‘Masterpiece X’ Lets You Remix 3D Models on Meta Quest 2 for Free

When Jonathan Gagne founded Masterpiece Studio, his goal was simple (albeit ambitious): enable one billion people to easily create 3D objects with the help of artificial intelligence and immersive technology. By the time he was a teenager in the ’90s, he had already built his first business, a 3D graphics engine, and multiple neural networks. So in 2015, he put his 20+ years of experience in AI, computer graphics, and VR tech to the test and began an eight-year journey toward today’s launch of Masterpiece X, a new free 3D creation tool on Meta Quest 2 and Pro.

“Masterpiece X was an ambitious project from the very beginning,” says Jeff Ross, who joined Masterpiece Studio as CTO in 2017, “combining the capabilities of two separate PC VR apps into one, while adding additional functionality, interfacing with cloud processes, and squeezing it all into a standalone VR headset. Masterpiece X has been in active development for about two years itself, but the source code was based upon an additional six years of existing 3D creation software we had previously built. That said, Masterpiece X was built from the ground up with Quest 2 in mind.”

Rather than starting from scratch, Masterpiece X lets you start with a complete model and make it your own through “a more playful and fluid workflow: 3D remixing, which is the process of creating new content by modifying old content,” explains Gagne. “Creators and everyday users across multiple platforms often remix without even realizing it—it’s a very universal, intuitive, and accessible way to create all kinds of content. We wanted to bring that same feeling to 3D creation, and Meta Quest 2 was the perfect platform to help realize that vision.”

While many VR creation tools target professional artists, designers, and creators, Masterpiece X hopes to tap into more of a hobbyist market—helping to democratize access to VR content creation by offering people an easy-to-use app that lowers historic barriers of entry.

“Traditionally, 3D creation has been an extremely complex and technical topic,” says Masterpiece Studio Designer Polina Berseneva, who first began learning 3D modeling and embracing the world of user-generated content through Second Life. “That’s why so many traditional tools are so challenging for beginners—there’s just so much to learn.”

By tapping into the immersive and embodied nature of VR, Masterpiece X lets you share space with your creations and manipulate them in real time and at life-size scale.

“It’s amazing to see total beginners just pick things up because they’re in VR,” notes Berseneva. “Things just tend to be much more natural or intuitive compared to desktop apps. You can just reach out and touch your creation.”

“Creating a 3D object on a flat PC screen is like trying to draw a 2D image with an Etch-A-Sketch,” adds Gagne. “It’s just really difficult because the interface doesn’t match the environment you’re trying to create. Complete immersion is hands-down the best way to really feel what you’re creating. It’s just so intuitive and easy to pick up—especially for beginners who aren’t familiar with all the drop-down menus that have to be navigated with traditional 3D software.”

Of course, that’s not to say that developing the app wasn’t without its challenges. “In areas that are completely new, like building a complete animation workflow, we’ll create several prototypes and see which ones tend to most intuitively help creators achieve the best outcomes,” Berseneva explains. “It’s not always obvious what will work best, and we’ll often end up combining several ideas in order to create something unique—remixing our approach and ideas, if you will. But listening to our community and closely observing how different creators actually use our app continues to be an important north star for our team.”

“And it’s not just about a single app,” says Ross. “It’s about building an entirely new way to create 3D content—a way that’s never before been accessible to the vast majority of creators. We’ve designed an entire experience and community around the Masterpiece X app for Quest 2, one where creators can not only connect and learn from like-minded peers, but also find inspiration and a growing library of shared assets to help them get started and see their imagination come to life. This is only the beginning. There’s lots more coming to Masterpiece X very soon!”

The Masterpiece Studio team is hard at work on future updates, which may very well include generative AI to help creators produce game-ready assets and animations.

“We’re so excited for all that’s to come,” Gagne says. “But most importantly, we can’t wait to hear from the Meta Quest community and to see what the creators here are able to achieve.”