Tvori—Creating Spatial Worlds and Stories

Tvori was initially a tool for spatial (VR/AR) storytelling, allowing people to create animated worlds and stories. Later we adapted it for designers and then pivoted to ShapesXR.

The first versions of Tvori, introduced in early 2016, were about real-time animation. You grab an object or a puppet, move it, and it gets recorded.

People were asking for more control. So, after introducing real-time animation, we added a traditional method—keyframe animation. After that, we started seeing professional use: Disney, Cartoon Network, NBC Universal.

For example, Cartoon Network used Tvori to animate their VR games [Variety].

Individuals were creating animated films all in VR. It was super impressive but quite niche [Animation Magazine].

Some started using Tvori to prototype and design VR apps. Among them were Unity, Facebook, NBC Universal, and Walmart (yep).

The usage among storytellers wasn't high, with many people dropping off. So, we decided to pivot into design. After all, companies were willing to pay for that. We started marketing Tvori as a design tool and adjusted some of the features to meet the needs of designers. And, as the final step of the pivot—ShapesXR was born.