HTC Vive announces Vive Sync for holding VR meetings, available for free in Beta

With COVID-19 pushing many industries to continue to conduct business online through tele-conferencing platforms, there’s a new demand for presentation and business tools online. HTC is announcing a new presentation tool for its VR platform: the Vive. The platform is called Vive Sync, and it lets people conduct presentations in a virtual 3D space.

The first aspect of the VR platform that’s different from video conferencing is the use of personalized avatars. These avatars are full body and can convey body language in a presentation. Creating your avatar starts with a selfie. Customization aspects like facial features, body types, and clothing are possible, with more options to become available in future updates. The Vive Pro Eye will be able to track eye movement into the virtual space. There’s talk about natural body language tracking as well thanks to the platform’s own “IK tracking system”.

There’s a clock that shows the time, as well as the local time of the other participants in the meeting. The platform will integrate with Microsoft OneDrive so that presenters can share PDF files, and play presentation videos or PowerPoint slideshows. There’s also a 3D pen for taking notes, you can take screenshots, and you can record the presentation as well.

If presenters want to include 3D models as part of their presentations, FBX and OBJ files will be supported, such as when giving a tour of a product – the Vive Sync announcement uses compact vehicle as an example.

Meeting rooms will allow up to 30 people at a time, and Vive Sync will be free for businesses through the end of 2020. Of course, every participant will need to have an HTC Vive device to join a meeting. The Open Beta is now available from the Vive website. Check the Source link for more details about joining.

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