Table of Contents
Introduction
Virtual reality (VR) has revolutionized the way we create and experience art. With VR headsets and a range of creative tools, artists can now paint, model, and animate in a three-dimensional space, unleashing their creativity like never before. In this article, we will explore the top virtual reality tools available, their features, skill levels they cater to, and their costs. Whether you’re a professional artist or a beginner looking to explore the world of VR art, there is a tool for you.
Open Brush
Feature Focus: Painting
Open Brush is a community-created successor to Tilt Brush. It is a room-scale 3D-painting virtual reality application available for the Quest and PC VR platforms. With Open Brush, you can unleash your creativity by painting in 3D space. The tool offers a wide palette of brushes, including stars, light, and fire, allowing you to create three-dimensional brush strokes. Your room becomes your canvas, and your imagination becomes your palette. Open Brush is free to use.
Quill
Feature Focus: Painting, Animation
Quill by Smoothstep is a VR illustration and animation tool designed for artists, designers, and storytellers. It allows you to create fully animated self-contained VR films or produce traditional 3D or 2D artwork and game assets. Quill is designed to be expressive and precise, allowing the artist’s unique style to shine through. Whether you prefer a watercolor style, pencil style, oil painting style, or any other, Quill can accommodate it. The tool is free to use.
Kingspray Graffiti
Feature Focus: Painting
If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at street art without the risk of jail time, Kingspray Graffiti is the perfect tool for you. It is a multiplayer VR graffiti simulator available for the Quest and PC VR platforms. Kingspray offers realistic spray, colors, drips, metallics, and more, allowing you to create amazing street art in a virtual environment. The tool provides a wide range of caps, ultra-detailed environments, and paint surfaces, enabling you to express your creativity and style. Kingspray Graffiti is available for $15.
Gravity Sketch
Feature Focus: Modeling, Design
Gravity Sketch is an immersive 3D design tool that empowers you to create, share, and collaborate on your best design ideas. It is available for the Quest and PC VR platforms. With Gravity Sketch, you can go beyond 2D sketching and express yourself in a virtual studio. The tool allows you to explore iterations of designs, communicate design intent with greater clarity, and invite others to shape your ideas and decision-making. Gravity Sketch is free to use.
ShapesXR
Feature Focus: Design, Modeling
ShapesXR is a tool that allows anyone to start creating in 3D without prior experience. It is available for the Quest platform. With ShapesXR, you can design and prototype immersive apps, co-create in real-time with others, and present your ideas using the storyboard feature. The tool also allows you to share your creations with anyone, even those without a VR headset, through the web, Unity plugin, or 2D images. ShapesXR is free to use.
AnimVR
Feature Focus: Painting, Animation
AnimVR revolutionizes 3D content production with its powerful timeline, virtual cameras, audio recording, fading, and editing capabilities. It is available for PC VR platforms. This tool combines the best parts of traditional animation with the advantages of digital content creation tools, allowing you to jump right into storytelling without worrying about technical details. AnimVR enables you to create hand-drawn animations, environment layouts, 3D storyboards, animatics, and whole experiences. AnimVR is available for $30.
SculptVR
Feature Focus: Modeling
SculptVR allows you to create sprawling and brilliant worlds in VR. It is available for the Quest and PC VR platforms. With SculptVR, you can invite your friends to join you in an online game, race to the finish with hang-gliders, or switch to climbing mode for more fun. The tool also provides an interactive gallery where you can discover thousands of amazing creations and remix them to your liking. Once you’re satisfied with your creation, you can upload it to the SculptrVR content gallery and share it with others. SculptVR is available for $20.
Masterpiece X
Feature Focus: Animation, Modeling
Masterpiece X is a 3D creation platform designed for modern creators. It is available for the Quest platform. This tool is perfect for beginners or those frustrated with complex tools. Masterpiece X allows you to start creating in 3D without starting from scratch. It provides complete models that you can easily remix and customize to suit your inspiration. Masterpiece X is free to use.
Adobe Substance 3D Modeler
Feature Focus: Modeling
Adobe Substance 3D Modeler is an innovative sculpting and modeling app that combines VR and desktop experiences. It aims to redefine how we create in 3D by offering a more natural approach to modeling. With a Sparse Distance Field (SDF) engine at its core, Substance 3D Modeler allows you to model and sculpt without worrying about technical constraints like polycount, topology, or subdivision levels. You can start your creation from scratch or import an existing model and convert it to clay for sculpting. Substance 3D Modeler requires a subscription.
Vermillion
Feature Focus: Painting
Vermillion provides a fully equipped oil painting studio in the comfort of your home. It is available for the Quest and PC VR platforms. With Vermillion, you can experience the unrivaled sense of accomplishment that comes from creating your first painting. The tool allows you to learn from your favorite YouTube artists using the built-in web browser, trace reference images directly on the canvas, and even learn from friends in multiplayer. Vermillion is available for $20.
Painting VR
Feature Focus: Painting
Painting VR is a tool that lets you discover your inner artist. It is available for the Quest and PC VR platforms. With Painting VR, you get a fully equipped oil painting studio without the mess. You can learn from your favorite YouTube artists, trace reference images, and even learn from friends in multiplayer. Painting VR is available for $20.
Conclusion
Virtual reality has opened up new possibilities for artists, allowing them to create and experience art in immersive and interactive ways. The top virtual reality tools mentioned in this article cater to various creative workflows, including painting, animation, modeling, and design. Whether you’re a professional artist or a beginner, there is a VR tool that can unleash your creativity and bring your ideas to life. Explore these tools, find the one that suits your needs and skill level, and start creating amazing art in the virtual world.
