Launched back in 2017 to help virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) content makers by providing a library of 3D objects, this week Google as announced that Poly will be closing next year.
Google informed all Poly users by email yesterday, saying that: “Poly will be shutting down forever on 30 June 2021.” The ability to upload will be disabled on 30 April 2021 with users advised to download their entire library or individual assets by that final date, as they’ll likely lose all their work otherwise.
Integrating with apps like Tilt Brush and Blocks, Google Poly became an easy way for any content creator, from students to professional artists to upload and share their work. Free to use, the platform has thousands of free 3D objects to download with the ability to remix a model should someone need to make slight adjustments to fit particular requirements.
Rather than highly complex models which can be resource-intensive which isn’t great for mobile applications, Google Poly was all about keeping things simple and lightweight. With the platform now closing, creators will have to turn to rivals like Sketchfab.
One of the early pioneers of VR thanks to initiatives like Google Cardboard, Daydream, Poly and more, Google has been on a cull of late with few projects left. Last year sales of its mobile-based Daydream View headset ceased and it was back in October that Android 11 was confirmed to have dropped support for the Daydream platform entirely.
The company is still keeping popular apps like Tilt Brush and Google Earth VR alive, whilst on the AR side, ARCore is still going strong. As and when Google either cancels more immersive projects or even announces new ones, VRFocus will let you know.
Source: https://www.vrfocus.com/2020/12/3d-object-library-google-poly-is-shutting-down/
