Jonathan Gagne’s outlook changed in unexpected ways the first time he tried on a virtual reality headset. He told Techopia Live that he was looking to start a new business but wasn’t sure what to focus on until he tried on an early prototype of the Oculus headset, a common VR viewer.
“I was just floored. I was blown away on how impressive this technology was, and how it can disrupt so many different types of businesses,” he told Techopia Live. “After trying it myself, it became immediately clear this was what we needed to do.”
Gange started Masterpiece VR shortly after. The company, currently taking up a big space at the back of Bayview Yards’ incubator, creates software that allows users with little to no experience in 3D modelling to collaboratively create virtual works of art. Up to eight people can gather in a virtual space to sculpt together and take the final product for use in animation, gaming or 3D printing.
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When the firm got started, there was a fair bit of pushback by naysayers who thought VR would go the way of 3D televisions, failing to capture mainstream appeal. Today though, investors and consumers alike look to virtual reality with excitement and Gagne says Masterpiece VR is always a popular stop for dignitaries touring Bayview Yards.
Masterpiece VR’s goal is to democratize 3D modelling. In the future Gange imagines, anyone will be able to imagine something, sculpt it in the firm’s software, and immediately print that creation.
“That’s a basic necessity that. In 10 years, everyone will need to be doing. There’s no basic hammer to create 3D content. But that’s where this comes in,” Gagne told Techopia Live.
The firm is already working with tech giant Microsoft and is looking to raise a seed round of $1.5 million in the coming months.
To see how the firm’s software works, watch the demo in the Techopia Live interview above.
