News: Snap Adds Upper Garment Segmentation, Multiple Object Detection, & More with Lens Studio 4.1

After adding full-body tracking and 3D body mesh in its past two Lens Studio updates, Snap continues to supply creators, particularly apparel retailers, with tools for creating clothing-centric AR experiences.

Arriving via Wednesday's release of Lens Studio 4.1, the Upper Garment Segmentation template enables users to create the ability to project AR content shirts, jackets, dresses, and other similar clothing on multiple persons appearing in the camera view.

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But that's not all. The Multi-Object Detection template expands on Object Detection capability that leverages the Scan function in Snapchat to recognize and augment objects in the camera view. Now, Lenses can detect multiple objects, including dogs, cats, cups, cars, TVs, potted plants, and bottles, and apply AR effects to them. This opens up opportunities for brands that make the aforementioned consumer goods to create augmented reality experiences around them.

Other new development features include Text Localization, which enables users to import their own localized text files into Lens Studio, and Order Independent Transparency, which allows for automatic sorting of overlapping and transparent objects in an AR scene.

Finally, Lens Studio 4.1 also doubles the file size limit to 8MB, enabling creators to include higher-quality assets in their Lenses or expand the complexity of their AR experiences.

It's the new templates that are arguably the most significant additions to Lens Studio, though. At the 2021 Snap Partner Summit, Snap showcased how its AR capabilities enable fashion brands to showcase their products in creative ways. Lens Studio 4.1 not only deepens the toolkit for the apparel industry but also introduces functionality for other retailers and consumer goods makers.

With the rapid iteration of its technical capabilities and acquisitions like Vertebrae, Snap is building its AR technology into an e-commerce powerhouse just as it is seeding its creator community with its AR-enabled Spectacles.