Google creates Tilt Brush Toolkit to help 2D artists work better in 3D

Google recognizes the importance of bringing visual arts into virtual reality by making 3D work easier for artists accustomed to working exclusively in 2D mediums. The company’s Tilt Brush project is its effort to turn that recognition into real-world tools and programs that let artists do their work in VR.

Tilt Brush is a VR app that lets artists work in a virtual 3D space, drawing and painting with tools like VR materials. The Tilt Brush Artist in Residency (AiR) program brings together artists from different disciplines to apply their talent in VR environments. Now, Google has introduced a new Tilt Brush Toolkit to provide even more tools to help 2D artist transition to 3D.

Showcase your art in new places, on new platforms, and in new ways with the #TiltBrush Toolkit. https://t.co/EeyW57v9qy pic.twitter.com/LHgog6947n

— Google VR (@googlevr) January 19, 2017

While the app makes it easier for artists to create 3D work, it’s primarily a tool for creating static images that can be filmed, photographed, or exported as 3D objects. Animation, sequencing, and interactivity aren’t aided by Tilt Brush, and that is precisely the limitation that the toolkit was created to address.

The toolkit is offered as an open source library of Python scripts and a Unity software developer kit (SDK) with a number of assets supporting a variety of mediums. The toolkit includes tools to create movies, interactive stories, video games, music videos, and more, including brush shaders, audio reactive code, and others. A streamlined Unity import pipeline, file format conversion utilities, and example code are included to help hobbyists and professionals create Tilt Brush art in a variety of places and mediums.

You can download the toolkit on GitHub. Google wants artists to use the new toolkit in their work, and then share their projects using the hashtag #TiltBrush. Google will be highlighting projects with favorites selected by the Twitter handle @googlevr.