Today Sixense launches their Kickstarter for MakeVR, an impressive piece of software that seeks to make computer aided design so easy that anyone can do it. With support for the Razer Hydra or STEM System, the Oculus Rift, and up to five collaborative builders, MakeVR is set to be one of the first bits of seriously productive Oculus Rift software.

Accessible

Accessibility is clearly key to Sixense’s MakeVR ambitions. While other computer aided design (CAD) software packages may be priced upwards of several thousand dollars, the MakeVR Kickstarter is offering an early-bird price of $169 for the basic version of the software, or $259 for MakeVR with Collaborate3D, enabling multiplayer support with up to five players for collaborative CAD.

Price isn’t the only thing that’s accessible. MakeVR is designed from the ground up with a natural two-handed interface which uses Sixense’s Razer Hydra or forthcoming STEM motion input controllers. The interface, which Road to VR had a chance to preview at GDC 2013 with the Hydra and at CES 2014 with the STEM controllers, allows users to start navigating and working in the CAD environment in minutes.

Sixense tells us that they plan to include several modes, from beginner to expert, which will help train players on how to navigate and build in MakeVR. As users complete learning tasks, they’ll graduate up through the ranks to eventually have expert level control over the software, including precision modeling tools like grids, jigs, snap points, and more.

At CES 2014, Sixense showed us an impressively slick workflow for turning your virtual creations into real 3D printed objects. After making a quick model, we watched the user pull out MakeVR’s virtual tablet interface and, with the press of a single button, upload their creation to the Shapeways 3D printing service. You could literally go from an idea to printing a real physical model in just a few minutes.

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Collaborative & Virtual

As someone who has played Minecraft (2011) for several years, collaborative building in MakeVR definitely piques my interest. MakeVR with Collaborate3D allows up to five players in one space, all building together, with voice chat. Their avatars are represented as floating robots that twist, flip, and change size according to the scale of the world that each player is working with.

“MakeVR supports the use of 3D monitors and full immersion with virtual reality head mounted displays (HMDs). In fact, MakeVR was originally conceived with VR in mind, even before HMDs were widely available,” reads the Kickstarter. And we believe it—when we saw MakeVR in action at GDC 2013, more than 10 months ago, they had already implemented support for the just-released Oculus Rift DK1. Using MakeVR with the Rift is even more intuitive than on a standard monitor; you can imagine that seeing in 3D, when trying to build and manipulate 3D objects, would be very useful—the addition of depth perception makes things way easier.

MakeVR Kickstarter Reward Tiers

As ever, we like to cut through the clutter and lay the offer right on the table. Here are the core tiers of the MakeVR Kickstarter:

  • [$169] MakeVR—Software Only (Early Bird, limit 500): Basic version of MakeVR without controllers or collaboration.
  • [$199] MakeVR—Software Only: Basic version of MakeVR without controllers or collaboration.
  • [$259] MakeVR w/ Collaborate3D—Software Only (Early Bird, limit 500): Full version of MakeVR with collaboration; controllers not included.
  • [$299] MakeVR w/ Collaborate3D—Software Only: Full version of MakeVR with collaboration; controllers not included.
  • [$399] MakeVR Basic w/ STEM (Early Bird, limit 1000): Basic version of MakeVR and STEM System with two controllers. Collaboration not included.
  • [$479] MakeVR Basic w/ STEM: Basic version of MakeVR and STEM System with two controllers. Collaboration not included.
  • [$499] MakeVR w/ Collaborate3D (Early Bird, limit 1000):  Full version of MakeVR and STEM System with two controllers. Collaboration included.
  • [$579] MakeVR w/ Collaborate3D:  Full version of MakeVR and STEM System with two controllers. Collaboration included.
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Sixense plans to ship a private beta of MakeVR in August, with full release of the software in November.

MakeVR Kickstarter

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • Kemic

    This seems like it could be a lot of fun with friends even as just a sandbox minecraft like collaboration for making random cool stuff with the right additions to the software. It’s really too bad you can buy a 3d printer for the cost of the software alone.

    • Kemic

      * Was talking about the collaboration enabled version of the software. Can’t have minecraft-ish fun with friends without that version.

  • Curtrock

    MakeVR: Revolutionary VR CAD Design Tool…. Or……Multiplayer Minecraft w/3D Printing ???

    Unfortunately, the MakeVR Kickstarter is off to a shaky start. This baffles and disappoints me. The price point on MakeVR should have made it a no-brainer for ALL Rift/Stem owners. There seems to be a disconnect between the Sixense focus on 3D printing, and the barrier of entry price points for MakeVR. As a fun tool, compared to “Lego in VR”, it’s basically $400 w/stem sys, and $500 if you want the collaborate/multi-player function. Alot of $$$$, for “fun” 3D printing. On the other hand, you have the GAME DEV COMMUNITY, who are the early adopters of the Rift, Stem, Omni, etc…but the Sixense hype is focused on 3D printing, and there is hardly any talk by the company about using MakeVR as a game development tool, or for using it to create and share game assets, with no mention of Unity or UDK implementation, at all. I’m afraid Sixense may have overestimated the “3D printing” angle. Hopefully they can course-correct. I will be following this campaign closely, to see what happens.

  • Dennis Jørgensen

    I work as a CAD designer, mostly Solid Edge, and the price of the printers, and the printing of parts is finally that low, that my boss have ordreret one.
    I can easily see, how we in the future will design in VR and AR, but also that is going to take a long time, before I can rid myself of my mouse and keyboard.