Google’s 3D Emoji: Now Open Source

Google Open-Sources 3D Emoji Set

If you’re a fan of emojis, you’ll be excited to know that Google is making its 3D emoji set available for use in your own projects. In celebration of World Emoji Day, the company recently shared insights into the design process behind these unique pictograms.

Creating 3D emojis presents a new set of challenges compared to traditional 2D illustrations. Questions arise about the shape of a smiley face – is it a sphere, a mask, or a flat disc? Google delved into these details to ensure the emojis were visually appealing and consistent.

Not only did Google provide a glimpse into its design process, but it also announced that the entire emoji set would be open-sourced. This means that raw .OBJ files will be available to the community, allowing them to incorporate the emojis into various projects, such as immersive VR worlds, indie apps, and even memes.

We’re handing over raw .OBJ files to the community so they can use them to build immersive VR worlds, indie apps, or weird memes.

While the idea of building immersive VR worlds with emojis may seem unusual, Google’s decision to open-source the emoji set offers endless creative possibilities. Whether it’s designing virtual environments or creating unique content, the emojis can now be integrated into a wide range of projects.

Google’s Noto Emoji 3D made their debut in May and received mixed reactions. While some were intrigued by the concept, others were unsure of how these emojis would be utilized in practical applications. Regardless, the open-sourcing of the emoji set opens up new opportunities for developers and creators to explore.