More good Layar SDK news! We’ve recently released another update to the SDK as we continue to make it as easy as possible to embed your own Augmented Reality (AR) experiences into your own iOS and Android apps.

We’ve always put an emphasis on allowing you to customize your AR experience as much as possible to fit your brand and meet the needs of your users. With the latest update you can now take more control of your AR scenes than ever before. How? Event handlers!

The introduction of event handlers means you can have actions or POI updates triggered by certain events within your scene. This enables you to add more complex functionality to your experiences, including sequencing of videos and dynamic content without the need for an external server.

Here are the new event types you can use to custom-script your AR scene…

onLoad – Triggered when the object has been loaded successfully.
onClick – Triggered when the object has been clicked (similar behaviour as the POI action).
onPlaybackStart – Triggered when the video or audio object playback has started.
onPlaybackFinish – Triggered when the video or audio object playback has finished.

All of these events can trigger new actions, content updates (including adding or removing objects from the scene) or even a custom handler that can be reused for multiple objects and on different events.

This powerful new feature allows AR scenes to be even more engaging and interactive for the user in various ways. If you’re an existing SDK user, check your inbox for links to the latest version and check out the developer documentation page for more details.

If you’re interested in using the SDK, you can try it now for free! Have questions before you start? Let us know, or join our upcoming webinar at the end of the month.

Good news! We’ve recently updated the Layar SDK as we continue to make it as easy as possible to embed your own Augmented Reality (AR) experiences into your own iOS and Android apps.

Having the freedom to customize your AR experience to fit your brand and your users’ needs has always been a cornerstone of the Layar SDK, and with this latest update we aim to continue that tradition. So what’s new in the latest version?

Custom Location Provider
You no longer need to rely solely on the built-in GPS of the user’s device to get location data. Now you can hook into any location provider that you choose. For example, you can use iBeacons to create a more accurate location-based AR experience when indoors.

A note to developers: the Layar SDK simply allows for a custom location provider but does not include any alternative providers itself, that part is up to you!

More Custom Callbacks
We’ve added more callbacks that give you more control over the look-and-feel of your experience. For Geo Layers, you can now opt to remove the compass and the messages shown at the top which usually pertain to the number of results found nearby.

These changes make it even easier to create your own customized AR experience, whether that means creating a custom look or using advanced custom location providers to make a more engaging experience.

If you’re an existing SDK user, check your inbox for instructions on updating your SDK. Or if you’re interested in using the SDK, you can try it now for free!

Today we’ve added some great new features to the Layar Creator which now make it easier for developers to quickly implement engaging augmented reality experiences with Layar Vision.

In addition to making the uploading of page files easier and adding a social Share Page button (see our blog on these items here), we’ve added a pair of advanced features that make the Creator more powerful than ever. With the new Custom URI Scheme button and JSON Hotspot widget, developers can now add hooks to third-party applications and drop Layar Vision code directly into the Layar Creator.

Custom URI Scheme Button
Some third-party apps use a custom URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) scheme to allow deep linking to actions within the app. For example, a link from any application on iOS or Android to “layar://layarname” will open a layer in the Layar App (granted the user has Layar installed on their device).

With this technique and depending on the schemes provided by various apps, you can add interactive print links to perform various functions on a user’s device, including view a map or directions, play a song or other media and much more! It’s especially useful to direct a user to an action within your own app from the Layar App.

Check out our Custom URI Scheme Button Tutorial to learn more!

JSON Hotspot Widget
Many developers have already used the Layar API to create Vision layers, and now you can simply drop your JSON code into the Creator to make publishing this content much easier! The advantage is that it supports more features than the Creator does natively, including 3D models and animation.

Anyone with knowledge of JSON and 3D modelling can easily create and publish a 3D augmented reality experience within the Layar Creator. A majority of hotspot-level features of the Layar API are supported with the exception of any feature that requires communication with a dynamic back-end (e.g. asynchronous actions).

Check out our JSON Hotspot Widget Tutorial to learn more!

These improvements are all part of our commitment to providing the best augmented reality and interactive print solutions for both publishers and developers alike.

Log in to the Layar Creator today to get started with these new features!

If you hadn’t noticed yet from our barrage of tweets on the subject, Layar is looking to bring on a pair of all-star mobile developers in short order for an awesome summer project.

If you’re an experienced Android or iPhone developer and want to spend your summer in sunny Amsterdam, then we have one sweet deal for you. We’re cooking up some amazing projects for the future and need some kick-ass developers to help us knock it out of the park.

Layar is looking for the best of the best, the cream of the crop, and of course we know it will take more than asking nicely to get you here so we came up with the ultimate Amsterdam Summer Package:

Layar will fly you to Amsterdam, put you up in a cool apartment for the summer, to make sure you can get around like a local we’ll hook you up with a shiny new bike and provide you with one of the most fun work environments there is. Oh, and we’ll offer a competitive salary too.

Our office has beautiful views of both the city and the harbor, features delicious catered lunches each day and is home to some of the most friendly (and often off-beat) people out there.

Not to mention you’ll be in one of Europe’s most sizzling and entertaining cities (we’ll let you decide how to define “entertainment”) during the warmest months of the year. Amsterdam has a very large international community and every summer Amsterdam fills up with tourists because of the laid back vibe, festivals and other exciting things - and you’ll be here for all of it.

Sounding good so far?

You should have a proven track record at developing either iOS or Android applications. You should be able to show us amazing apps where you have played a major part in their development. We’re looking for the developers behind the really cool, featured apps on the app stores. Additional requirements include:

• 3+ years of experience developing on iOS or Android.


• 7+ years of development experience in a commercial (preferably startup) environment.


• Strong background in C++ and Objective-C or Java.


• Passion for making good looking apps with attention to every detail of the UI.


• You know how to make an app responsive, fast and likable.


• Experience working in an agile environment.

You’ll be working closely with our design and UX team, as well as with our other developers (mobile and server back-end) in Amsterdam and the Ukraine. Expect an intensive summer of coding, with the reward of building one of the coolest apps in the market.

We’re looking for people to start A.S.A.P. for two months, possibly three, and if it goes well and we like you we might ask you to stay on permanently. So let’s review…

Free plane ticket to Europe… free housing in Amsterdam… free bike… free food… terrific work environment… competitive salary… get to help create an amazing new product…

Sounds like a pretty good deal, right? What’s the catch? No catch. We just need to best iOS and Android developers out there. If that’s you, send a note to jobs [at] layar [dot] com.

Creating your own feature-rich layers just got a heck of a lot easier.

Today, we are very pleased to announce the launch of our publishing API, Layar Connect. This new tool allows third parties to build an end-to-end, one-stop-shop content management system for layers, enabling those without technical programming skills to launch their very own layers on our platform without writing a single line of code.

We are very excited about the possibilities this brings both to the Layar platform and to the augmented reality field as a whole. Layar Connect allows anyone to build what could become the WordPress or YouTube of augmented reality, helping them create and share content in truly immersive ways.

“We’re focused on the democratization of augmented reality and want to make it easier to create and publish AR content for all,” said Maarten Lens-FitzGerald, Layar co-founder and General Manager. “With Layar Connect, we are the first in the industry to move management and publication of AR content to third parties. This creates opportunities for Layar partners to add increased value to their business; a big step in the professionalization of the AR industry.”

For users, this new tool will allow you to get your very own content ideas realized in augmented reality. Perhaps you want to create your own personal layer with spots and objects of your choosing. Before, if you didn’t have technical expertise, creating and managing your own layer meant jumping between Layar and a third-party system. Now, those systems will be able to handle every aspect of registering and creating layers, making the process painless for you.

For developers, Layar Connect improves on the logistics of creating layers. It is now far easier to create and manage Layar content, and developers can also build their own tools to suit their individual needs as third-party publishers of augmented reality content.

Several third-party tools are already making use of Layar Connect, and have been certified by Layar as high-quality, reliable tools for easily creating Layar content. Only tools which meet these requirements will be named Certified Layar Creation Tools, the first of which include:

• buildAR - buildAR lets you quickly and easily add your own information overlays to create your own augmented reality content on Layar. “Layar Connect lets buildAR make creating layers easy for anyone,” said Rob Manson of buildAR. “You don’t have to be a developer to create augmented experiences - just have a great idea.” Learn more.
  
  



• Poistr - Poistr is a service where anyone can manage data layers in an easy way and without technical skills. Like BuildAR, Poistr is a web-based interface for adding POIs to a map which can then be viewed in augmented reality with Layar. “Layar Connect facilitates the automation for creating and managing layers and POIs, and allows total integration with Layar,” said Poistr’s Ignacio Vilalta. Learn more.
  
  



• Poiz - Poiz is a Layar Creation System (LCS) - an online content management system (CMS) for compiling layers. With Poiz you can easily create a layer with custom form and content, but without high development costs. Technical knowledge of layers is not necessary. “Layar Connect makes Poiz a one-stop shop with full control over layer and content, allowing us to offer Poiz accounts for a lower price,” said Willem Veenstra of Poiz. Learn more.
  
  



• VISAR - VISAR is a content management system and publication platform for Layar and other services. It puts you in full control of your content 24/7 and stores it safely. “With Layar Connect, the entire process is now customer oriented, making it fast and easy to create and maintain great AR experiences,” said VISAR’s Jeroen Meijer. Learn more.
  
  

Head on over to the Layar Tools page for more information about Layar Connect and developer requirements. To apply for an API key, please fill out this form.

Read the official press release here.