Sumerian is a new service from Amazon which aims to help developers build AR, VR, and 3D applications in AWS.

The low-code tool offers a point-and-click user interface for building scenes and applications which should help to make AR and VR development more accessible without the need for years of coding and design experience.

Sumerian has a built-in library of pre-built assets and templates, but users can upload their own if preferred. The post says it supports FBX and OBJ projects — while Unity will be supported at a later date.

Marco Argenti, Vice President of Technology at AWS, says: “With Amazon Sumerian, it is now possible for any developer to create a realistic, interactive VR or AR application in a few hours.”

Creations in Sumerian can be deployed on various platforms. The tool has support for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and iOS devices with WebVR-compatible browsers. Support for ARCore on Android is being worked on.

“Customers across industries see the potential of VR and AR technologies for a wide range of uses—from educating and training employees to creating new customer experiences,” continues Argenti. “But, customers are daunted and overwhelmed by the up-front investment in specialised skills and tools required to even get started building a VR or AR application.”

The tool has support for scripting via a JavaScript library which can be used with AWS Lambda, Amazon Polly, and Amazon Lex. Lambda provides access to other AWS services, while Polly and Lex add speech and language capabilities.

Sumerian looks to democratise VR and AR to make it more accessible for anyone with the will to get started. There’s a lot of potential for these technologies, particularly within classrooms and the enterprise, and we can’t wait to see what you do with them.

Developers can sign up for the preview or view samples here.

Would you use Sumerian for VR and AR development? Share your thoughts in the comments.