Tomas “Frooxius” Mariancik released the first of a series of dev vlogs highlighting NeosVR, a multi-user virtual reality “world building engine” that's designed to help creators build VR environments from within a VR environment. Mariancik describes NeosVR as a combination of the Unity VR editor and the collaborative features of Google Docs. In his first vlog, the developer highlighted several of NeosVR’s features.
Virtual reality games are impressive on their own, but there’s nothing quite like standing HMD-to-HMD in a multiplayer VR experience. AltspaceVR was one of the first multiplayer VR experiences, but these days, there are multiple ways to meet in VR. You can get together for a round of pool in Pool Nation VR, pretend to be at war with your buddies in Onward, or race wheel-to-wheel in Project Cars. Soon, you’ll even be able to draw in Tilt Brush with other live players, but one developer is taking the idea of VR collaboration to a much more practical level.
NeosVR allows multiple people to connect to the same 3D environment and edit it together in real-time. NeosVR synchronizes all data across the network, so when someone makes a change, it is quickly updated for everyone else, too.
NeosVR features a selection of design tools, including freehand drawing, the ability to spawn items and shapes, and a “material gun” that allows you to change the substance of any object with the click of a button. NeosVR also features a glue function that allows you to combine multiple objects into one. The glue “dries” over a period of a few seconds, but it won’t set until you stop manipulating it.
NeosVR supports importing any 3D model or 3D scan into the scene, and the process couldn’t be easier. It even lets you import pre-rigged models that you can manipulate as you see fit. To import a file, remove the HMD and access the folder that contains the model you want to import, copy the file with the CTRL+C command, click on the NeosVR window, and press Ctrl + Alt + V to paste the model into the scene. It will instantly appear and start to replicate to everyone else in the environment.
Mariancik intends to release regular dev vlogs in which he will discuss the various features and the development progress of NeosVR. “No more developing in silence from now on!” said Mariancik. The clip below is a short preview of NeosVR alpha. You can find the full hour-long dev vlog here.
