8th Wall, a Palo Alto-based company creating augmented reality development tools, today announced the release of its cloud-based authoring and hosting platform which aims to make it easier for AR developers by providing what it calls a “unified in-browser solution” to create and host WebAR experiences.
Founded in 2016 by ex-Google and Facebook engineers, 8th Wall puts a heavy emphasis on computer vision, machine learning and product development. Throughout its three years of existence, 8th Wall has racked up a pretty impressive résumé, powering WebAR activations for Sony’s Spider-Man, Miller Lite, British Gas, Heineken, Swiss Airlines, Porsche, Red Bull, Time Magazine, LEGO, and Ally + MONOPOLY to name a few.
Now the company is opening its own cloud-based authoring and hosting platform to both new and existing clients, providing a solution to create, collaborate and publish browser-based WebAR experiences. The company also provides templates as well as the ability to work across teams, something that’s fundamental to building an experience when team members are distributed across multiple time zones.
Check out the company’s sizzle reel below to get a better idea of what you can make with the company’s authoring/hosting platform:
Like all WebAR applications, AR experiences powered by the company’s software require no app downloads, essentially removing a big friction point between the app’s creator and its consumer. Accessing WebAR experiences on a compatible mobile device is oftentimes as simple as scanning a QR code or navigating to a URL in your browser, giving you instant access to a miniature AR experience right on your phone.
Early access partner 72andSunny used 8th Wall’s new tools to publish their current WebAR activation for Italian lingerie brand Intimissimi’s “Bra Twist” campaign, featuring Sarah Jessica Parker.
“8th Wall’s authoring and hosting platform is a game-changer for creating in-browser augmented reality and a significant milestone for the immersive web,” said Erik Murphy-Chutorian, CEO and Founder of 8th Wall. “Our SLAM and marker-based AR engine has powered WebAR for partners and developers since its launch last year, but required the use of third party software and the need for a hosted environment to get out to market. This release delivers on the demand from our customers in wanting a single end-to-end solution to create and host WebAR projects.”
The 8th Wall cloud-based authoring and hosting platform is available today for Agency and Business account holders, providing them with the ability to:
- Create SLAM and image target-enabled WebAR experiences using 8th Wall’s fully featured text editor with out-of-the-box support for the most popular web frameworks (React, Vue.js, A-Frame, Babylon.js and Three.js), developer keybindings and dark mode.
- Collaborate with multiple team members on one project from anywhere in the world and quickly view and resolve conflicts with an in-browser distributed version control system.
- Publish and host WebAR projects to different deployment states including a password-protected staging environment, all served globally on the edge for instantaneous and fast viewing of code updates.
You can see a full list of the company’s pricing for Agency and Business accounts here.
