Open Blocks, the open source rebirth of Google’s Blocks, is now available on Quest in early access.
Blocks by Google released in 2017 as a PC VR tool for low-poly 3D modeling with tracked controllers, and was one of the first VR-native 3D creation tools.
Google ceased development of 2018, and the app seemed to be relegated to history for six years. But last year, Google made it open source, and a global collective of programmers called Icosa Foundation took up the mantle to re-release it on GitHub and Steam as Open Blocks, with an upgraded OpenXR codebase. Now Open Blocks is available standalone on Quest too, and Icosa plans to bring it to other standalone headsets later this year.
You may recognize Icosa Foundation, because they’re also the group behind Open Brush, the open source rebirth of Google’s other VR art app TiltBrush. Google acquired Tilt Brush in 2015, and also ended development and open sourced it, in 2021, with Icosa rebirthing it as Open Brush, available on PC VR, Quest, Pico, and HTC Vive standalone.
Arguably just as important as Blocks itself was Google Poly, an online platform for sharing and downloading 3D objects made in Blocks, with the ability to edit any Poly creations in Blocks. Google shut down Poly in 2021, and Icosa is working to launch a spiritual successor called Icosa Gallery.
VR Artist Laments The Loss Of Google Poly As Petition To Open Source Goes Live
Last week Google announced it would soon be shutting down Poly, its online platform for storing and sharing 3D assets made in apps like Tilt Brush, Blocks and others. The news has wide-reaching implications for many VR artists that had depended on the service for the past few years. Those
The Icosa Foundation promises Open Blocks will be “free and open source forever”, and you can download it from the Horizon Store for Quest, or compile it yourself from GitHub, now.
The group has plans to improve Blocks with future releases. These plans include mixed reality passthrough as background on standalone headsets, glTF import support, more base shapes, an improved color palette, and most importantly – the ability to import and export to Icosa Gallery when it’s available.
