The biggest social media platform in the world made the most of its F8 developer conference (held in the city of San Jose in California’s Silicon Valley) by introducing a fresh iteration of its AR Studio, which is basically a type of software that allows users to overlay digital graphics elements on top of essentially anything that is viewed through a smartphone’s camera.
Together with the unveiling of the new version of AR Studio, Facebook also revealed a collaboration with Sketchfab, a platform that produces ready to use 3D, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) animation. The idea is that people can just browse through Sketchfab’s vast catalog of animations and choose the ones they want to use.
Previously, users could only utilize the AR Studio software in order to create AR-centric experiences for Facebook. This time around, however, Mark Zuckerberg’s team has now updated the tool in order to work with other popular social media apps, including Facebook’s own Messenger and Instagram properties (albeit in closed beta). On top of that, AR Studio is expected to work soon with Facebook Lite, the light weight version of Facebook that consumes less data than the standard version.
It is no secret that Facebook has many plans with regards to using AR related technology. Last year when it announced the original version of AR Studio, it also debuted the Facebook Camera, a tool that third party developers can use in order create AR-driven games and apps for Facebook users.
Apart from showcasing a new version of AR Studio, Facebook also took the opportunity to tease its plans of transforming the Messenger app into a retail hub, with the help of AR. Some of the new feature that were hinted at the F8 developer conference include augmented reality experiences, language translations done automatically, and a set of artificial intelligence (AI) features that business owners can use (especially those with small or medium enterprises) in order to get in touch with their target audience.
Sure, AR tricks on social media apps are super fun (even if there is still plenty of room for improvement), but how can they be employed in the world of online shopping? Many might be surprised -- for instance, when shopping for a pair of shoes from Nike (who is partnering with Facebook), prospective buyers will be able to see a 3D model of the product, rotating and zooming in and out. Similarly, 3D models can be used for products sold by other partner brands that already include car maker Kia and mobile manufacturer Asus.
