CONTEXT
This is a project for an augmented reality course I took in grad school.
We were given 6 weeks to design and prototype an interactive AR experience in our software of choice.
We were given 6 weeks to come up with a concept, render a design, and build an interactive prototype in our software of choice.
MY ROLE
This was an individual design and development project.
Concept
At the beginning of the project, we had to decide which tools we wanted to use to prototype our design. As I was comparing software, I discovered the Lens Studio’s landmark recognition feature, and that it has a few famous buildings scanned and mapped — I live in New York City, and the Flatiron Building is one of the mapped buildings. The thought of designing something I could “attach” to a building outside was appealing to me; it exemplified the world-shaping magic of mixed reality. Inspired, I took screenshots of a blank landmark editor to start sketching out ideas.
As I mindlessly colored the windows during lecture, the pattern reminded me of a Lite-Brite, one of my favorite toys from days gone by. Lite-Brite was basically a plastic panel with a grid of open slots with lights inside. You fill the grid with translucent pegs of various colors, making patterns and designs, and the lights inside the panel illuminate the design.
MOCKUPS
I thought it might get annoying to have to change the color for every peg, so I designed a tray that can hold a few different pegs, as well as how the color selection might work. I wanted to keep the UI as minimal as possible to try and emulate that toy-like nature of the original.
To elaborate on the concept, I wanted to show the Lite-Brite on more than one building. I happened to have a trip to London and Paris planned, so I created variations with Buckingham Palace and the Eiffel Tower, which are also landmarks recognized and mapped in Lens Studio.
Prototype
I needed something to put in to Lens Studio, so I used Blender to create the 3D model of the peg.
Once I had a 3D model, I exported it out of Blender and dropped it into Lens Studio. I made a few different materials (color layers) and started making designs.
For this version of the prototype, I used a script that lets users randomly change the color of the pegs by tapping on them. Future iterations would allow the user to specify the colors.
I also created variations for Buckingham Palace and the Eiffel Tower, which are more of the landmarks recognized in Lens Studio.
All that remained was to export my lenses and test my prototypes in Snapchat.
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES
I ran into some problems at first and ended up having to rebuild the lens.
Retrospective
CHALLENGES
It only works on landmarks that have already been mapped, e.g. the Flatiron Building, Buckingham, et al. I would have to build the surface/landmark recognition in something like ARKit or Unity to use it on any building.
ROADMAP
The next iteration of the prototype would allow users to generate pegs, choose their color, and place them wherever they want. I believe I can build that functionality in Lens Studio with the pre-recognized landmarks.