Introducing Google Poly
Virtual Reality replaces a user’s visual surroundings entirely, whereas Augmented Reality supplements the user’s surroundings by overlaying it with digital information. Google’s VP of Virtual and Augmented Reality, Clay Bavor, summed up the difference between the two technologies with clarity stating that: “VR can put you anywhere, and AR can bring anything to you”.
Both technologies are still in their infancies and the boom in popularity many predicted to happen long before today hasn’t yet manifested in the real world. Investors are still confident though that these immersive technologies will eventually replace the conventional technology of today.
Worldwide revenues for the AR/VR market are forecast to explode to $143 billion by 2020. It is likely interest in immersive technology will increase as application development continues to rise and hardware becomes less expensive and more elegant in design.
Google has stated it wants to be a frontrunner in the progress of immersive technology and have taken a huge step in application development for both AR and VR by releasing their 3D asset library, Poly.
The repository of 3D objects and scenes gives artists, from professionals to hobbyists, a chance to upload their work to an online platform where anyone can download their creations and import them directly into their apps.
A community of creativity is on full display in this flourishing catalogue of models. The neatly designed UI allows users to sift through recently uploaded models and keyword search for specific objects and scenes. The assets can vary hugely in complexity and substance, an example being this simple recreation of a piano in contrast to this mountainous landscape scene.
The library allows app developers to rely on a community of designers for high quality assets ready for use in VR/AR environments. Many of the assets are licensed under the CC BY, meaning developers can use them in their apps absolutely free of charge as long as the creator is given appropriate credit.
Developers can simply dip into Poly’s reservoir of objects and scenes and match them to their prospective application ideas. This gives them a chance to focus their attention on other aspects of the development process and saves the need to invest time and energy in the steep learning curve of asset creation mastery.
The aesthetic style is very consistent throughout the creations, this is because most of the models uploaded are created using the Google tools Tilt Brush and Blocks. The former letting you paint in 3D space and the latter allowing to you create things using just simple building blocks and a colour palette. Having evolved from conventional modelling on two dimensional screens, both tools work while the user is fully immersed in a virtual reality enviroment.
While Poly allows developers to discover assets, the Poly API streamlines the process of integrating those assets directly into applications. Using the API, developers can search, download and import Poly objects dynamically across desktop, mobile and AR/VR applications. Google have also released toolkits specifically for integration between Poly and popular development environments Unity and Unreal Engine.
When the predictions about immersive technology begin to fully actualize it will be thanks to efforts made by companies to court developers with free tools like Poly. With an expanding library of content ready for use, Poly is a gift for developers looking to make a name for themselves in the early stages of immersive application development.
