“Virtual reality is a self-created form of chosen reality. Therefore it exists”
– Joan Lowery Nixon
For this project I would need to explore tools used for VR painting, the techniques & accessibility to a VR headset. I will also need to learn the tools that VR has to offer so I can be successful for my major project. I think using a VR headset is a physically engaging and demanding piece of technology which immerses users to experience actions and places to pop up in front of them before their very own eyes.
Openbrush
Before painting on a headset I would firstly have to begin researching but also would have to practice to get used to using a headset. An application I would have to use would be Open Brush. Open Brush is a room scale virtual reality app made available on google, originally made by Skillman & Hackett. It is a derivative made from the open source code of Tilt Brush. Open Brush helps unleash your creativity by allowing your imagination to be your palette & your space being your canvas. One main difference between Open Brush and Tilt Brush is that that Open Brush is free to download on multiple applications making it more accessible for people who want to explore & create 3D art whereas Tilt Brush is not free to download.
Image 1 – A screenshot of the palette, you can select the colour of your choice with the touch controller. 
Image 2 – You can see the OpenBrush app gives you lots of options to bring your illustration to life. 
Image 3 – A recreation of Van Gouh’s ‘The starry night’ on OpenBrush.
When starting up Open Brush you first select the app on VR then you are transported into a blank space where you are free to create what ever your want. The handset will act as your tools, depending weather you are left or right handed one handset would be your painting brush, the other being your colour wheel & have sliders for additional effects such as animation effects or brush type. What I really like about this app is that it is going to be very handy for my upcoming VR artwork. Although I need to practice using the headset more the user experience is easy to learn and is ideal for people who are getting into painting in VR as all your tools are all in one place.
Tilt Brush
Image 4 – A screenshot of the effects panel, you can select the effects such as stars or smoke to create extra dimension into your work. 
Image 5 – Shows a user use VR however it is edited to make it look like its brought to life.
Tilt Brush is a VR app that also lets you paint in 3D space using virtual reality. Tilt Brush is very similar to OpenBrush however they are not the same thing. Tilt Brush is owned by google and has been around for a while whereas OpenBrush is free to use so is openly accessible. When paired with a headset and a touch controller you are able to able tools such as brushes and effects. This application can be accessible on devices such as: HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest or even a Windows mixed reality headset with touch controllers. Some interesting details in the Tilt Brush app are you can change the effects of the brushes. There are a wide range of brushes and effects you can make to create your 3D illustrations, you can even replicate the look of ink or a solid colour. Some interesting details in Tilt Brush are that when you start painting on VR, you can hear the brushes respond with music or colour changes.
Gravity Sketch
Image 6 – Is a sketch of a humanoid figure, there are multiple layers to make the drawing look 3D 
Image 7 – Shows a VR user sketching a car in mid-air.
Gravity sketch is where you can do 3D design in actual 3D. It is a 3D modelling & creation tool. Gravity sketch is a design platform that allows you or your teams to create, collaborate and review in an entirely new way to capture your ideas from every angle and pushes your work to be improved further with real-scale proportions. Gravity Sketch is different compared to the other two samples as it is a more challenging application to use. Gravity Sketch has a gridded, plain environment whereas OpenBrush & Tiltbrush has dark, immersive backgrounds. To use Gravity Sketch, you first need to use the hand controllers with the headset, you are then able to start doing sketches by holding the handset trigger, to move the object, hover until your sketch turns red so it selects your object to be moved. Gravity Sketch also focuses more on building shapes, by selecting the palette with your cursor you are able to select the type of shape you want. You are then able to change the colour or scale the shape to your liking. This feature is idea for artists who want to build or scale models.
References
Brush, Open. “Open Brush.” Openbrush.app, openbrush.app/. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
All3DP. “Gravity Sketch: All You Need to Know to Get Started.” All3DP, 11 Aug. 2022, all3dp.com/2/gravity-sketch-vr-3d-modeling/. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
Griggspublished, Mike. “How to Use Gravity Sketch.” Creative Bloq, 15 Oct. 2020, www.creativebloq.com/how-to/use-gravity-sketch. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
Image 1 – Bigdis2008.com, 2023, www.bigdis2008.com/?category_id=13284163. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
Image 2 – Image. roadtovrlive-5ea0.kxcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/virtualitics-2-681×382.jpg. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
Image 3 – bbs.vrqjcs.com/data/attachment/portal/202202/14/145619gdd8hfh73xcecxu6.jpg. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
Image 4 – th.bing.com/th/id/R.4ae3dd758c8ba8fc4923bc3905ee0f1b?rik=5AbZG%2bLQvGJVWw&riu=http%3a%2f%2fthevirtualinstructor.com%2fblog%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2018%2f01%2fbrushespalettetiltbrush.jpg&ehk=xCEZlHX8l5Y%2fiV%2bVRvnq9BcuANJAYXk%2fLkgofKtiqrY%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
Image 5 – Virtualrealityhire.com, 2023, www.virtualrealityhire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/tilt-brush-2.jpg. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
Image 6 – steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/508690/ss_0f0b8510784bad88145d753221b40fd2af86ce4a.600×338.jpg. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.
Image 7 – assets.wired.com/photos/w_1738/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/GravitySketch_TA.jpg. Accessed 28 Oct. 2023.