Google's tilt brush: Paint in virtual reality

Google has created a virtual reality app called Tilt Brush that allows artists to paint in 3D space, creating immersive artwork and colorful landscapes that spectators can not only view, but explore.

Dezeen explains that the Tilt Brush, which is available on the HTC Vive headset, lets artists create 3D works with simple controllers instead of paint brushes and a virtual color palette instead of paint. The app liberates painting from the two-dimensional canvas, allowing artists to create works that occupy three-dimensional (albeit virtual) space.

Google hopes the Tilt Brush will not only inspire professional artists, but serve as a fun and accessible introduction to virtual reality for new users. "Tilt Brush, at its core, is a virtual reality painting application. It creates something anyone can use, intuitively, for kids, artists, and absolutely anyone," Tilt Brush developer Drew Skillman told Fast Company.

"Within the first 30 or 45 seconds, anyone can start VR painting and making marks in space all around them. It allows everyone to see how powerful VR is and how transformative it will be."