Hidden in the depths of the 'Business Center' at GDC 2013 there was an innocent-looking beige door marked 'Sixense, Inc' with a small placard. And inside was:
MakeVR is a 3D application designed for the creation and construction of 3D models in 3D space. Seen above in the pre-alpha stage, it is easy to get an idea where the software will be going.
MakeVR makes use of the Razer Hydra controller for its 3d motion. First, having used other 3d controllers (and things like Kinect and the Wii controllers) you have to adjust to using a much higher precision controller for 3D space than most others. Gone are the exaggerated flinging motions necessary to get the controller to register a small motion, the Hydra. Picking up the techniques that MakeVR uses for moving and manipulating objects with the Hydra is quick and easy.
In my personal experience with MakeVR (right after the above video) once I adjusted to the more precise, deliberate nature the motions required, I was able to move and manipulate objects easily and translate through 3D space effectively. The Samsung TV that was being used as a display was indeed a 3D TV and once I had the 3D glasses on, movement and manipulation within the software became drastically easier - to the point where Paul Mlyniec, the software's lead developer, actually felt it necessary to remark on how fast I was picking it up.
MakeVR and modeling in three dimensions, while viewing it in three dimensions, will definitely represent a paradigm shift from the usual orthographic projections many 3D modelers are used to.
As stated above, MakeVR is in an early pre-Alpha stage. Many features in the software in general are still being worked on or are not yet implemented. Sixense already has MakeVR working with Oculus Rift in its Development Kit incarnation, which promises to take the immersive nature of MakeVR even further. Sixense expects to do a Kickstarter for MakeVR later this month.
