Getting started

Get the app

Install Clayground from its Meta Quest listing. It runs on Quest 2, 3, 3S and Pro. You do not need a PC. Clear some space around you. Then choose the virtual studio or mixed reality. The app tutorial shows you the controls.

Your first sculpt

Choose Clay and build a simple shape. Smooth makes it softer. Move pulls it into a new shape. Paint adds colour. Use layers for parts you want to change on their own. You can save a piece as a stamp and use it again.

The animation timeline records your poses one frame at a time. You can hold a pose for longer. You can also see the pose before, to compare.

Move your files to a computer or phone

Export a GLB (with colour) or an OBJ from the app. Then open Share in Capture. Your headset and your phone or computer must be on the same Wi-Fi. The file goes straight from the headset to your device. It never goes through a server.

If Share shows a pairing code, type it at clayvr.com/share. If it shows an address that starts with http://, type that address in the form on the same page. Your exports are also in the Downloads folder on the headset.

Saving a project and exporting a model are two different things. A saved project stays in the headset. The browser studio cannot open it.

Help for Quest owners

If the connection does not work, read the export page. For other questions, see the Quest questions. You can also ask in #quest-app-help on Discord, or write to me.

Open it

Open the browser studio in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. It runs on the page. You do not download anything, and you do not need an account. On a computer you see all the tools. On a phone the buttons are bigger, for your thumbs.

Sculpt with a mouse or a pen

Drag on the clay to sculpt. Right-drag to turn the clay. Scroll to zoom. The tools are on the left. Keys 1 to 0 choose a tool. The keys [ and ] change the brush size. R turns the clay. F resets the view. Ctrl+Z undoes. Ctrl+Y does it again.

Layers keep parts apart. You can hide, lock, move, resize or copy a layer. You can also merge one layer into another. Shapes add balls, blocks and rings, or cut holes. Each layer has its own level of detail. The Layers panel shows how much of the browser's memory your layers use.

Keep your work

There are four different things. Here is what each one is:

• Saved on this device: this happens by itself, a moment after each change. It is one sculpt, in this browser only.
• Named copy: choose My projects, then Save named copy. A new copy never replaces an old one. Also in this browser only.
• Backup file (.clayweb): choose Save project, or press Ctrl+S. It is your sculpt with every layer, and you can still change it. Keep it anywhere, and open it on any device with Open project. Make one for anything you care about. If you clear the site data, the other two are lost.
• Model export (GLB, OBJ, STL): for Blender, game engines, viewers and 3D printers. It keeps the shape and colour, but not your layers. It is not a backup.

Bring a model in

Import GLB turns a closed 3D model into clay you can change, with one layer for each part. It is not an exact copy. Thin details become softer. A GLB with image textures cannot be imported yet. Colours that are stored on the points of the model do come through. Keep your original file. My stuff shows everything this browser is keeping.

Share your sculpt

Save an image, record a short clip, or print it as an STL. You do not have to sign in. If you sign in, you can keep a private copy online, make a link to share, or send it to the gallery to be checked. Nothing is uploaded unless you ask. Your sculpt can also be a fighter in Smoosh.

Smoosh: your first fight

Open Smoosh and press Quick fight. The first time, you practise for one minute. You learn to move, jump twice in the air, hit a practice dummy, and get back onto the island.

On a keyboard: press A or D (or the arrow keys) to walk. Press Space to jump. Press Space again in the air to jump a second time. Press J to hit. Press K for a special move. Press L for a strong hit. Hold Shift to block. A game controller works the same way. On a phone, drag on the left side to walk, and use the buttons on the right.

The daily puzzle

Blend In daily shows one new clay scene each day. Look at it, then find the five hidden copies. It takes about two minutes. You can also practise when you want more.

Snack Run and Soft Spot

In Snack Run you are very small. You run and jump across a giant bakery counter and pick up five golden snacks. There is a new track every day. Everyone gets the same track.

In Soft Spot you shape the level yourself. Drag the soft clay into hills and holes. Then run to the glowing end. There are eighteen levels in three worlds.

Puzzles about 3D shapes

In Fix It, Fella is stuck. You sculpt something to help him get out, like a step, a bridge, a key or a boat. Clay Views takes one minute. You see flat pictures of a shape. Which one shows the front, the side or the top? Both games have a new puzzle every day. Academy puts the ideas in order, one by one.

Play with friends

Two people, each on their own screen: on the Smoosh page press Play a friend, then Host a game. Give your friend the code.

A group with one TV or laptop: open /play on the big screen and press Host a game. Everyone joins on their phone with the four-letter code. Blend In is for 2 to 12 players. Sculpt-off is for 2 to 8 players.

If a phone loses the connection, open the same link and choose Rejoin. You come back as the same player.