Google puts $1M into 3D design app Rooms after more than 1 million ‘rooms’ created | TechCrunch

California: So, guess what? The 3D design app Rooms just got a nice boost with a cool $1 million from Google. Launched in 2023, this app lets folks create and code their own interactive 3D spaces and mini-games. It’s got a library of over 10,000 items, and you can even tweak things using Lua programming.

Google’s investment is part of a partnership that gives Rooms early access to Google’s Gemini AI. Pretty neat, right? The app was started by some former Googlers who know their stuff when it comes to AR/VR and gaming. They’ve made it a fun way to create mini 3D spaces and even have a TikTok-like feed for browsing.

At first, users were just making simple rooms and games, but now they’re getting creative with storytelling and bigger spaces. One user, eodqueen, started with basic rooms and has moved on to creating larger, animated spaces. Talk about leveling up!

Recently, Rooms rolled out version 3.0, which includes a new Actions editor. This means you can animate your rooms without needing to code. Plus, they’re planning to use Gemini for a text-to-speech feature, so characters can actually talk. How cool is that?

With the new features, creators can choose different tones for their characters, like happy or bored. It’s all about making storytelling more engaging. The company behind Rooms, Things, Inc., also announced they’ve hit a milestone with over 1 million rooms created. That’s a lot of creativity!

While they haven’t shared specific user numbers lately, they did have around 250,000 registered users last year. The funding from Google, which closed in December, is structured to allow them to invest in Rooms’ next funding round. They’ve already raised $10 million in seed funding from some big names.

Right now, you can check out Rooms on the web and iOS, but they haven’t started monetizing yet. Exciting times ahead for this app!