Tag: Mozilla

Mozilla Hubs Releases the Spoke Architecture Kit: Build Your Own Environments for Mozilla Hubs!

Yesterday Mozilla Hubs released a new architecture kit called Spoke, which can be used to build worlds for use by their social VR platform:

We’re excited to release the Spoke by Mozilla Architecture Kit! This tool allows anyone to create 3D models and buildings from within their browser to be used as environments for our social VR platform, Hubs.

You can get more information about Spoke here.

This new feature just adds to the appeal of the open source Mozilla Hubs platform, which supports every single VR headset and browser:

Because we are using web standards (WebVR and eventually WebXR) to deliver this content, we are able to support every single Mixed Reality headset. Every. Single. One. You can enjoy this experience with advanced hardware such as an Oculus Rift or an HTC Vive, or you can use alternatives such as a Daydream or cardboard viewer. You can even use your desktop or mobile phone if you don’t have access to any VR hardware. Everyone can come together and communicate with each other in this online social space. The experience will progressively scale to make use of the hardware that is available to you.

Mozilla Hubs and Sketchfab Announce a Design Challenge: Create Your Own Clubhouse!

Mozilla Hubs 30 Oct 2018.png

Sketchfab and Mozilla Hubs are teaming up for a contest: design your own clubhouse! (Apparently, this is a trend in virtual world contests…)

Welcome to our new community contest! Once again we’ve joined up with the Mozilla crew to build virtual worlds. This time we’re exploring their new Hubs platform and populating it with new spaces and props.

The theme is ‘Clubhouse’ – this can be anything from a treehouse to a speakeasy, a space station to a super-secret gathering space at the bottom of the ocean. You’ll be challenged to design both the space as well as props for it so that other people can use them on Mozilla Hubs.

About Mozilla Hubs

Hubs is Mozilla’s new social 3D platform. It lets you meet friends, ‘voice talk’ to them, and decorate the space with any kind of content, including YouTube videos, images and, of course, Sketchfab models – just by visiting a link.

Give it a try now! Visit this room on Hubs, open a second window with downloadable Sketchfab models and just copy and paste the page URL for in any downloadable Sketchfab model to add it to your space.

The prizes are pretty sweet, too:

1st Place

  • $1,000 Amazon Gift Card
  • Oculus Go – If Amazon supports shipping in country ($200 gift card if not)
  • 1 year of Sketchfab PRO

2nd Place

  • $750 Amazon Gift Card
  • Oculus Go – If Amazon supports shipping in country ($200 gift card if not)
  • 6 months of Sketchfab PRO

3rd Place

  • $350 Amazon Gift Card
  • Oculus Go – If Amazon supports shipping in country ($200 gift card if not)
  • 3 months of Sketchfab PRO

10 Honorable Mentions

  • $50 Amazon Gift Card
  • 1 month of Sketchfab PRO

The contest deadline is Tuesday, November 27th, 2018. The complete list of contest details and rules can be found here.

Mozilla Launches a New Social VR Space Called Hubs

Mozilla Hubs 26 Apr 2018.png

Mozilla (the company behind the popular Firefox web browser) has announced a new social VR space today called Hubs. According to an article by VentureBeat:

You begin by visiting the Hubs portal through any browser, then you choose a name for your virtual room, a robotic avatar, and a name for yourself, and you can enter the virtual world. To interact with friends, you can then copy/paste the URL and share a dedicated link with them.

…

…Hubs adheres to web standards, works with any device, supports all the usual headsets/goggles (including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Daydream, and Cardboard), and [is] also open to those with no specialist VR hardware on desktops and mobile phones — an inclusive gesture to ensure everyone can participate, not just those with dedicated VR hardware.

This means that in Firefox or Chrome, for example, you can view and interact with friends using your touchscreen, mouse, and keyboard.

Hubs is based on WebVR, which is an open specification which makes it possible to experience VR in your browser. Mozilla is one of the leading developers of WebVR.

I have tried to use Hubs on two computers with Oculus Rift and Touch VR hardware. On the first computer, it wouldn’t recognize my Rift at all. I could only get into Hubs in desktop mode. But it worked just fine on the second computer. So Mozilla still has a few bugs to iron out!

The fact that anybody with any kind of VR gear, as well as desktop and mobile users, can participate in Mozilla Hubs means that this is a potential game-changer, since a much larger audience can participate. It’s another interesting social VR platform to keep an eye on…