Niantic broadcasts main updates to its Lightship and eighth Wall developer platforms
June 1, 2023 – Niantic, a supplier of augmented actuality (AR) applied sciences and the creator of Pokemon GO, has introduced at AWE USA 2023 at the moment a collection of main updates to Lightship ARDK and eighth Wall platforms for builders.
With Lightship ARDK 3.0, Unity builders can now seamlessly combine and match Niantic’s AR options with Unity’s AR Basis and XR subsystems. This implies for the primary time for the reason that launch of Lightship ARDK, builders can use Niantic’s options together with present AR Basis libraries.
Moreover, this new integration will make it simpler for builders to override or lengthen XR Settings in order that they will simply add superior AR options to fundamental AR ideas. It will allow builders to combine and match the AR options they need from Semantic Segmentation, Occlusion, Meshing, Mapping and Shared AR, in keeping with Niantic.
Lightship ARDK 3.0 additionally units the stage for compatibility with wearable headsets. Beginning with Snapdragon Areas-powered gadgets later this yr. At AWE, the corporate introduced in partnership with Qualcomm, the primary cohort of ten AR corporations who may have entry to Lightship VPS with Snapdragon Areas to carry Niantic’s exact, persistent 3D map of the world service to XR headset improvement.
Lightship Maps for Unity
Along with ARDK 3.0, Lightship Maps for Unity will permit builders to make the most of the identical base maps that Niantic makes use of for its personal AR video games. The up to date Lightship Maps SDK will permit builders to attach their present and new video games and functions to the true world and supply missions and sport mechanics that leverage the corporate’s world map.
eighth Wall Extends to XR Headsets
For WebAR builders, the eighth Wall platform’s Metaversal Deployment to construct as soon as and deploy in every single place now helps blended actuality headsets beginning with the Meta Quest Professional and the Meta Quest 2.
eighth Wall’s Metaversal Deployment answer was designed for a brand new responsive net the place immersive web sites have to adapt to a tool ecosystem that now consists of flat screens and wearable headsets. One of many key advantages of Metaversal Deployment in keeping with the corporate, is that it permits customers to entry the identical AR-enabled web site on any system and have a significant expertise, akin to 3D on computer systems, AR on cellular, and blended actuality on passthrough succesful gadgets. This in flip will give builders the widest attain potential for the content material they’ve created.
In a keynote handle, Niantic SVP of engineering, Brian McClendon, shared Niantic’s up to date instruments for each Lightship ARDK (3.0) and eighth Wall, and talked in regards to the firm’s imaginative and prescient for extra open, cross-device improvement alternatives to construct AR experiences anyplace, from cell phones to blended actuality headsets.
Advancing the Use of GenAI and AR by means of Niantic Innovation Labs
In March, Niantic started the primary cohort of builders exploring the chances of genAI and WebAR. These builders took the stage within the Niantic Lounge at AWE to speak about their expertise and showcase their tasks. The corporate additionally prolonged its Niantic Innovation Labs program to a second cohort of builders centered on blended actuality headsets and WebAR.
Niantic famous that its imaginative and prescient for empowering AR in every single place means that it’s going to proceed to construct the options and performance of its developer instruments and platforms with Lightship and eighth Wall, in addition to additional construct out the corporate’s AR map of the world. Moreover, Niantic acknowledged that it’s going to proceed to increase cross-platform improvement instruments to make sure builders have the perfect open, cross-platform instruments and providers accessible to construct their very own AR and placement primarily based real-world digital experiences.
For extra info on Niantic and its Lightship and eighth Wall platforms, and different augmented actuality instruments for builders, please go to the corporate’s website.
For builders seeking to be taught extra about constructing with Lightship, please go to Lightship.dev.
For builders seeking to be taught extra about constructing with eighth Wall, please go to 8thwall.com.
Picture credit score: Niantic
Sam Sprigg
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in analysis and report writing, he has been overlaying XR business information for the previous 5 years.
