Feeding America® and the Ad Council, in partnership with Niantic 8th Wall, Sawhorse Productions, and Flowcode, today launched a new augmented reality (AR) experience designed to raise awareness about hunger in the United States. Starting today, the public can access the immersive web-based augmented reality (WebAR) experience, exploring true stories and statistics about the impact of food on people’s lives, and how they can join the movement to end hunger.

We're excited to announce our summer developer challenge, the "Explore Together: Location-Based AR Challenge." For the first time, the 8th Wall and Lightship communities will come together, pushing the limits of what can be achieved with AR. This challenge, running from May 6th to June 24th, calls on you to leverage our powerful Visual Positioning System (VPS) to create innovative, location-based AR experiences that bring real-world locations to life.

VPS connects the real world with the digital one by anchoring AR content to locations with unprecedented accuracy and precision. This enables location-based augmented reality experiences that feel more personal and gives users new reasons to explore the world around them.

Meet João Pedro Vaz Pratas, a dynamic Creative Developer at Darabase, who began his journey in augmented reality development with 8th Wall around four years ago during the first COVID lockdown in the UK. His expertise in JavaScript development, particularly in the realm of WebXR development using React, TypeScript, and three.js (with AFRAME or pure three.js), has positioned him as a leader in creating immersive AR experiences that seamlessly integrate with real-world contexts.

We sat down with Joao for a Q&A to delve deeper into his AR journey and explore how he's using 8th Wall to craft captivating experiences that resonate with audiences worldwide.
 

We are thrilled to present the winners of the 8th Wall Time Capsule Challenge — an exciting journey through time that pushed the boundaries of what's possible with WebAR.

We invited the 8th Wall community to harness WebAR to weave together narratives that spanned various timelines, blending past marvels with the latest innovations. From the initial 'Info + Ideation' session to insightful webinars like '8Talks: Using WebAR for Historical Preservation' and 'Cre8te: Mastering VPS Tools for Historical AR Experiences', participants were equipped with the knowledge and tools to craft experiences that not only showcased their technical skills but also brought history to life in engaging and innovative ways.

With a generous prize pool at stake, the challenge served as a perfect platform for developers to showcase their talents, while also contributing to a larger conversation about the role of technology in preserving and celebrating our collective history.

As we reveal the Time Capsule Challenge winners, let's celebrate their creative WebAR storytelling that's redefined augmented reality. Discover the projects that have carved out their place in history.

At Niantic, we believe that augmented reality should be accessible and enjoyable for everyone regardless of the device they use. Today, we’re thrilled to unveil a significant milestone in this mission: the extension of Niantic 8th Wall’s Metaversal Deployment to now include support for development on Apple Vision Pro. With this new addition, developers can build once and deploy across mobile devices and mixed reality headsets including Apple Vision Pro. 

In the expansive world of augmented reality (AR), Lauren Schroeder emerges as a freelance creative technologist who uniquely combines digital creativity with immersive experience development. Her journey with 8th Wall began at the end of 2023, inspired by a demo at the SXSW popup that year. Lauren’s expertise spans a broad spectrum of digital creative technologies, from web-based experiences that are easily shareable online to using Unreal Engine for VR games and Touchdesigner for interactive physical installations.

Lauren’s approach is distinguished by her passion for exploring and expanding the realms of immersive experiences, constantly pushing the boundaries of what digital tools can achieve in AR and VR. She champions inclusivity and diverse perspectives in technology by building strong networks and collaborative relationships. One of her recent projects, themed around the winter solstice, showcases her skill in blending creative storytelling with sophisticated AR technology, engaging users in a global celebration of light and tradition.

We sat down with Lauren for a brief Q&A to learn more about her inspirations and expertise, the experiences she creates using 8th Wall, and her significant contributions to the AR community.  

At Niantic, we're committed to fostering the true potential of AR - using technology to improve our reality, promote connection, and be more than an indoor fascination. In late 2023, we teamed up with Meta to host our second Niantic Innovation Labs. The focus of this innovation lab was to bring mixed reality to mobile and Meta Quest devices via the browser by working with leading developers who would focus on building experiences optimized for the Quest device line that also work on mobile, create a multiplayer headset experience that connects with other headset or mobile players, and to create a headset-first experience that demonstrates how mobile can extend play outdoors. 

At the center of this cohort was the use of Niantic 8th Wall's Metaversal Deployment. This powerful feature enables developers to create WebAR experiences and deploy them across various platforms like Meta Quest devices on browser or smartphones. As we await the mass adoption of HMDs, this feature makes it possible to democratize access to immersive experiences and ensure mixed reality experiences are accessible to a broader audience, regardless of their hardware. 

Over ten weeks, three teams embarked on a voyage of creativity and technological innovation, with just two mandates: their creations must thrive on both headsets and mobile, leveraging our Metaversal Deployment and multiplayer module. Beyond these parameters, they were free to innovate without bounds.

The outcomes were impressive, underscoring WebAR's dynamic capability to forge connections and deliver captivating experiences across diverse devices, bringing people together in a shared digital continuum.

• Efficient testing across scenarios: Quickly visualize how Sky Effects will look in different settings and times of day without the need for additional devices or extensive setup.
  
  
• Seamless iteration: Instantly see the effects of tweaks and adjustments to the sky visuals, enabling a rapid and responsive development cycle.
  
  
• Enhanced presentation capabilities: Provide clients and stakeholders with realistic previews of how the sky-based AR experiences will appear, facilitating clearer communication and feedback.
  
  
• Consistency across viewing conditions: Ensure that AR experiences maintain their visual appeal and functionality across various skies, times of day, and viewing angles.

Whether you are aiming to create an enchanting fantasy sky, a dramatic weather change, or a unique celestial event, the integration of Sky Effects with the Simulator opens up a world of possibilities. This update empowers developers to push the boundaries of WebAR creativity and bring their visions to life with greater ease and precision.

Start developing Sky Effects with the 8th Wall Simulator 
All 8th Wall developers can now leverage Sky Effects within the Simulator via the Cloud Editor. Ready to start building? Get started with our sample projects for Sky Effects and Sky Effects + World Tracking which have all been updated to work seamlessly with Sky Effects in the Simulator. 

New to 8th Wall? Start developing the next generation of immersive sky-based WebAR with our 14-day free trial. We can't wait to see what you create!   

Introducing Libardo Martinez Durango, a dynamic force in the realm of augmented reality (AR) development and in the 8th Wall Community. With a rich background spanning various AR platforms, Libardo embarked on his AR journey with a clear vision to elevate the immersive experience landscape. He was interested in building on 8th Wall because the platform suited his ambitious technical needs and had an exciting community of developers and creatives to collaborate with.

From his early days, Libardo has been distinguished by his ability to blend technical prowess with artistic vision, creating AR projects that are not just technologically advanced but also deeply engaging and meaningful. His work is a testament to his dedication to innovation, representing his homeland of Colombia and the Latino community at large in the global tech arena.

We sat down with Libardo for a Q&A to delve deeper into his AR journey and explore how he's using 8th Wall to craft captivating experiences that resonate with audiences worldwide.

In our recent 8talks session, "Using WebAR for Historical Preservation," we had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the convergence of technology and history. Nicole Riemer and her team at ROSE Digital shared their groundbreaking work on three WebAR experiences developed for Black History Month. These experiences not only celebrated pivotal moments and figures in Black history but also set a benchmark for how we can use WebAR to make history accessible to all.