Today Snap Inc. launches its first-ever public, global AR Festival, Lens Fest!
On Wednesday (AEDT), Snap kicks off Lens Fest, its first-ever public, multi-day virtual event for AR developers and creators to explore what’s possible in augmented reality and celebrate Lens Creators — those who use Lens Studio, Snap’s powerful AR creation tool, to build and publish Lenses for Snapchatters worldwide.
The first session will feature Snap co-founder Bobby Murphy and other leaders from Snap’s AR platform, as well as partners and Lens Creators like Phil Walton, the creator behind the infamous Potato Lens!
The virtual event comes as Snap announces an investment of $3.5 million dollars to expand its support of AR creators and developers. This new investment will continue Snap’s commitment to funding opportunities for Lens Creators to work on sponsored projects, connect personal passions with Lens creation, and participate in our AR Creator Residency Program. More details on funding opportunities will come early next year.
Snap is also using Lens Fest to announce a powerful upgrade to Lens Studio, one of the most popular AR tools on the market. This new 3.3 release is focused on improving creator workflows by providing tools and resources that professional creators need. New features include visual scripting which allows users to create custom interactivity using graphical, node-based scripting without coding.