Tag Archives: tilt brush

Google Blocks is now Open Source

In 2017, we shared Google Blocks with the world as a simple, easy and fun way to create 3D objects and scenes, using the new wave of VR headsets of the day.

We were thrilled to see the surprising, inventive and beautiful assets you all put together with Google Blocks, and continue to be impressed by the enthusiasm of the community.



We now wish to share the code behind Google Blocks, allowing for novel and rich experiences to emerge from the creativity and passion of open source contributors such as the Icosa Foundation, who have already been doing wonderful work with Tilt Brush, which we open-sourced in 2021.


"We're thrilled to see Blocks join Tilt Brush in being released to the community, allowing another fantastic tool to grow and evolve. We can't wait to take the app to the next level as we have done with Open Brush." 
– Mike Nisbet, Icosa Foundation

What’s Included

The open source archive of the Blocks code can be found at: https://github.com/googlevr/blocks

Please note that Google Blocks is not an actively developed product, and no pull requests will be accepted. You can use, distribute, and modify the Blocks code in accordance with the Apache 2.0 License under which it is released.

The currently published version of Google Blocks will remain available in digital stores for users with supported VR headsets. If you're interested in creating your own Blocks experience, please review the build guide and visit our github repo to access the source code.

Thank you all for coming on this journey with us so far, we can’t wait to see where you take Blocks from here.

By Ian MacGillivray – Software Engineer, on behalf of the Google Blocks team.

The Future of Tilt Brush

Tilt Brush by Google

Open Sourcing Tilt Brush

Tilt Brush, Google's virtual reality painting application, has collaborated with amazing creators over the years, many of whom were part of our Artist in Residence Program. We have tremendous pride for all those collaborations, and the best part has been watching our community learn from each other and develop their abilities over the years.

As we continue to build helpful and immersive AR experiences, we want to continue supporting the artists using Tilt Brush by putting it in your hands. This means open sourcing Tilt Brush, allowing everyone to learn how we built the project, and encouraging them to take it in directions that are near and dear to them.

Tilt Brush launched on the SteamVR platform for the HTC Vive VR headset in April 2016. It went on to help users create their artwork on every major VR platform, including the Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, Valve Index, PlayStation VR, and Oculus Quest VR headsets. Tilt Brush won dozens of awards, including the Unity Awards 2015: Best VR Experience, the Cannes Lions 2017 Gold Lion in Innovation, and the Oculus Quest award for Best of 2019: VR Creativity Tool of the Year, and was often featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. As we look back on Tilt Brush, we’re proud of what this creative application has achieved, and excited for where the community will take it.
Tilt Brush by Google

What’s Included

The open source archive of the Tilt Brush code can be found at: https://github.com/googlevr/tilt-brush

Please note that it is not an actively developed product, and no pull requests will be accepted. You can use, distribute, and modify the Tilt Brush code in accordance with the Apache 2.0 License under which it is released.

In order to be able to release the Tilt Brush code as open source, there were a few things we had to change or remove due to licensing restrictions. In almost all cases, we documented the process for adding those features back in our comprehensive build guide. ‘Out of the box’, the code in the archive will compile a working version of Tilt Brush, requiring you only to add the SteamVR Unity SDK.

The currently published version of Tilt Brush will always remain available in digital stores for users with supported VR headsets. If you're interested in creating your own Tilt Brush experience, please review the build guide and visit our github repo to access the source code.

Cheers, and happy painting from the Tilt Brush team!

By Tim Aidley, Software Engineer, and Jon Corralejo, Program Manager – Tilt Brush