Figmin XR is a creative kit for mixed reality experiments in your living room. I gave it a try.
Figmin XR was previously only for AR headsets like Hololens, Magic Leap, and Nreal Light. Since the launch of Meta Quest Pro, the app is also available for Meta Quest Pro and Meta Quest 2, which I used to try out the mixed reality app.
Figmin XR makes it easy to bring digital content of all kinds into physical space and create magical mixed reality scenes in your living room.
The program offers a basic set of 3D objects. However, Figmin XR becomes powerful when it integrates with other platforms, allowing you to import countless and diverse media content:
- Giphy for GIFs
- YouTube for videos
- Reddit for pictures and other media
- Sketchfab for 3D models
Sketchfab import turned out to be one of Figmin XR's best features for me. Sketchfab is the largest 3D model library in the world, and thanks to Figmin XR, there's finally an easy way to view 3D models with an inexpensive VR headset - and in passthrough mode to boot.
In just a few seconds, I can bring impressive 3D models into my living room as holograms, zoom in and out at will, place them where I want them, and view them from all sides as I walk around my room.
Although Figmin XR can only display a limited number of polygons, this display limit is sufficient for many 3D models. If you like, you can even manipulate the artificial lighting to optimally illuminate the objects.
Once you have discovered great content, you can collect it and save the created scenes for later viewing or demonstrations.
Figmin XR turns your living room into a canvas
With FigminXR, my apartment soon turned into a mixed reality experimentation room. Instead of the wall mirror, I placed a 3D painting so I could see through the wall into another world. On top of a wall cabinet, I placed a beautiful bust and decorated the partially bare walls with artwork I found on Reddit.
What has been possible with smartphone AR for years, but not particularly exciting, unleashes a magical effect with Passthrough AR, as digital and analog merge right in front of you, rather than just on a tiny display. The effect might be even more impressive with Meta Quest Pro, which displays the physical environment in color.
The creative possibilities of FigminXR offer even more than just importing and placing digital objects.
- Thanks to the integrated tilt-brush tools, you can draw into the room and add visual effects to 3D objects.
- A text editor lets you create stylish 3D lettering and text banners.
- A voxel editor lets you create, shape, and paint simple 3D models. Even finished 3D models can be transformed into a malleable mass using the Voxelizer tool.
- With a physics editor you can manipulate physical effects. Yes, that's right: 3D objects can be given physical properties and bounce off walls and furniture, provided you have drawn them in beforehand.
Direct mixed reality recording is not an option for Quest 2
Figmin XR is a mixed reality sandbox and as such has many uses, such as learning applications, 3D visualization, marketing and content creation.
Speaking of content creation: Unfortunately, it is not possible to take photos or videos of the mixed reality scenes directly via the headset. According to the studio, this only works with the Meta developer software via the PC.
This is because Meta does not allow the passthrough cameras to record the environment in standalone mode for privacy reasons. So uncomplicated recording and sharing of your creations is not an option, at least not with Meta Quest 2.
The video shows a Halloween-themed mixed reality scene that was recorded with Meta Quest Pro.
What I also don't like is the rudimentary search function for media content. Alternatively, you can search for content on your computer and make it accessible in the app by importing web links via the dashboard.
Figmin XR is a preview of the mixed reality future
Figmin XR provides an exciting preview of a future where mixed reality is commonplace, meaning digital and analog coexist in the same space and new creative possibilities emerge.
Hololens, Magic Leap and Nreal Light: only a few own this hardware. With Figmin XR for Meta Quest 2, mixed reality becomes accessible to a larger number of people. The fact that the headset does not display the world in color does not detract from the fascination of Figmin XR.
The question is how quickly the initial wow effect will wear off. I'll have to test Figmin XR more extensively and longer for that. At $20 (Quest Store), the app is a bit expensive if you only want to give it a quick spin.
You can find more recommended mixed reality experiences for Meta Quest 2 & Pro here.