Using VR technology, mediums exist in which the user and step into (and even customise) drawn scenes & environments all created in the virtual setting. Whether it is a 2D or 3D art style, there are some real quality apps that can cater to either project.
As an introduction to this style of VR art, we were tasked in a workshop to experiment with apps like Open Brush and Gravity Sketch. While these were great tools, being incredibly fun and immersive to use, I could tell that these would not be exactly what I was looking to use for the final project down the line.
Using an app like Open Brush would be a great way of creating scenic parts of an environment being used both up close to the player and as a static background. If I were to use a medium like this for a final project, there would definitely be some advantages that I could utilise:
- Space – I could customise the scenery to match the space of a given area to maximise testing and production potential
- Visualisation – More specifically, making sure that colours blend together and are set to the correct contrast settings whilst wearing the headset. Also with the use of lighting effects making sure that these colours are illuminated correctly
- Practicality – When designing an environment like this in a headset, you become immersed when creating the piece as opposed to only when the production is complete, allowing you full concentration on the task
However, there would definitely be some downsides to creating a project using this medium. Mainly for the fact that I would only be able to work on it using the headset, which granted is portable, but is also far less practical than turning on a computer and loading the work from a folder/disk drive. It would also rely a lot more on human skill than using premade assets and textures, so if there were gaps in colour or shapes, those artifacts would be far more noticeable.