Zhihao Yao's Blender-Made Traditional Ink Paintings Go VR

Zhihao Yao, an HCI Researcher and 3D Designer specializing in creating incredible painterly-style 3D models that resemble traditional Chinese ink paintings, has recently experimented with the Freebird XR plug-in, showcasing the results of that experiment with a new exciting demo.

For those unfamiliar, Freebird XR is a neat add-on that adds a VR workflow to Blender, allowing you to draw and see your 3D ideas directly in 3D via AR/VR devices. Available for free, the tool can also speed up your design workflow by enabling you to quickly and intuitively block out 3D concept models in virtual reality. Furthermore, you can switch between VR and regular Blender at any time to refine your model with Blender's desktop-based tools.

Leveraging a slightly modified version of Freebird in combination with his custom-made Geometry Nodes-powered 3D ink brushes, Zhihao offered an unusual experience by bringing his calligraphy painting-like works to VR. According to the author, the demo was captured on the Meta Quest 3 VR headset.

Previously, the author showcased ink-style cat animation, body and shadow animation achieved with real-time compositing, and a fully-rigged 3D bird model:

Besides the ink-style artworks, Zhihao is also known for mind-blowing setups that all involve Blender to some capacity. Earlier, the creator managed to break the fourth wall between the artist and the project by figuring out an unorthodox way to illuminate parts of the scene using an iPhone, showcased a setup that allows one to move objects in Blender by simply tilting a laptop, created a neat water splash generator, and more. You can check out all of these projects by visiting Zhihao's Twitter page.

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