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Google’s Early VR Modeling Tool ‘Blocks’ is Getting Revived as Open Source Software

July 17, 2024 From roadtovr

Google announced that Blocks, the 3D asset creation tool released for VR in 2017, is following in the footsteps of Tilt Brush by going open source.

Google announced the news in a blogpost, noting that development of Open Blocks is following the example put forth by Open Brush, a version of Google’s Tilt Brush XR creation tool which was open sourced in 2021.

“We now wish to share the code behind Google Blocks, allowing for novel and rich experiences to emerge from the creativity and passion of open source contributors such as the Icosa Foundation,” Google says.

The Icosa Foundation is also known for developing Open Brush and Google Polygon replacement Icosa Gallery.

“Over the coming months, we’ll be working hard to bring the Open Blocks codebase up to modern standards,” Icosa Foundation says in a blogpost. “First up, we’ll be switching to use the OpenXR framework and new input system within Unity, enabling us to target Open Blocks for a much wider range of XR devices. At that point, we will be aiming to create a standalone XR port, and bring Open Blocks to the Quest and Pico platforms. Along the way, there will be plenty of opportunity to add immersive XR features such as MR passthrough.”

The team maintains its long-term roadmap will “transform Open Blocks into a full modelling suite, giving you more control over materials, adding texturing support, and enabling more powerful tools from traditional CSG pipelines.”

The open source archive of the Blocks code can be found on github. Additionally, versions of Google Blocks will remain available on both Steam and the Meta PC Store, although you should not the last time these have received an update was in 2018.

Filed Under: google, google ar, google blocks, google vr, google xr, icosa foundation, icosa gallery, News, open blocks, XR Industry News

Former Head of Qualcomm’s XR Division Joins Google to Guide XR Strategy

June 19, 2024 From roadtovr

Hugo Swart, previous head of Qualcomm’s XR division, announced he’s joined Google where he’ll lead the company’s XR Ecosystem Strategy and Technology efforts.

Swart shared the news in a LinkedIn update, noting the move happened a few months ago:

Happy to share that I joined Google couple months ago and am responsible for XR Ecosystem Strategy and Technology. Super excited to continue the XR journey and working with you all – great things ahead! Thank you Shahram Izadi for the opportunity! Looking forward to AWE this week!!

As General Manager and Vice President of XR at Qualcomm, Swart was a driving force behind the company’s Snapdragon XR series of chipsets, which currently power the majority of standalone headsets on the market, including all of Meta’s Quest headsets to date.

Hugo Swart introduces Snapdragon XR | Courtesy Qualcomm

Following Swart’s departure from Qualcomm in February, Alex Katouzian, Group GM of the Mobile, XR, and Compute Business Unit is currently overseeing XR at Qualcomm.

Swart is joining Google at a pivotal moment in XR, as the company recently announced a strategic technology partnership with Magic Leap, which is seen as an effort to keep up with Meta, Apple, and others in a race to control the burgeoning AR headset market.

This follows a notable setback last year when Google reportedly shelved its Project Iris AR glasses following mass restructuring within the company, which included layoffs, reshuffles, and the departure of Clay Bavor, Google’s then-head of AR and VR.

Meanwhile, Google is developing a new Android-based platform for Samsung’s upcoming XR headset announced back in February 2023, which is set to be powered by Qualcomm silicon. Google is also rumored to be developing a “Micro XR” platform for XR glasses, which is said to use a prototyping platform internally known as “Betty.”

Filed Under: google ar, google xr, hugo swart, Qualcomm, qualcomm xr, snapdragon, snapdragon xr, swart, XR Industry News

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