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At its height, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many auto showrooms to close their doors. As the pandemic persists, many consumers are still hesitant to let their socially distanced guard down. To solve this dilemma for its dealers in the UK, BMW has launched a web-based AR experience that serves as an immersive augmented reality showroom. Don’t Miss: 8th Wall Escalates Race for Volumetric Video Content with Microsoft Mixed Reality Capture Support The BMW Virtual Viewer displays three of BMW’s Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), namely the X5, X1, and 3 Series Touring, although BMW plans… more

Over the past three years, Epic Games has raised billions of dollars in funding on the success of Fortnite as well as Unreal Engine, one of the top 3D engines available for developing games and AR experiences. But, with its latest massive funding round, it has its eyes set on the Metaverse. Don’t Miss: Unreal Engine Maker Epic Games Lands $1.25 Billion Investment to Drive Future of Gaming & AR On Tuesday, Epic Games closed a $1 billion funding round that brings its total equity valuation to $28.7 billion. The company will apply the funding towards future growth opportunities, chief among… more

When most people think of Los Angeles they think of Hollywood and the movie industry, but in the last 10 years the city has rapidly transformed into a thriving new hub for visual artists. In recognition of this phenomenon, LA-based Snapchat has embraced the community by teaming up with a group of artists to create a series of stunning augmented reality monuments and murals around the city. • Don’t Miss: This Atari 3D Sneaker NFT Auction Is Using Snapchat to Let You Try Before You Buy on the Blockchain The immersive art series is called “LACMA × Snapchat: Monumental Perspectives” and was developed in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). “No Finish Line” by Glenn Kaino Spread across the city, the five immersive art installations can be experienced at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, MacArthur Park, Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park, and LACMA. To find the experiences, users can simply tap the Map icon in the Snapchat app. “Portal for Tovaangar” by Mercedes Dorame…more

The year 2020 sparked a trend of people moving out of big cities, with some opting to buy mobile homes and vans to travel rather than be cooped up in a tiny apartment during quarantine. Predictably, that led to a bit of an inventory shortage. But now that demand is eased a bit in 2021, Airstream is using augmented reality to sell one of its best vehicles available. • Don’t Miss: Volvo Teams with Unity to Let You Test Out the XC40 SUV in AR, Launches Developer Innovation Portal In the wake of celebrities like Lenny Kravitz making trailer living sexy again, Airstream is banking on that glam… more

This week, Google showed off some wild new and innovative AR experiences that showcase the WebXR protocol for browser-based AR content, while 8th Wall applied its own web-based AR platform in service of Captain Morgan. Meanwhile, other brands, including Hulu, Coinbase, and Ray-Ban, are leaning on Snapchat to generate awareness and sales for their offerings. Speaking of Snapchat, it has also become a destination for music artists to draw attention to their new singles and albums. However, one music artist capturing headlines has gone into another rather interesting direction. Google Shows… more

We’ve reached the point in the trajectory of augmented reality’s growth where AR advertising experiences are becoming commonplace tactics rather than rare experiments. Some of the more impressive examples of AR ads to emerge recently come from Hulu, Coinbase and Ray-Ban via Snapchat, along with a web-based AR experience from Captain Morgan built with the 8th Wall Web platform. Don’t Miss: Snapchat Can Turn Your 12-Pack of Labatt Blue Beer into a Virtual NHL Arena To promote the second season of its original series Solar Opposites (from the Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland), Hulu has… more

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Facebook enjoyed a boost in sales of Portal, its smart video cameras with AR effects, as social distancing became the norm. Now, with the pandemic continuing despite the deployment of several vaccines, the Portal portfolio is positioned to become your dedicated Zoom device as well. Don’t Miss: Hands-On: Facebook Pioneers Augmented Reality for the TV with Latest Portal HardwareOn Wednesday, Facebook updated Portal TV, the smart camera/streaming box hybrid for televisions, to support GoToMeeting and Zoom. Facebook/YouTubeThe company previously extended support for these platforms to its standalone Portal devices, which also support BlueJeans and Webex. A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that the company plans to bring support for BlueJeans and Webex to Portal TV at a later date. Zoom on Portal also supports the popular virtual backgrounds that add a spark of fun to drab video conference calls. In addition, Zoom on Portal TV brings much of the same…more

Snapchat and its augmented reality capabilities have become a haven for music artists seeking to promote their new albums or simply amplify their art with immersive experiences. We’ve seen the likes of Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Ariana Grande publish Snapchat Lenses to push their new releases, while Bruno Mars and others have created augmented reality effects with Lens Studio that act as extensions of their work. Don’t Miss: How to Expand Your Available AR Effects for Your 3D Spectacles Videos In this edition of AR Snapshots, we highlight AR experiences from some of the hottest artists around… more

Snapchat and its augmented reality capabilities have become a haven for music artists seeking to promote their new albums or simply amplify their art with immersive experiences. We’ve seen the likes of Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Ariana Grande publish Snapchat Lenses to push their new releases, while Bruno Mars and others have created augmented reality effects with Lens Studio that act as extensions of their work. Don’t Miss: How to Expand Your Available AR Effects for Your 3D Spectacles Videos In this edition of AR Snapshots, we highlight AR experiences from some of the hottest artists around… more

Have you ever wondered where you’d come out if you drilled to the other side of the world? Now, if you have an Android device and Chrome web browser, you can find out. On its Experiments with Google hub, Google has aggregated a collection of AR experiences built on the WebXR standard that show off the outer reaches of what is possible for web-based AR development. Don’t Miss: Google Flips the Switch on Web-Based Augmented Reality Experiences for ARCore Probably the coolest of the AR experiences in the WebXR collection is Floom, which opens a portal to the other side of the globe at your… more