Google’s Poly 3D asset hosting service is shutting down at the end of June and if you’ve got any content stored on there you can now easily use an app to transfer models to Sketchfab.
The four step process has you connect your Google Poly account and your Sketchfab account and then choose which Poly models you want to move over to Sketchfab. You can use the tool now at polytosketchfab.com. The only files which aren’t transferable are ones created in Tilt Brush or 360-degree photos made in Tour Creator — but Tilt Brush users can use the existing Sketchfab exporter that’s built into Tilt Brush to move that content over.
“Tilt Brush can upload to Sketchfab directly, however most brushes are not fully supported at this time. Icosa Gallery, a team behind a fork of Tilt Brush called Open Brush, are creating an open source version of Poly that will have full brush support, and will also provide a migration tool for Poly users to bring their Tilt Brush sketches onto the platform,” wrote Mike Nisbet, a developer on Icosa, in a message to UploadVR.
A page with answers to common questions explains that once the models are copied to Sketchfab they’ll be in a draft mode that automatically delete after 30 days. The page explains that “if you’re on Sketchfab’s free Basic plan, you can publish as many models as you need, as long as you either make them downloadable or put them up for sale on the Sketchfab Store. If you’d rather not do that, our paid plans provide more generous publishing limits as well as additional features.”
The new tool should make it pretty easy for any folks who still have content on Poly to keep that content alive on Sketchfab’s service. When Google originally announced Poly’s shutdown — part of a move by Google to end all of its original VR efforts — Sketchfab’s CEO Alban Denoyel noted “we don’t rely on advertising, and just became profitable, so we are here to stay.”
Posted updated after initial publication with details on Tilt Brush export and Icosa Gallery.
