Demo released: Learn to draw on real paper with this ingenious mixed reality app for Quest 3
UPDATEYou can now try Pencil for free. The developers have released an early demo of the app via the Discord server (link at the end of the article). Access is initially limited to 200 users, but will be expanded gradually.
Meta Quest 3 and the Pencil mixed reality app make it easy to learn how to draw with digital instructions on real paper.
Pencil is an app for Meta Quest 3 that uses mixed reality to teach you how to draw on real paper. It was developed by the team of Stephen Rogers, Bill Ramsour, Gabriel Williams and Ian MacKenzie as part of the Meta Presence Platform Hackathon 2024 and emerged as the winner.
The app works like this: You put a white sheet of paper on the table and place a VR controller on top of it. The app then tracks the sheet and can throw digital elements onto the paper. You use hand tracking to navigate through the menu that the app displays on the paper.
As you draw, you receive text and voice instructions. You can digitally edit the shading and hue of the drawing. In free drawing mode, the app provides virtual objects such as busts, toy figures, or an apple that you can place in front of you in physical space and use as a drawing template. A body API lets you create poses and become your own model.
The app introduces beginners to drawing with basic lessons on concepts such as shading and perspective. Advanced users will also find tools to improve their skills. If you are interested in Pencil, you should join the developers' Discord channel. A demo will be shared there soon. There is no timetable yet for a release as a full version or Early Access.
Mixed reality as a creative tool
In addition to Pencil, there are other mixed reality apps that make drawing easier and use the possibilities of AR and VR headsets to support creative processes. AirDraw, for example, is a free AR drawing app for the Vision Pro that allows you to create 3D paintings in mixed reality using your fingers.
Easely, on the other hand, is a mixed reality app for Meta Quest 2, Quest 3, and Quest Pro that projects digital images onto the physical wall, which can then be traced manually.
Apps such as Pencil, AirDraw and Easely demonstrate the potential of mixed reality as a creative tool. They lower the entry barriers for learning drawing techniques and open up new opportunities to improve artistic skills.
Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.
