Free Update Adds Multiplayer Mode to ‘Open Brush,’ Enhancing Collaborative Art in ‘Tilt Brush’ Successor

Oh man, where to start? So, there’s this thing called Open Brush. Ever heard of it? It’s that artsy VR app taking the reins from Google’s old Tilt Brush. Google dropped it, which—I’m not gonna lie—felt like breaking up with that art teacher who inspires you. But then BAM! Open Brush comes along, and hurrah, now we’ve got multiplayer. Talk about a glow-up.

Anyway, the folks at the Icosa Foundation—sounds fancy, right?—are behind this masterpiece. They pushed an update and it’s like a communal art jam in VR. Imagine painting with pals in real-time, while you’re all super hyped and bumping into virtual canvases. You can see each other’s strokes, dive into their creative worlds, or even flaunt your artsy side all together. And, uh, all thanks to your trusty Quest or SteamVR headsets.

Wait—back to what’s cool. They’ve got the basics in multiplayer right now. Paint together, chat, whatever. But—cue dramatic pause—they promise to add more features. You know, social VR stuff, kicking people out if they annoy you, muting them if they talk too much. Why does this make me think of every Zoom call ever? Ah, and you can do it across platforms! So, hello, endless possibilities.

Mike Nisbet from Icosa, super chill dude, he’s like, “We want everyone to unleash their creative beasts without spending a dime.” Or something like that. He’s all about making this as accessible as sneezing in public—not sure why that simile popped up, but there you go.

Remember Tilt Brush? It was like the rockstar of VR art back in 2016. Then Google went, “Nah, not our thing anymore.” But they made it open source. So a bunch of projects jumped up—Open Brush, SideSketch, random WebXR versions. And, wait for it—Multibrush and MetaBrush. Those ones apparently cost a bit.

So yeah, Open Brush. Kind of hard to beat with all these bells and whistles now, especially when you can vibe with it across different platforms. Future’s looking colorful, literally!