Almost a year ago we told you about (Un)seen Sculptures, and Australian augmented reality art exhibit at the Surry Hills Festival featuring 3D models created by 13 artists from across the globe. The digital exhibit returns again this year, presented by dLux MediaArts as part of Sydney Art Month, and is currently seeking submissions from artists.
If you’re not sure what a mobile 3D augmented reality art show is, (Un)seen Sculptures describes itself as “a sculpture walk composed entirely of virtual 3D works that have been ‘placed’ at specific geographic locations.” Using Layar, visitors to the exhibit can view the sculptures (and any accompanying media) with their smartphone.
To submit your 3D digital artwork, you’d better act fast, the deadline is this Saturday, February 25th. Essentially, anything that works on Layar should be accepted, but make sure to keep models below 5,000 polygons and, in general, keep any files to a low size to avoid slow load times.
Submissions should include the following:
Artist name.
Title of work.
Any additional subtitles to be displayed in Layar.
200 dpi image of the artwork (for printed promotional purposes).
An artist statement of short description of the work.
Link to the artist's website.
3D files of the artwork.
Any accompanying media files.
Any submissions or questions should be sent to filmcement[at]gmail.com. For full descriptions of requirements and guidelines for submission, see this PDF. We’re looking forward to seeing what makes its way into the show this year!
Last month we were very proud to launch a collaboration between Stiktu and Dutch artist GabyGaby (Gaby Zwaan) at DLD in Germany. Visitors to the conference were able to post their own additions to Gaby’s unique TulipMan artwork with Stiktu. This month, we’re kicking things up another notch with Gaby as he debuts a gallery show of TulipMan in Dubai.
The Dubai opening, “Flower Power 2.0: Featuring MegaTulipMan,” is Gaby’s debut solo exhibition, and Layar is playing a significant role. MegaTulipMan is “a superhero character who circles the globe on his mission to save the world from mediocrity and the status quo.” With the help of Layar, Gaby’s artwork is coming to life in a new, digital way.
By scanning the artworks with Layar, visitors to the The Mojo Gallery in Dubai can follow the story of MegaTulipMan like reading a comic book. Comic-style captions appear on and around the artworks, and sometimes even new digital artwork (like laser eyes) appears to supplement the scenes.
If you’re not in Dubai, you can still see the TulipMan layer in action. Just flip through the slideshow below and scan the images with Layar. You'll see the story of MegaTulipMan come alive right before you.
Today we've released an update to Layar that you can now find in both the iTunes App Store and the Android Market. While it's a small release from 6.0 to 6.1, it's an important one, and here's why.
With Layar 6.1, we're focusing more on Layar Vision, and making the experience of viewing Vision content easier and faster. To get a better understanding of the changes coming in Layar 6.1, we crafted a quick video introducing you to the new features.
As you can see, the changes are minor but important:
Firstly, when you launch Layar, you are now brought immediately to the Scan View screen. This way, when you see the View with Layar logo out in the world, you're only one tap away from scanning and viewing great Layar Vision content. If you want to skip this screen and head to the layer catalogue, just tap the "Layers" button in the lower left corner.
And when you do scan items, you can do so by tapping anywhere on the Scan View screen. Previously we had a small area where you could tap, but now, simply tap anywhere to get started. It's a small change, but it can go a long way to making Layar Vision a better experience.
Finally, when you scan for Vision content, the layer will immediately launch if it is the only result found. Previously we displayed a results screen, and when only one result is listed, this is unnecessary. Just another small change making the use of Layar Vision a little more user-friendly.
Layar 6.1 is available now in the App Store and Android Market, so make sure you update today!
Here at Layar, we’ve always prided ourselves on our ability to provide the most comprehensive documentation and support for our developers out of any Augmented Reality platform. Today, we’re thrilled to announce another step toward making developing on the Layar platform easier than ever.
This week we launched a brand new environment to help developers find documentation about Layar. How to become a developer, how to make layers, how to implement the Player, Layar Vision help - it’s all there, and now it’s super easy to search and navigate.
The goal of the new environment is to make it easier for developers to find answers to any questions they have about Layar development. Notice the three headers “Browser & Platform,” “Player” and “Connect,” as well as the sidebar with collapsing drop-down menus. These have been arranged to make finding answers quick and easy.
The new documentation site is the perfect place to start if you have a question as a developer. Use the search functionality or navigate through topics in the sidebar. If you still can’t find your answer, head on over to our DevSupport environment and search the forums or submit a ticket there.
Our old documentation site, the PBWorks Wiki, has now been completely replaced by this new environment. Not only is the documentation now under a the roof of the Layar.com website, but the look and feel of the site are both now far more user friendly. We also have control over features and functionality, so let us know if you have any feedback or suggestions to make it even easier.
We hope you enjoy the new documentation page. Let us know what you think!
Our friends over at Tribal DDB - a global digital advertising agency - recently employed the help of Layar Vision to enrich one of its projects. The project is a desk reference "calendar" that the company sends to prospective clients to inform them all about mobile.
It's called "Mobile Engagement: A Guide to the Mobile World," and now with Layar's help, the calendar comes to life with augmented information within the pages. In the video above, we sat down with Joeri Kiekebosch, who worked on the project, to get an idea of how and why they chose Layar Vision.
"We had the feeling that a static desk reference was… static. And we're a digital agency that does digital stuff, so we needed something that made it interactive," Kiekebosch told us. "If you talk about mobile, you should be able to do something with your mobile. Why not scan the calendar with your mobile and see extra content on top of that?"
"There are a lot of big shots walking around here, and these people kind of like geekiness but are not geeks. AR is perfect for these people," he adds. "Everybody has an iPhone, they were like 'Oh this is cool, this is fun!' They got it installed easily, they understood it. For these kinds of people it really worked."
Almost a year ago we told you about (Un)seen Sculptures, and Australian augmented reality art exhibit at the Surry Hills Festival featuring 3D models created by 13 artists from across the globe. The digital exhibit returns again this year, presented by dLux MediaArts as part of Sydney Art Month, and is currently seeking submissions from artists.
