Towards the end of 2019, Psychic VR Lab launched a new mobile app under its Styly brand which allowed you to view various artworks in augmented reality (AR). At the time the studio also noted plans to enable AR content creation at some point during 2020. That update has now arrived.

To build an AR experience you use Styly Studio, the same web-based software that Psychic VR Lab launched a couple of years ago for virtual reality (VR) content creation. The update allows you to select between AR and VR templates and then go about creating your scene without any programming knowledge to publish on mobiles and tablets.

Designed to be easy to use, Styly features a drag and drop editor to get you started whilst more advanced creators can import content from 3D modeling software such as MAYA or Blender as well as digital material from YouTube, SoundCloud, and Instagram.

Once the AR experience has been created there are a couple of ways it can be published and viewed. The easiest is directly through the Styly mobile app which is compatible with iOS and Android devices where users can search for scenes. The other method is via Styly markers (QR codes). Once your AR content is published, STYLY markers are automatically issued. These can then be scanned by the app to view the content. This is a great way for artists to showcase their work by printing the markers and placing them in locations like a gallery.

All the software under the Styly banner is free to use, Psychic VR Lab even created the NEWVIEW Awards to help showcase and celebrate artists work.

The studio has also added several other improvements to the software including a non-WebGL screen so users can view and configure scenes quickly.  VRFocus will continue its coverage of Styly, reporting back with the latest app updates.