The metaverse represents an emerging digital frontier unlocking new possibilities for work, collaboration, events, and more in virtual and augmented reality spaces. While the metaverse vision is still taking shape, many powerful tools already exist for enterprises, creators, and professionals to build immersive experiences and leverage virtual world technologies today.
In this guide, we’ll highlight the top metaverse-oriented productivity tools and solutions across these key categories:
- Metaverse Development Platforms
- XR Tools for Virtual/Augmented Reality
- 3D Modeling and Design
- Avatar Creation
- Virtual Events and Collaboration
- Digital Twin Technology
Whether you’re an architect designing virtual buildings, a product engineer prototyping 3D models, a marketer creating branded metaverse activations, or an educator holding lectures in VR, these tools empower you to work, create, and collaborate in new extended reality (XR) environments. Let’s dive in!
Metaverse Development Platforms
Comprehensive platforms for building and deploying metaverse experiences:
The most popular game development engine for 3D content with support for VR/AR experiences. Offers an accessible no-code environment.
Advanced real-time 3D creation tool for immersive experiences like games and digital humans. Widely used by metaverse builders.
Open world metaverse with drag-and-drop Scene Builder for creating interactive 3D environments without coding.
Enables collaborative holographic experiences across devices via HoloLens and VR headsets for enterprise use cases.
Game development platform with powerful tools to create customizable virtual worlds attractive to Gen Z users.
XR Tools for Virtual and Augmented Reality
Immersive tools leveraging VR and AR:
Intuitive 3D modeling tool for creatives to sketch, design, and collaborate in VR using motion controllers.
Browser-based VR creative tool for 3D modeling with digital clay and precise sculpting capabilities.
Platform for animation professionals to author interactive VR content and experiences.
Enables anyone to create AR/VR applications and experiences with a visual node-based editor.
AR development tool from Snap for building fun augmented reality lenses and effects for Snapchat.
3D Modeling and Design Tools
Powerful options for 3D design:
Open source 3D creation platform for modeling, animation, simulation, rendering, and more. Great for metaverse content.
3D modeling and animation software from Autodesk used for game development and industrial design.
High-end 3D computer animation and modelling tool used in Hollywood and AAA game studios.
Photogrammetry software to generate 3D models from simple photographs for replicating real-world objects digitally.
Intuitive online 3D design platform for fast and easy 3D scene creation requiring no specialized 3D skills.
Avatar Creation Solutions
Tools for crafting virtual identities and digital humans:
Web platform for creating customizable 3D VR avatars for over 200 apps including VRChat, Mozilla Hubs, and Microsoft Teams.
Software from Facebook/Meta for dynamically creating high-fidelity VR avatars using AI, computer vision, speech processing and animation.
Enables turning standard 2D photos into animated 3D models usable as avatars in minutes. No 3D modeling expertise required.
3D character design tool from Reallusion for customizing digital humans with diverse attributes for animation and games.
Uses computer vision to capture body motion and facial expressions to control interactive avatars in real-time.
Virtual Events and Collaboration Platforms
Shared virtual spaces for events, meetups, and teamwork:
Browser-based service for easily creating 3D spaces and avatars for virtual gatherings, presentations, and collaboration.
Virtual reality events platform for hosting talks, meetups, conferences, and more in customizable shared VR spaces.
Online platform for immersive virtual office spaces to facilitate casual collaboration through avatars and video chat.
Allows teams to come together in persistent virtual reality workspaces with multi-monitor setups and whiteboards.
Shared AR/VR workspaces with avatars and lifelike presence for distributed teams to collaborate face-to-face digitally.
Digital Twin Technology
Virtual representations of real-world objects and environments:
Suite of apps for collaborative design, simulation, and real-time photorealistic synchronization of digital twins.
Platform for creating and visualizing digital twins of infrastructure projects across the lifecycle and supply chain.
Digital twin solution enabling modeling, simulation, monitoring, and management of buildings and even entire smart cities.
Specializes in digital twin technology for advanced structural analysis and predictive maintenance in industrial environments.
Suite of 3D visualization and simulation applications tailored specifically for digital twins.
This covers many of the most versatile and adopted metaverse-oriented tools on the market today for enterprises, creators, and professionals. While still early days, these solutions provide on-ramps for organizations to begin exploring and building Proof of Concept projects in extended reality environments.
As hardware like AR glasses and VR headsets continue advancing to drive mass adoption, tools that leverage 3D, virtual collaboration, avatars, digital twins, and other spatial computing technology will become increasingly central to how we work and create together.
Now is the time to start experimenting with professional metaverse tools and pilot projects to prepare for this imminent paradigm shift. Those who engage early have the advantage of gaining experience and establishing first-mover advantages as the technology proliferates into the mainstream.
Just as the web and mobile transformed entire industries over the last few decades, metaverse and spatial computing hold similar potential to reshape modern professional practices for the better. These tools represent the beginning of that technology-enabled evolution.
