September 22, 2020 – 8th Wall has today announced the launch of ‘Curved Image Targets’, allowing users of its development platform to create web-based augmented reality (WebAR) experiences that are activated by and can interact with cylindrical- and conical-shaped objects. The company added that Siduri Wines has become the first brand to showcase the commercialization of its Curved Image Targets technology, with a wine bottle-activated experience created by agency Rock Paper Reality.
Curved Image Targets expands upon 8th Wall’s existing image target functionality which was previously only designed for flat shapes. With this update to 8th Wall’s AR engine, developers can now create interactive WebAR experiences using images wrapped around cylinder- and cone-shaped objects such as bottles, cans, cups and more. 8th Wall stated that it launched the new feature to meet the demand from consumer packaged goods brands looking to use augmented reality to engage their customers with their product packaging without the friction of downloading an app. Like all of 8th Wall’s AR capabilities, experiences created with Curved Image Targets require no app to download; users simply click a link or scan a QR code to immediately start the experience.
“8th Wall is on a mission to make augmented reality for everyone and to do that we need to be able to augment everything,” said Erik Murphy-Chutorian, CEO & Founder of 8th Wall. “The launch of Curved Image Targets builds upon 8th Wall’s existing WebAR technology which includes World Tracking, Flat Image Targets and Face Effects as we continue to prove that powerful augmented reality experiences can live on the web.”
AR design firm, Rock Paper Reality, worked with Siduri Wines to use the new set of tools to create a WebAR experience that interacts with a wine bottle (shown below). After scanning the wine label with a smartphone, users watch as a track wraps around the bottle and a grape pops out of the lid and takes a ride before disappearing behind a trap door. Earlier this year, Siduri Wines launched a series of WebAR experiences that featured a volumetric capture of Siduri Founder Adam Lee and used a virtual bottle. This new project was developed to showcase the types of experiences Siduri plans to launch in 2021, which make the company’s actual physical product central to the AR experience.
8th Wall added that developers utilizing its platform to create experiences using cylindrical and conical image targets will benefit from:
- A target creation flow that doesn’t require object measurements;
- Tools to immediately test targets without the need to print labels;
- Ready-to-go components that use video and 3D to bring curved image targets to life;
- The ability to configure multiple target regions on the same product and combine flat and curved image targets to track the sides and the flat top and bottom of a cylindrical or conical target; and,
- Integration of external libraries and APIs such as analytics, real-time data feeds and other machine learning libraries within experiences to create complex and meaningful WebAR projects.
Patrick Johnson, CEO of Rock Paper Reality, commented: “8th Wall’s new Curved Image Target functionality allowed us to finally create a web-based, AR project that uses cylindrical image targets. 8th Wall’s new technology helped RPR develop a frictionless, augmented reality experience for Siduri Wines, which lets their customers engage with their wine bottles like never before”. He added, “We are continually impressed with the quality and performance of 8th Wall’s AR engine, so much so we have made WebAR a core focus of our business. The addition of Curved Image Targets to 8th Wall’s platform opens up so many new use cases that we are excited to deliver to brands, particularly in the beverage industry.”
8th Wall’s Curved Image Targets are now available to customers at www.8thwall.com. New users can sign up for a 14-day free trial of the 8th Wall platform. Existing users can simply log in to get started using the Curved Image Target project template or cloning one of many sample projects from the 8th Wall Project Library.
Video credit: 8th Wall / YouTube
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.