Facebook sells virtual-reality tool used in movies, video games

Facebook is selling Oculus Medium, a 3-D virtual reality sculpting tool used in filmmaking and video games, to software giant Adobe

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg bought Oculus, a technology and virtual reality company, in 2014 for $2 billion after the Federal Communications Commission approved the acquisition, though the companies still operate separately. The terms of Medium’s sale weren’t immediately disclosed.

“We absolutely could not have done this without the talent and energy from this amazing community,” Medium said in a statement. “We’re incredibly excited for the next chapter.”

Medium brings both new talent and technology to Adobe, which has committed to providing best-in-class 3D and immersive tools for artists, the firm added. The sale will solidify Medium’s position as a professional tool, it said.

The transaction illustrates the growing importance of virtual reality technology.

“Medium has been a beacon of creativity in the virtual reality space, pushing creative and technical boundaries of 3D modeling,” Adobe 3D and Immersive Vice President Sebastian Deguy said in a statement. “The creative tool enables users to sculpt, model and paint in an immersive environment – to easily create characters, objects, environments, expressive works of art and more.”