In Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality News
May 13, 2021 – Spatial, an augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) collaboration platform that turns any room into a 3D workspace, has today announced the beta launch of its new interactive web app that is extending access for anyone to benefit from the full extent of immersive 3D computing, reaching beyond its traditional collaboration use cases. This means that anyone – whether using a VR headset, or a mobile or desktop device – can now walk around and interact in Spatial’s virtual rooms with full avatar functionality and controls, and can share, collaborate or view content with others.
“We opened up the platform a year ago and have since logged 10 million minutes in Spatial – with 50% of those being non headset users. We wanted to really invest in that and bring the full potential of Spatial to everyone, on any platform they choose,“ said Anand Agarawala, CEO and Co-founder of Spatial. “With so many of us working remotely from our desktops for the long term, why should collaboration be one dimensional when we aren’t?”
According to the company, the NFT (non-fungible token) community has already jumped on this opportunity, as artists are pulling in and displaying their 2D and 3D digital artwork in virtual galleries within the Spatial app by either utilizing Spatial’s latest gallery environment or custom building their own. The Spatial gallery was designed in collaboration with former SOM architect, Sylvia Lee and offers a simple solution for both buyers and sellers of NFT assets to view and display collections. With today’s new update, anyone across the web can instantly explore these NFT exhibitions in 3D via a web link with just one click.
Spatial CPO and Co-founder Jinha Lee added, ”This update is game changing for us in giving access to the full power of Spatial to all and in expanding our reach to new communities. We’re excited to be the first to empower NFT creatives to get their work noticed in ways that have never been done before.”
NFTs are a type of digital certificate of authenticity that use blockchain technology, creating a secure way to track who owns a digital asset. NFT popularity has recently spiked as Crypto enthusiasts around the world pay large sums for digital assets.
As a result of this rise in NFT popularity, Spatial has also announced a series of public exhibitions with key influencers within the NFT community who will showcase their art throughout May and June. These include NFT marketplaces OpenSea and SuperRare, contemporary artists and 3D designers Federico Clapis, Krista Kim and Jarlan Perez, 6 Agency who are building NFTs on the Solana blockchain, and Superchief Gallery, the world’s first physical dedicated NFT gallery space in NYC. A full calendar of events and partners is listed on Spatial’s website.
“We’re excited to be partnering with Spatial to promote the work of our unique and talented artists in a beautifully designed gallery setting. The 3D web app allows an incredible sense of immersion in the space, and the ability to highlight their work is key to our core mission of empowering all kinds of creators”, said Hamish Barnes, Growth & Community Lead at OpenSea.
Spatial recently added PCVR support for access through Steam on HTC Vive, Valve Index, Windows Mixed Reality headsets, Varjo and Oculus Rift/Rift S. The platform also has integrations with several existing work tools, including Slack, Google Drive, Figma and Microsoft Office 365. Users can also share content in the space around them, manipulate 3D objects, and customize any environment through LiDAR scanning whilst in the app. Now, with Spatial’s new interactive web app, users will be able to access all these features from within a browser in one click.
For more information on Spatial and its latest web release, please visit the company’s website.
Image / video credit: Spatial / YouTube
Related Posts
About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.