Google’s new platform Poly will be the YouTube for 3D content

Google has unveiled today a new platform called Poly where people can find and distribute virtual and augmented reality objects. The tool is integrated with Tilt Brush and Blocks, respectively Google’s VR painting and sculpting apps, and is meant to provide an art library for people building with Google’s ARCore, Apple’s ARKit, or various VR development platforms.

At the moment Google says there are thousands of free models available to download, but the company will be hoping for this to expand massively. Everything that’s to be found in Poly is not only free to use, but is free to be edited and tweaked as necessary.

In the future, Google confirms that it’s going to open up Poly even further, allowing third-party apps to plug into it directly via an API. That means any AR or VR creation app yet to be designed could easily import all these Google assets.

Many of the featured objects will have the low-polygon style that are familiar in Blocks, the company’s VR 3D object creation app. All of the original models uploaded are designed to be as lightweight as possible so that applications using them can run efficiently.

Besides serving as a library for creators, Poly is open for anyone to look through on mobile and desktop browsers. The website lets users ‘Explore’ categories like Animals & Creatures, Art, and Nature. Items can also be shared as a GIF or viewed in VR through Cardboard or Daydream View.

There are already many asset stores for virtual objects, most of which offer payment systems that let people support themselves through 3D development. Poly sounds more like a hobbyist system, which fits with Google’s goal of making its new AR platform simple for newcomers to use.