Watch: Making Masterpieces in the Cloud With Virtual Reality

Discover how Masterpiece Studio Pro running on Google Cloud with CloudXR accelerates character creation in VR.
by Veronica Yip

Immersive 3D design and character creation are going sky high this week at SIGGRAPH, in a demo showcasing NVIDIA CloudXR running on Google Cloud.

The clip shows an artist with an untethered VR headset creating a fully rigged character with Masterpiece Studio Pro, which is running remotely in Google Cloud and interactively streamed to the artist using CloudXR.

Bringing Characters to Life in XR

The demo focuses on an interactive technique known as digital sculpting, which uses software to create and refine a 3D model as if it were made of a real-life substance such as clay. But moving digital sculpting into a VR space creates a variety of challenges.

First, setting up the VR environment can be complicated and expensive. It typically requires dedicated physical space for wall-mounted sensors. If an artist wants to interact with the 3D model or move the character around, they can get tangled up in the cord that connects their VR headset to their workstation.

CloudXR, hosted from Google Cloud on a tetherless HMD, addresses these challenges by providing artists with the freedom to create from virtually anywhere. With a good internet connection, there’s no need for users to be physically tethered to an expensive workstation to have a seamless design session in an immersive environment.

Masterpiece Studio Pro is a fully immersive 3D creation pipeline that simplifies the character design process. From blocking in basic shapes to designing a fully textured and rigged character, artists can easily work on a character face-to-face in VR, providing a more intuitive experience.

In Masterpiece Studio Pro, artists can work on characters at any scale and use familiar tools and hand gestures to sculpt and pose models — just like they would with clay figures in real life. And drawing bones in position couldn’t be easier, because artists can reach right into the limbs of the creature to place them.

Getting Your Head in the Cloud

Built on NVIDIA RTX technology, CloudXR solves immersive design challenges by cutting the cord. Artists can work with a wireless, all-in-one headset, like the HTC VIVE Focus 3, without having to deal with the hassles of setting up a VR space.

And with CloudXR on Google Cloud, artists can rent an NVIDIA GPU on a Google Cloud Virtual Workstation, powered by NVIDIA RTX Virtual Workstation technology, and stream their work remotely. The VIVE Focus 3 is HTC’s latest standalone headset, which has 5K visuals and active cooling for long design sessions.

“We’re excited to show how complex creative workflows and high-quality graphics come together in the ultimate immersive experience — all running in the cloud,” said Daniel O’Brien, general manager at HTC Americas. “NVIDIA CloudXR and the VIVE Focus 3 provide a high quality experience to immerse artists in a seamless streaming experience.”

With Masterpiece Studio Pro running on Google Cloud, and streaming with NVIDIA CloudXR, users can enhance the workflow of creating characters in an immersive environment — one that’s more intuitive and productive than before.

Check out our other demos at SIGGRAPH, and learn more about NVIDIA CloudXR on Google Cloud.