Bit Odyssey - Snap Lens Studio
Snap Lens Studio, Cinema 4D
This was a super cool project to work on! Diving into the world of AR (Augmented Reality), I learned about the limitations and capabilities of Snap Lens Studio and how it lends itself to 3D animation. For this project, I wanted to explore bringing back the nostalgia of 8-bit video games like Galaga. Using this as my inspiration, I created a Snapchat lens that allows users to look like two brand new types of 8-bit aliens, as well as firing their own ship at their theoretical enemies! It was a super cool process and I enjoyed seeing what AR was capable of!
When coming up with ideas for this project I had a lot of variety. For this concept in particular, I took inspiration from the classic arcade game Galaga. I started by modeling the famous ship in Cinema 4D and I mocked it up to get a sense of what it could look like.
When I jumped into the software (Snap Lens Studio), I learned of the limitations that it brought. I had to keep everything below 4 Megabytes which can be pretty challenging when it comes to 3D. Luckily, my concept didn’t call for high quality lighting, but I still had to make sure I didn’t exceed the limit. Another issue I faced was the animation. Snap Lens Studio did not allow me to use deformers, effectors, or any other common ways of animation. To get around this, I did my animation normally, and then went back through creating separate frames. It was an interesting process to essentially use stop motion techniques in Cinema 4D so that I could get the animation that I wanted.
I decided to move away from the Galaga ships and create my own designs because I felt it would become more unique. I sketched out some different variations in cubic form until I found one that I was happy with.
Getting through the limitations that were put in front of me was a bit of a challenge, but I found enjoyment in coming up with the solutions that allowed me to create an interactive filter that allowed people to shoot the space ship, as well as become an alien. It was a fun process creating the elements for both sides of the camera, as well as creating a promo video to show off the fun of the lens!