Google to open source tilt brush

The Tilt Brush, launched by Google on the game distribution platform Steam, is a virtual reality drawing program that can be played on major virtual reality headsets such as Oculus Rift, Windows MR headset Valve Index, PlayStation VR, and Oculus Quest. On January 26, 2021 (local time), Google announced that it would stop continuing development of the tilt brush and make it open source.

Tilt Brush is a virtual reality software that can draw three-dimensional pictures in virtual reality space as well as flat surfaces. Various effects can be added, and it is possible to create the contents of one’s imagination in a virtual reality space.

Google acquired the tilt brush developer Skillman & Hackett in 2015 and launched the tilt brush on Steam in April 2016. The development of the tilt brush has continued to support multiplayer after the acquisition of Google, and an open source toolkit for using content rendered with the tilt brush for animation has been added.

Google announced in a blog post on January 26 that it will open source the tilt brush. Although the Tilt Brush code was accessible on GitHub, the Tilt Brush project itself has already been found to be obsolete.

Google is launching various virtual reality projects while abolishing many of them. In 2019, it has ended sales of the virtual reality headset Daydream View, and in 2020, it has announced that it will end the 3D content platform Poly and Expedition, an educational virtual reality tour app.

It’s not uncommon for Google and its parent company Alphabet to end a big project. Recently, the project of providing the Internet by placing a hot air balloon in the stratosphere was terminated. However, since the tilt brush was not completely abolished but became open source, it could be said to be a meaningful compromise for tilt brush users. Related information can be found here .