Quill Corner with Matt Schaefer, Kurt Chang, and Mike Khoury

Quill is a VR animation and illustration tool for creatives of all skill levels. Over the past few years, artists have come together to celebrate everything from national holidays to pop art through immersive animations made entirely in Quill. Each month, we’ll scour the Quill community for submissions and select three pieces to showcase in a future installment in the series. For consideration, upload your creation to the Oculus Media Studio. Quill aficionados may already know about the Quill Weekly Challenge, but if you don’t, head over to Quill’s official Facebook page for animation ideas and artistic inspiration. To view animations in VR, jump into Oculus TV on Oculus Quest or Quill Theater on the Rift Platform.

In our last installment, Quill artists treated us to spooky animations in time for Halloween. If you missed last month’s show, you can still watch the animations online or in VR over here. This month, Quill artists are putting the virtual pedal to the metal with new animations inspired by epic road trips.

Retro Car by Kurt Chang 

Grab your headset and watch this animation in VR!

The Scene: "I was inspired by my friend Andrea Gracia's illustration of a retro car. The illustration depicts a strong character in nature and the excitement of exploration awaiting her. I want to give viewers the same feeling of adventure. By using my friend's concept I was able to faithfully recreate the scene."

The Experience: "Recreating the retro car in Quill definitely bridges reality and concept. The visual creation is only half of the entire experience, and I would say sound design and music really help bring the vision to life. From the sound of the wind to the hover engine to the music playing inside the car, the sound makes immersion much more believable. And lastly, viewers are able to ride in a futuristic vehicle designed by the artist. How cool is that?"

The Tip: "The advice I would give is that Quill is just a tool and an artist is only as good as his/her library. Facing any new tools takes some time to get used to and especially Quill forces you to translate your perspective from 2D to 3D. There will be obstacles that will challenge your problem-solving skills, with more resources of tutorials, references, and creative thinking can be in your arsenal to tackle the challenge.  Lastly, have fun."

Rugged Road Trip by Matt Schaefer 

Grab your headset and watch this animation in VR!

The Scene: "My previous Quill creation was a race car painted with the Anim Brush. I liked how the animated paint strokes gave the rigid subject a sense of chaos. It's something you don't see often. So for my "Rugged Road Trip" piece, I wanted to expand on that and add all sorts of animated bits. I also wanted an excuse to mashup a bunch of cool vehicles."

The Experience: "I used scale to create a sense of awe. It's like seeing a monster truck in person. You can't help but feel almost intimidated by its massive presence."

The Tip: "My advice for beginners is to design your Quill creations around VR's unique abilities. The best VR art plays with scale, presence, immersive animation, spatial audio, and viewer agency. One other thing is to be comfortable with looseness. One of Quill's strengths is its ability to capture your personality in 3D. Especially through painting and animation. That loose feel is tough to capture with non-VR creation tools."

Lincoln 1966 by Mike Khoury 

Grab your headset and watch this animation in VR!

The Scene: "This drive loop scene was inspired by the Rockabilly era,  Classic American Car Culture, and the illustrative style of automotive art."

The Experience: "The car is made to scale with a realistic level of detail, so you can sit inside of it and feel like you are in the actual car from the rear passenger seat to the driver seat. Additionally, all the doors and panels articulate as they would in real life. Soon I will be recording spatial audio of the car engine as well as all the real-life sounds to incorporate into the VR scene."

The Tip: "Quill is a wonderful tool to bring feeling and human nuance into your VR work. I enjoy making scenes from real life, history, and popular culture. Find your passion and make it, and check out all the tutorials on FB Virtual Animation Group for fast responses to questions."

If you’d like to see additional artwork from Quill’s ever-growing community of illustrators and animators, be sure to check Oculus TV often for new material. And if you’d like to get creative in VR yourself, give Quill a try today on the Rift Platform.

Stay tuned for a new installment of Quill Corner next month!