It was like, 2016, right? Google drops this thing called Tilt Brush. Art in VR, kinda mind-blowing at the time. Fast forward a bit, and poof, Google’s done with it. So, what happens? This thing called Open Brush pops up in 2021. Same vibe, open-source, and now it’s got multiplayer. Yeah, you heard me. Multiplayer.
So, this group, the Icosa Foundation, they’re the brains behind it. They just rolled out this update that lets people, like, paint in VR together. Picture you and your buddy, headsets on, lurking around each other’s doodles. The sound of the virtual brush on nothingness? It’s weirdly satisfying. Anyway, it works on Quest and SteamVR. Can’t wait to see someone draw an alien with too many arms.
Now, I’m kind of all over the place, but — stay with me, the multiplayer isn’t jam-packed with features yet. You get the basics. But the cool cats at Icosa are promising more stuff will drop soon. Meetings in VR art rooms, setting others on mute, or kicking them out — it’s a whole vibe. Cross-platform too. So no excuses, jump in wherever.
Mike Nisbet, one of those Icosa peeps, said they’re all about making creativity a party everyone’s invited to. I mean, real-time collabs were their number one request. Seems they finally got the hint.
Back when Tilt Brush hit, it was the king of the VR art mountain. But then Google ghosted it and made it open source. Smart move, really. Open Brush wasn’t the only one to sprout from it. There were others like SideSketch and something for WebXR, plus some premium wannabes like Multibrush. Plenty to mess around with.
But let’s face it, Open Brush having multiplayer and continuous updates? It’s hard to argue it’s not at the top now. Voilà, you’ve got virtual art sessions that feel like late-night city graffiti missions with friends, minus the legal issues. Or maybe even none of the mess but all of the vibes. Whatever it is, it’s more fun than scribbling on paper.
