Snap Debuts AR Creation Tools at Lens Fest

Snap Enhances Lens Studio for Advanced AR Experiences

As Snap’s developers increasingly utilize the company’s augmented reality Spectacles hardware, Snap is significantly expanding the capabilities of its Lens Studio. The goal is to create AR filters that are more interconnected, realistic, and forward-looking.

At the annual Lens Fest event, Snap unveiled a series of updates to its lens creation suite. These changes encompass integrating external media and data, as well as introducing AR-focused features designed with future wearable technology in mind.

Expanding Media and Data Integration

Snap will introduce a new sounds library, providing creators with access to audio clips and millions of songs from Snapchat’s licensed music catalog for use within their lenses.

Furthermore, Snap is facilitating the incorporation of real-time data into Lenses through an API library. This will allow lenses to display dynamic information such as weather updates from AccuWeather or cryptocurrency prices from FTX.

A key update will empower users to embed links directly within lenses, directing viewers to external web pages.

Growth and Investment in AR Creation

Snap’s initial, often playful, selfie filters continue to represent a substantial growth area for the company, which has consistently prioritized augmented reality.

Currently, over 2.5 million lenses have been created by a community exceeding 250,000 creators. These lenses have collectively garnered 3.5 trillion views, according to Snap.

To foster innovation, Snap is establishing an internal “AR innovation lab,” named Ghost. This lab will provide financial support to Lens designers, offering grants of up to $150,000 for individual projects.

Improving Technical Capabilities

Snap is focused on enhancing the technical performance of lenses, particularly for users with less powerful devices.

The World Mesh feature, previously available to users with high-end phones, now extends to more basic models. This allows a wider range of users to experience AR lenses that integrate real-world geometry data for more interactive digital objects.

Realistic Interactions and Physics

Snap is introducing tools to enable more realistic interactions between digital objects within lenses.

A new in-lens physics engine will facilitate the creation of dynamic lenses that can interact with the real world and respond to simultaneous user input.

Preparing for Future AR Hardware

As Snap develops more sophisticated lens creation tools for mobile, it is also preparing for the future of AR with its AR Spectacles. Developers have been working with the new hardware, and Snap is responding to their needs and exploring new possibilities.

Connected Lenses and Endurance Mode

Snap is developing Connected Lenses, which enable shared AR experiences for multiple users, particularly with the AR Spectacles.

Recognizing the battery limitations of the current Spectacles prototype, Snap has implemented Endurance mode. This allows lenses to run in the background, conserving power while awaiting a specific trigger, such as reaching a designated GPS location.

Ultimately, Snap’s glasses remain in the developer phase, and no firm timeline has been announced for a consumer release. This provides the company with ample time to refine the technology and build out its capabilities.