Microsoft’s development of the HoloLens has been complemented by its partnership with Sketchfab. The company allows users to display and share 3D content online. Sketchfab joins organizations such as NASA, Disney, Autodesk, and Unity to make use of the HoloLens. The HoloLens was unveiled by Microsoft in January to bring objects and scenes in the virtual space into the user’s environment.
Sketchfab was founded in Paris, France to faciliate artists displaying their work using WebGL. WebGL was the first open standard to display 3D graphics in browsers. Since Sketchfab’s opening, the community has grown to include artists, designers, architects, and engineers. Brands, museums and schools have also joined the Sketchfab fold. The company also has a North American office in New York City.
Since its launch and support of WebGL, Sketchfab also supports 28 different 3D file formats. “Our focus at Sketchfab has always been to provide the best way to publish and find 3D and virtual content, so when we first experienced HoloLens, it immediately felt like a natural fit and a great collaboration opportunity,” said Alban Denoyel, the founder and CEO of Sketchfab. Sketchfab also has the privilege of being the youngest organization to be a Microsoft HoloLens partner.
“As part of HoloLens features, users can create content with their hands — a sort of virtual playdough — through the HoloStudio app. HoloStudio users can publish their creations to Sketchfab, and also import Sketchfab content to be reworked in HoloStudio,” Denoyel continued.
Denoyel said that his company plans to be active in the HoloLens scene. “This is just the beginning of our collaboration with Microsoft. We can’t wait to unveil more of what you’ll be able to do combining a great device like HoloLens, with a platform like Sketchfab,” he said.