Microsoft bets its future on 3D, led by new version of Paint that will let people draw their own objects

The new Paint is part of Microsoft's 'Creators Update' – a new version of Windows focused on 3D

Microsoft executive Megan Saunders introduces Paint 3D at a Microsoft news conference October 26, 2016 in New York (DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

Microsoft has staked its future on a new version of Paint, everyone's favourite drawing application.

The company has released an entirely redesigned of the app, named Paint 3D. And as the name suggests, it is built around three dimensional worlds – allowing people to draw things that take up virtual space.

It works by letting take a picture of an object and then having their device construct that as a 3D image, for instance. Or it will let people doodle in 2D and then have that automatically changed into a 3D image.

Microsoft said that the new update was intended to move people's experiences with their computer from being 2D to being 3D. The screens will for the most part still exist in two dimensions, but the new features were likened to Minecraft – allowing people to create and work with three dimensional worlds in their computer.

But 3D is also central to Microsoft's future in part because it is one of the central parts of HoloLens, Microsoft's hologram technology. That augmented reality headset consists of a screen that goes on people's heads, and mixes virtual worlds with the real ones.

Objects that are created in 3D can be pulled out of the Paint app and viewed essentially in real life. In the demonstration, for instance, one person shared a 3D picture of a sandcastle that they took while on holiday – and then another pulled out that 3D image and placed it on a real table in front of them.

They can also be shared on Facebook, for viewing either as a video or within the HoloLens.