There are a number of tools on the way to make things in VR, but Oculus Medium may have just officially jumped to the front of the pack as we approach the launch of the Oculus Touch tracked hand controllers later this year.
The Oculus Medium sculpting software from Facebook has been put in the hands of a number of DC Comics artists, including Jim Lee, Dustin Nguyen, Bernard Chang, Alex Sinclair, and Jack Mathews. They called upon their extensive skill and experience to hand-sculpt 3D models of iconic DC characters, including Batman and Joker, entirely in VR. The models have since been printed out, again in 3D, as small statues and they are being given away at San Diego Comic-Con.
A look at the 3D printed statues we’re giving out @Comic_Con via trivia on the show floor this week! #SDCC2016 pic.twitter.com/GYDMDuAb8N
— Medium (@OculusMedium) July 21, 2016
After seeing them pop up on Twitter, we reached out to Oculus for more information. Oculus Medium project director Brian Sharp replied on Twitter identifying each of the artists for the above sculptures.
@hmltn @OculusMedium L to R: Jim Lee, Dustin Nguyen, Bernard Chang, Alex Sinclair, and Jack Mathews.
— Brian Sharp (@bhsharp) July 21, 2016
3D printing things made by hand in VR could be a critical piece of what could make the technology something people need to use everyday. A number of apps including Tilt Brush, SculptrVR and Tvori can unlock the creativity inside of us in VR. Whether these tools can be used to produce works of art more efficiently or effectively than with a traditional computer is not clear yet. That said, these statues are evidence that, even unreleased and unfinished, Oculus Medium is approaching the high level of detail required by professional artists.
We’ll update this post as we learn more about what Facebook is doing with Oculus Medium this week in San Diego.
