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Gravity Sketch

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Gravity Sketch
Information
Type 3D design and modeling software, Virtual reality application
Industry Industrial design, automotive design, footwear design, product design, education
Developer Gravity Sketch Limited
Operating System Windows (PC VR via SteamVR); standalone on Meta Quest; formerly iPadOS
License Freemium (free for individual creators, paid Plus and Business tiers)
Supported Devices Meta Quest, PC VR headsets via SteamVR, web browser, formerly iPad
Release Date August 15, 2017 (Steam Early Access)
Website https://gravitysketch.com/

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Gravity Sketch is a 3D design and modeling application best known for creating and sketching in virtual reality, developed by Gravity Sketch Limited, a company based in London, United Kingdom. The software lets designers draw, model and refine three-dimensional forms directly in an immersive workspace using motion controllers, rather than working from the two-dimensional views of conventional desktop CAD packages. It is used across industrial, automotive, footwear and product design, as well as in education and concept design, and it is available on standalone Meta Quest headsets, on PC virtual reality headsets through SteamVR, through a web application, and previously on iPad.[1][2]

History

Gravity Sketch was co-founded by Oluwaseyi Sosanya, Daniela Paredes Fuentes and Daniel Thomas. The concept originated as a project on the Innovation Design Engineering programme run jointly by Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art, where the team met and began the project in 2014.[2][3][4]

The company's first product was a tablet application, and in October 2016 it ran a Kickstarter campaign with a funding goal of GBP 50,000 to extend the tool from tablet to desktop and virtual reality.[5] The VR version launched into Steam Early Access on August 15, 2017.[6]

In April 2022 Gravity Sketch announced a USD 33 million Series A funding round led by Accel, bringing the total raised by the company to more than USD 40 million. Other investors included GV (Google Ventures), Kindred Capital, Point Nine and Forward Partners. At the time the company reported more than 100,000 users and use across roughly 170 schools and universities, with around 70 percent of its customers in the United States.[2]

Platforms

Gravity Sketch runs on standalone Meta Quest headsets and on PC-tethered virtual reality headsets through SteamVR, including devices such as the HTC Vive, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality headsets, alongside the Oculus Rift.[7] Support for the standalone Meta Quest 3 was added on October 11, 2023.[8]

A redesigned iPad application launched on March 25, 2021. According to the company, the iPad version used the same geometry engine as the VR application and shared most of its tools, and it could be used on its own or alongside the VR app, with sketches started on either device opened and continued on the other. The team noted at launch that not every VR feature had transferred to the tablet, with subdivision (SubD) modeling absent initially.[9] The iPad app was later unlisted from the App Store, with the company stating that it had stopped innovating on and maintaining the iPad version in order to pursue a hardware-agnostic tool able to run on any device.[10]

Users without a virtual reality headset can join sessions from a desktop or web browser to view, edit and review designs, allowing teams to collaborate across hardware.[1]

Features

Gravity Sketch is designed for gestural 3D sketching and modeling: users shape forms with hand gestures and motion controllers, apply materials, and import and export design data, with support for collaborative work in a shared virtual space in real time.[6] Its modeling toolset includes freehand and curve-based "stroke" creation as well as subdivision surface (SubD) modeling for smooth, editable geometry.[9]

Files created in Gravity Sketch can be exported in formats used in wider design and manufacturing pipelines. When the software was made free, the FBX and IGES export formats, previously restricted to paid subscriptions, were opened to all users, in addition to OBJ import and export.[7][1]

LandingPad

LandingPad is Gravity Sketch's cloud platform for organizing, storing, sharing and reviewing 3D files, and it provides the synchronization layer that lets work move between the VR, web and (formerly) iPad clients.[1][9] Its real-time collaboration feature, LandingPad Collab, lets a user create a personal collaboration room and invite team members to communicate, edit each other's work and design together at scale in 3D, including real-time voice conversation within the virtual room.[11]

Business model

Gravity Sketch began as a paid product but shifted to a freemium model. On January 26, 2021 the company made its core creative toolset free to all individual users across every platform, stating that it hoped doing so would help the software reach a more diverse user base. Commercial subscriptions remained available, priced on enquiry, and added studio support, training and access to work-in-progress co-creation features.[1][7]

The company later restructured its plans, with an updated tier lineup rolling out from February 24, 2026. The refreshed structure comprises a free tier for testing and community collaboration, a paid Plus tier offering enhanced capabilities for individuals (including the full creation and evaluation toolset, unlimited imports and exports, and more cloud storage), and a Business tier for professional product development teams that is split into Team and Enterprise options based on team size and security needs.[12]

Use and adoption

Gravity Sketch is used for industrial design, automotive design, footwear design and product design, as well as concept design and education, supporting tasks such as ideating quickly in 3D, assessing ergonomics, exploring manufacturability and conducting immersive design reviews.[13] Reported users have included design teams at companies such as Ford, Reebok, Adidas and Volkswagen.[2] Adidas, Ford, New Balance and Polaris are among the customers featured by the company.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "VR Design App 'Gravity Sketch' is Now Free for Individual Users". Road to VR. January 26, 2021. https://www.roadtovr.com/gravity-sketch-free-vr-quest-steam/. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Gravity Sketch draws $33M for a platform to design, collaborate on and produce 3D objects". TechCrunch. April 19, 2022. https://techcrunch.com/2022/04/19/gravity-sketch-draws-33m-for-a-platform-to-design-collaborate-on-and-produce-3d-objects/. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Alumni launch Gravity Sketch, the app aiming to make 3D design for everyone". Imperial College London. April 7, 2016. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/171649/alumni-launch-gravity-sketch-aiming-make/. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Gravity Sketch: Intuitive 3D Design in VR". Royal College of Art. https://www.rca.ac.uk/business/innovationrca/start-companies/gravity-sketch/. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Gravity Sketch Virtual Reality 3D Design Software Now on Kickstarter". 3DPrint.com. October 2016. https://3dprint.com/151941/gravity-sketch-kickstarter/. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Gravity Sketch on Steam". Valve Corporation. https://store.steampowered.com/app/551370/Gravity_Sketch/. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Download VR modelling tool Gravity Sketch for free". CG Channel. January 26, 2021. https://www.cgchannel.com/2021/01/download-vr-modelling-tool-gravity-sketch-for-free/. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Gravity Sketch is available on Meta Quest 3". Gravity Sketch. October 11, 2023. https://gravitysketch.com/blog-post/updates/gravity-sketch-available-meta-quest-3/. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Gravity Sketch steps out onto iPad for 3D Design". DEVELOP3D. March 25, 2021. https://develop3d.com/cad/gravity-sketch-steps-out-onto-ipad-for-3d-design/. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Changes to iPad app support". Gravity Sketch. https://help.gravitysketch.com/hc/en-us/articles/19076757067037-Changes-to-iPad-app-support. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Gravity Sketch launches LandingPad virtual collaboration room". DEVELOP3D. November 8, 2021. https://develop3d.com/vr-ar-mr/gravity-sketch-landingpad-virtual-collaboration/. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Refreshed Gravity Sketch plans". Gravity Sketch. February 24, 2026. https://gravitysketch.com/blog-post/updates/refreshed-plans/. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Gravity Sketch - Immersive 3D design and collaboration". Gravity Sketch. https://gravitysketch.com/. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
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