Snap has updated its Lens Studio platform to allow artists and developers to create custom lenses – the company’s term for AR experiences – that follow in order. The maker of Snapchat has created two templates, Full Body Triggers and Full Body Attachments, which can transfer different effects based on what the user is doing within the frame. As a tutorial video explains, these include switching virtual objects, playing short pieces of animation and particle bursts. Before, developers could use a skeleton template to track eight points on the upper body. The new templates can meanwhile control 18 points, including the user’s knees and ankles.
There’s an obvious application for this new developer tool: dance videos. The genre has always been popular across various social platforms, including YouTube and Instagram. The monumental rise of TikTok, however, and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – which has forced many to stay indoors and find new ways to destroy themselves – have encouraged people to make even more body-digging clips. It is therefore no surprise that Snapchat wants to support the trend with new artists and developers tools. If you do not want to download and learn Lens Studio, fear not: Snapchat has already released four creator-made lenses – Star Burst, Be You, Alone and Be Happy – that you can now access directly in the app.
