September 3, 2021

One of the awesome productivity tools to use in Virtual Reality is the 3D modelling app, Gravity Sketch, which can be used to design all sorts of things right within VR. The user interface on Gravity Sketch is excellent but the app is still very much a 'work-in-progress' so controls and settings are often updated, moved around or adjusted in an effort to optimise usability.

The Gravity Sketch Tool Belt

The Gravity Sketch Tool Belt

One such control interface, the 'Tool Belt', houses specialist tools such as the tape measure and the precise movement tools which are critical when designing objects that are destined for becoming real products. Although Gravity Sketch is not (yet) an app that is ideal for working in CAD or for creating models for 3D printing, the potential is there for the VR interface to be an excellent environment for such designing in the future. And Gravity Sketch's Tool Belt will likely be a critical element as Gravity Sketch moves closer to helping CAD and 3D printer users.

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The current tools on the Tool Belt right now include (from left to right):

  • Normals tool - used to flip the normals on SubD objects
  • Precise Movement tool - move and rotate objects precisely along or around the X, Y, or Z axes
  • Randomising tool - randomise the orientation of objects
  • Teleportation tool (banana) - to transport you around the scene to get different viewpoints
  • Colour Picker tool - to pick colours
  • Paint Brush tool - to colour objects and surfaces
  • Tape Measure tool - to measure the distance between points

Turning on the Tool Belt

Turning on the Tool Belt in Gravity Sketch is a 2-step process if you have not used it before:

  1. 1
    First, you have to turn it on in the settings panel: Using your non-drawing hand controller (the left-hand controller if you are right-handed), press the blue settings button and choose the Settings option. Then choose the star option ('Beta features') at the top of the settings panel to reveal the Tool Belt toggle switch.
  2. 2
    Bring the Tool Belt into the scene: Swipe to the left or the right with your drawing hand.
Gravity Sketch Toolbelt Settings

First enable Tool Belt in the settings panel

Gravity Sketch Tool Belt Swipe

Then swipe to the left or the right to bring out the Tool Belt


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