As expected, several announcements were made by Microsoft at its ‘What’s next for Windows 10’ event that was held in New York.
These announcements included an upgraded Surface Book and the most important, the new Surface Studio all-in-one was unveiled, which along with a few other major features will all be coming in early 2017 to Windows 10, as a part of the cumulative new release called the Windows 10 Creators Update.
Major Updates of the Event
The three main features that were highlighted at the event were the 3D framework that will be designed around Microsoft’s HoloLens and other virtual reality experiences; improvised streaming features offering better cooperative options to gamers; and tighter integration of contacts for easy sharing. The Redmond-based tech giant also announced at the event a new 3D Paint app, which has been rumored to be waiting since long to get a much-awaited update. The company said that the Paint 3D app, which began with the HoloLens, will be updated and released as a part of Microsoft’s vision to bring 3D to everyone.
Paint 3D App
The recently revamped Paint 3D app includes new tools that will help the users to import and handle 3D artwork, apart from its integration with the 3D Remix community where the users can search and share 3D objects that can be used in their own creations. With the arrival of the latest Paint 3D Preview app, the Microsoft users will now be able to have an interaction in the 3D mode with the captured objects by using the camera of a smartphone. The feature will be rolling out soon to all the Windows 10 mobile phone devices. It is expected to be out soon even for the Android and iOS platforms too.
The General Manager of the Windows Experiences Group reported in a blog post that the company is working on making it easier to create everything from scratch in 3D. According to the post, with the new Paint 3D app, the users can take an object from the real world and then capture it in the 3D form and then edit it using the 3D Paint app which can be shared on the web. The users can also stamp the 3D objects with a 2D imagery hologram, or doodle them randomly to instantly turn them into independent 3D objects, or take it into a virtual world. With simple tools for manipulation, editing, sharing and also printing in 3D textures, anything that is created in Minecraft can be imported and pulled in to create a 3D picture by using the Windows 10 mobile Paint 3D app.
Microsoft claims that the new Paint 3D app will be made available to all its users as a part of the recent Windows 10 Creators Update, which the company says will be available for free sometime early next year to all the 400 million Windows 10 users. As of now, the Paint 3D Preview app will be available for download at the Microsoft Store. Only the users who are a part of the Windows Insider Program will be able to the install the latest version of the Windows Insiders build (Build 14800 or above) on their systems along with the ability to use the early version of the Paint 3D app. Right now, only the Windows 10 users from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada will be able to use the new Paint 3D Preview app.
Remix 3D Community
Apart from the Paint 3D app, Microsoft also made an announcement regarding Remix 3D. Remix 3D, a new online community, is essentially a hub that connects content and creators with more than a million objects that are already available in the 3D form and models which can be recycled and repurposed for making new creations. It makes searching and sharing of assets which can be used by users in making their own creations. This community has been integrated with 3D Warehouse, the massive repository for SketchUp which is the popular software from Trimble.
The 3D community comes integrated with PowerPoint facilities, which will allow the users to create slides and make progressions with the specifically required perspectives of a 3D object. The users can also create Pinterest-style boards which can be used in collecting and sorting the objects for using them later.
HoloLens Integration with Houzz
The event had another demonstration which showcased the integration of HoloLens with Houzz, the popular interior design app. With this integration, the users can now choose items like furniture or upholstery and place them virtually in a room amongst the existing objects to have a preview of how well they fit and look in their exact scale and size.