SculptrVR, PSVR Review
Okay, it’s not a game.
SculptrVR is something I have seen in other platforms in similar guises and has been something of a surprise for me.
I have to admit, I know little to nothing about Voxel graphics, but I do consider myself somewhat artistic. Neither of these things helped me while I was plugged in to SculptrVR, my artistic confidence went missing as soon as I realised the scope of what was on offer and my puny human brain couldn’t quite capture the grandness of what I could achieve with 3D Voxel modelling.
The software has been lovingly crafted by US developer Nathan Rowe and its introduction to the PSVR platform makes it more accessible in the home. Slip on your headset, boot it up and you are in the workspace, no fancy menus or splashcreen. While this can feel a little scary its also refreshing, that said there is a lack of help or instructions on offer – or if they are there I didn’t see them.
The PSVR needs 2 x Move Controllers and this essential, as the more confident you become working in the space the more functionality you discover naturally. The controllers are divided into two, the left hand is your palette and this will offer up a selection of colours or textures along with the ability to change your brush shape. Its a sci-fi experience waving the digital palette around, even turning it over to find the options buttons hiding there.
The right hand is the business end, a brush of sorts that operates by either applying a paint/texture/effect or carving something (away). The shapes for the brushes can be swapped out and at different sizes, or stretched and expanded to quickly fill your area, not forgetting grabbing your model and spinning it around in the 3D space in front of you. There is plenty on offer to play with, squeezing out toothpaste trails of ‘paint’ to smoothing surfaces, spraying in blended colours or even destroying your creation with well placed rockets.
Here is a cracking youtube video that highlights some of the functions better than me.
Like I said, its not a game, even though the PSVR version does come with some fun trophies to snag. What SculptrVR is, to me at least, is a great way to chill out in VR without worrying about a narrative or score. Just load up some Spotify, boot up SculptrVR and be creative, splash away to your hearts content and make a mess.
Being able to spin around a huge diorama, zooming into minute details and then scaling back out to realise how much effort went into it can be humbling. There are plenty of fine examples of other users work already available to download and the level of detail that some people can achieve is phenomenal.
If you are looking for a relaxing way to spin some quality VR time, I’d suggest giving SculptrVR a spin.
