Build new worlds with shareVOX: the next AR app from partners PHORIA and Google
By: Trent Clews-De Castella
Tags: Software Development, Arcore, Augmented Reality, Cloud Anchors, Poly

In May, Google gave us one mission: create an app using their new Cloud Anchors in under 30 days. If we pulled it off, we could feature our app at Google I/O. So after a few long weeks, we created shareVOX — the multiplayer, augmented reality voxel art tool. Think Minecraft in your living room. Now we’re making it possible to upload your creations to the Cloud, using Google’s new Poly Upload API.

shareVOX is powered by Google’s next generation of AR software, which turns any physical environment into a virtual canvas. It even works across Android and iOS devices, so no one will miss out on the fun. You can build cubic creations and leave them around your neighbourhood for other people to discover. They might start to imbue it with their own creative flair, but don’t worry, you’ll be able to see, edit and control their creations as well. Creative juices flow both ways, and using Google’s Poly Upload, you can upload your creation as a 3D model to share with friends.

Teaching your phone to see

The nifty little piece of tech that shareVOX uses to extend from one screen to many in real time is Cloud Anchor API. With Cloud Anchors, your phone becomes a window into the real world, enhancing your experience.

Simply scan a room to create a reference point, which is then saved and stored in the Cloud. This connection to the Cloud allows you to share the experience with others. All you have to do is access the same reference point.

“That’s the magic. Because they are in a consistent, physical location, you then have a shared reference frame” — James Birney, a Product Manager on ARCore at Google.

Launched at Google I/O, Cloud Anchors unlock a fluid way to co-create 3D content with friends anytime, anywhere. Thanks to the integration of Cloud Anchors, your voxels become suspended in the AR Cloud. Once there, they can be constructed into any shape or colour.

Sharing your creations with the world

It wasn’t enough for us to leave our voxels where we made them. We wanted to plug them into the new ecosystem of 3D art and experience, and now with Google’s Poly API, we can.

While Poly API allows users to import 3D objects and scenes from the Cloud, the real game-changer is Poly Upload. This is the mothership, the new tool that truly transforms human experience.

Poly API lets you play with an existing creations from the Cloud, but Poly Upload means you get to create your own unique content in real time. Any weird and wonderful creation you produce is saved to the Cloud and broadcast into the universe.

PHORIA // Youtube

Brittany Mennuti from the Poly team shares her vision for the future implications of the Poly Upload API:

“Through the Poly Upload API, developers can now allow their users to publish 3D models they create from any application to Poly, for easy sharing and distribution. We’ve also developed plugins for four common 3D Modeling apps — Blender, Maya, Cinema 4D, and 3D Studio Max — to make it easy for any modeler to publish their creations to Poly without downloading their assets locally.”

A floating creation created in shareVOX — PHORIA // YouTube

How does this work with shareVOX, you may ask?

Cloud Anchors and Poly Upload bridge the gap between digital and physical words, helping to democratise 3D media. And as we built both into shareVOX, you have almost unlimited creative freedom.

“It has never been easier to leave your mark on the world. We like to think of it as an ephemeral digital spirit that exists online and geospatially, which becomes more unique when experienced in context. Tools like ARCore and Poly unlock a powerful means to co-create like never before. When you think about it, have you ever been able to co-create volumetric art or collaborate across hundreds of devices in real time? Our goal with shareVOX was to venture into what is enabled by leading advances in shared 3D and AR technologies. With an experimental flair of creativity from PHORIA and our partners, we can now see how to build new worlds. What is now possible today, is endless in possibilities.”

— Trent Clews-de Castella, Co-founder & CEO at PHORIA.

Check it out on Poly: https://poly.google.com/view/56kT3JBD-QA

This is only a beginning — as these tools evolve, we’ll see what ARCore, Cloud Anchors and Poly Upload are ultimately capable of.

So what lies on the horizon for shared experiences?

James Birney sharing his excitement for Cloud Anchors @ Google I/O ’18 // YouTube

We envision a future of Extended Reality (XR) for the whole world to enjoy.

We’re even hosting a unique series of immersive technology meetups across Australia. Hop on over to get a recap of our very first XR Meetup.

A big thanks to the incredible partner developers Ben Ferns, Samuel Tate and Lucas Hehir for bringing shareVOX to life.

Also shout out to the ARCore and Poly teams at Google. In particular, James B and Brittany M, who are accelerating the adoption of these new tools internationally and locally. With these new capabilities, we look forward to transforming human experience together.