Virtual reality is already among us, and both hardware and software continue to gain followers despite the high initial cost. Games are undoubtedly the main form of entertainment in a virtual reality environment, but there is enormous potential for art, and that is exactly what Tilt Brush teaches us, a Google project based on the HTC Vive that gives artists a "3D canvas" on which they can deploy all their talent.
Video services like YouTube are slowly filling with material recorded by the new owners of virtual headsets, in situations ranging from hilarious to terrifying. The reactions of those trying Oculus Rift or HTC Vive for the first time are truly unmissable, and more than once we can imagine ourselves doing things worthy of a viral video. Of course, not everything is reduced to games in virtual reality, or better said, shouldn't be reduced. Certain titles deserve to be visited again and again, but if there is something virtual reality has promised us for decades, it is the absence of limits. For technical reasons, several of those limits are very well defined, however, we are talking about limits "inside" virtual reality.
Google has a very interesting proposal to get rid of them: Tilt Brush. In essence, it offers artists the possibility to set aside the rigidity of the classic canvas to turn an entire room into a space that allows them to paint in three dimensions. Let's think about this more carefully for a moment: So far, all "conventional" paintings have been in 2D. For hundreds of years, painters were forced to battle with the natural restrictions of their medium, but Tilt Brush dissolves them with astonishing naturalness. Dynamic brushes, special effects, real-time animations, and the fact of "walking" around a painting give the artist unprecedented flexibility.
The Tilt Brush demo is clearly based on the HTC Vive and its special controls, but there is nothing to indicate any "exclusivity" for the hardware, and it is most likely that over time it will be adapted for the Oculus Rift. Tilt Brush is not a standalone download, but must be installed through Steam.
