Sketchfab has announced the release of Virtual Reality apps for Oculus, HTC Vive, Gear VR, and the company’s own Cardboard, as well as initial WebVR support. Making Sketchfab available on more headsets will initially allow viewers to access a curated showcase of models, eventually expanding to the company’s entire VR collection. Additionally, users will now have the option to view any of their own models in VR, just by uploading to Sketchfab.
Implementing WebVR support means that all Sketchfab models can now be viewed in VR, not just with Cardboard, but with any headset. All one has to do is navigate to Sketchfab models and click on the “View in VR” icon in the lower-right side of any window. Positional tracking is now also available on any platforms that support it (Oculus and Vive).
Adding user support to VR, without going through game engines, is a milestone for Sketchfab and the virtual reality ecosystem. Until now, most VR content was gamer-oriented and studio-made, but with today’s announcement, the bulk of VR content will be created by users. The volumetric format will allow users to create environments and then inhabit them with 6 degrees of movement for ultimate freedom.
Sketchfab is the largest community of 3D creators, and with more than 750K 3D files, the implementation of VR support gives Sketchfab the largest library of user generated VR content. “It’s about places, things, objects, people. It’s about discovery. It’s about learning," says the company. "Ever dreamed of teleporting yourself to Rome, inspecting a beating heart, or walking along dinosaurs? You can do all these things in Sketchfab VR.”
