Soundstage) although Blocks appears to be internally developed. Some cool ones I can think of off the top of my head include SculptVR, Kodo, VRTX, Bound, Tvori and King Spray.
- thenomad 9y ago
  MMVR too, which is, iirc, basically an attempt to create a full-scale modeling tool in VR.
  - andybak 9y ago
    I failed to find anything named that other than a medical app. I eventually realised you meant "Mesh Maker VR". Sigh. My crusade against over-use of acronyms by people who want to save themselves 2 seconds typing continues!
    - thenomad 9y ago
      Sorry, my bad - I thought that was actually its formal name, as that's what I'm used to seeing it called by the person who created it.
      - andybak 9y ago
        Holey-moley - he's just open-sourced it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/6ltk6p/mesh_maker_vr_is_now_mit_licensed_open_source/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/6ltk6p/mesh_maker_vr_... This is a really interesting move.

snakeanus 9y ago

How does it compare with things like Blender?

makx 9y ago
It's much more simple than professional modeling tools. You can make some simple objects, but you don't have the tools required for more complex work. If you want something something like Blender in VR, your best option is to actually get a VR user interface for whatever software you're using, like MARUI [1] is for Maya. [1] https://www.marui-plugin.com https://www.marui-plugin.com
- thenomad 9y ago
  There's actually a Blender addition that allows you to use it in VR. Haven't tried it, so don't know how good it is, but: https://blendervr.limsi.fr/doku.php https://blendervr.limsi.fr/doku.php

Fifer82 9y ago

Why does VR on the PC always seem like vaporware? It is prohibitively expensive and that does not seem to change year on year, I don't even really think I have seen a news story or anything about VR for the last 18 months apart from Sony's crappy offering.

andybak 9y ago
Meanwhile me and others are having a blast in VR day in, day out. Funny definition of "vaporware"... > I don't even really think I have seen a news story or anything about VR for the last 18 months apart from Sony's crappy offering. 1. Microsoft's Windows VR platform announced and launched to devs. 2. Bethesda announced 3 major AAA VR titles at E3: Fallout, Skyrim and Doom 3. Valve's innovative Knuckles controllers are in the hards of developers 4. Several new headsets announced - 3 for the new Windows VR platform, another Steam VR compatible headset from LG and some standalone headsets. 5. The Rift and Touch is now under 449 Euros 6. Apple announced SteamVR support and their own VR framework for Metal That's just from memory.
bni 9y ago
Yesterday I was ripping robots to pieces in Robo Recall, and later took a supercar for a spin around Spa in Assetto Corsa. Both using my Oculus Rift. I must have bene dreaming since this is supposedly just vapour?

iso-8859-1 9y ago

Imagine coupling this with a structural code editor like Lamdu: https://github.com/lamdu/lamdu https://github.com/lamdu/lamdu (but in 3D) Then I would spend my days waving my arms around to make code instead of typing on the keyboard. It'd be great.

rasz 9y ago

1992 is here again http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTjB4fCPpaM&t=6m38s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTjB4fCPpaM&t=6m38s

mintplant 9y ago

Can't wait to try this out. Better UIs for 3D modeling is at the very top of my software wishlist. Personally, I've always thought that an "art" 3D modeling tool (eg Blender) with a parametric/sketch-and-extrude modeling interface (as in CAD software like Inventor) would be an interesting direction for this.

suyash 9y ago

3D modelling is no easy play. I bet this tool is just a fun to use app but can't be utilized for serious work as navigating in VR with controllers in a heavy headset is extremely tiring. It's done in 2D screens because that is way more effective way as of now.