Oculus Quill lets VR illustrators paint in space and time

Of all the virtual reality demos WIRED has tried in the past several years, it is arguably the creative applications rather than games or movies that have been most impressive.

Tilt Brush, a VR drawing and sculpting app, has frequently been the jewel in the HTC Vive's almost-consumer-ready crown. The combination of spacially-aware VR and painting lets users draw an arc in mid air, walk around it and continue their drawing in three dimensions. It's hypnotic and instinctual, but also innovative and fun.

Creative VR tools will get a further boost in 2016 when Media Molecule's Dreams comes (as hinted, but not confirmed) to PlayStation VR.

Now Oculus Rift has announced its own internal creative tool, in order to turn its upcoming (and pricey) headset into something artists can use to make things, as well as watch and play things.

Oculus Quill is an illustration tool that promises to fully immerse artists in way that has not been possible before. Using a gesture-based system, the tool turns time and 3D space into new 'dimensions' for 2D art -- while not available publicly, it was used by illustrator Wesley Allsbrook to create the VR film Dear Angelica, which brings drawings to life in unique ways from the first sketched lines of a drawing to fully immersive scenes.

HTC Vive: the unanswered questions

In an interview with TechCrunch, Allsbrook said the tool let her "paint in space and time" in a way that she had "dreamt about all of my life". A video released with the announcement shows how the system works in action, allowing artists to choose which elements of their work evolve, and at what speed, in relation to the viewer's decisions and motion.

Quill joins Oculus' existing 3D sculpting tool Medium as part of its growing suite of experimental creation tools. Arguably they are not quite sophisticated enough to supersede competitors such as Visionary VR and other tools, but it's getting closer. As VR evolves, it seems likely creators will turn increasingly to making their work in virtual worlds, as well as presenting it there.

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