Meta Introduces Additional Tools And Features For Spark AR Creators

Meta has launched version 136 of Spark AR Studio, which includes new audio capabilities, depth responsive effects, depth color overlay, and other features to help you create more immersive AR experiences. Spark AR Studio version 136 now offers occlusion access and controls, which may be utilized in conjunction with Meta's recent enhancements, such as hand and body tracking.

Meta has also released a new audio engine that allows for advanced audio integrations in effects, as well as improved audio processing that allows developers to layer audio effects by fusing several audio sources. Reels can now process voice effects, sound effects, and music recordings to generate effects. Mixer, Gain, Oscillator, Vocoder, Filter, and Compressor are among the six new patches in the audio engine, which is currently only available for AR effects on Instagram. There's also a collection of new asset patches in the Spark AR Library, including Audio Fade, Pulse Limiter, Loop Player, and more.

The engine is meant to personalize and control a variety of audio aspects in AR effects, allowing creators to mix music files, add voice notes, and combine numerous audio sources. Meta has also published two new templates today called Piano Project and Audio Visualizer, which can be used to start a new audio effect or create multisensory effects, to allow developers to explore and find new audio ideas.

Meanwhile, Camera Depth Texture is a new depth mapping feature that allows designers to identify the relative distance of surfaces and objects from the camera and export the data as a texture. This technology works similarly to how smartphone cameras analyze a scene and create depth in portrait shots. The data can be utilized to build depth-responsive effects, as well as post-processing and lighting effects.

The occlusion function, which allows creators to blend virtual things into real space to create a mixed reality experience with augmented features in a real-world backdrop, has been simplified to make it more accessible to makers. By partially covering virtual items with other things or hiding them from a user's field of view, artists can give users a more genuine feeling of space.

As part of the new improvements, Meta has also published a new template called Depth Color Overlay that may be used to produce a colorful sonar-like pulse effect.