App SDK FAQs

Blippar Documentation Centre

General

What features are provided by the Blippar SDK?

Here is a short list of the main features the SDK provides:

• The SDK allows detection of markers and entities (some are available in generic recognition, e.g., Level 1 entities; for others, e.g., cars, fashion, faces, logos, etc., they will need to be paid for separately)

• The SDK allows for a reasonable amount of graphical rendering and animation, which can enable you to create compelling interactive experiences

• The SDK supports 3D markers for standard shapes, e.g., cone, cylinder, sphere, cuboid

• The SDK doesn’t currently support markerless AR, though this will be supported soon

• The SDK doesn’t support real-time shadows for rendering at present; this will need to be ‘faked’ by the content creator

What is the difference between the Blippar app and the Blippar SDK?

The Blippar SDK is a pure Blippar engine, a set of files that enables core Blippar functionality. The SDK currently allows the following:

• The display of the camera video feed, both rear and front camera

• Marker recognition.

• Marker and OS face tracking

• Blipp playback

• Everything that can be launched from a blipp, e.g., in-app web browser, video playback, phone call UI, etc.; you are free, however, to replace this with your own UI

Please note that the Blippar app also has access to some experimental features that are not yet available to our clients, such as specific UI elements, favourites, history, ‘Explore’ mode, etc.

Customisation

What can be customised in the SDK?

The main part of the SDK is the video feed from the camera, which the SDK uses for image detection and tracking; the SDK also uses the video feed to present the blipp to the user. The video feed always runs full screen, and in portrait mode; this is the part of the SDK that is not customisable, however everything else is.

This means:

• An app developer can display different UI elements on top of the UI feed, e.g., they could display the phrase ‘Point your camera at the packaging!’ over the video feed

• Developers can also follow specific events that the SDK reports (for example, ‘Trigger image detected’, ‘Blipp launched’, or ‘Tracking lost’, among many others), and plan for subsequent actions accordingly, like hiding the displayed phrases as soon as the packaging is recognised in the video feed

• The SDK provides some additional UI elements for external content display, however an app developer could also choose to monitor the SDK’s attempts to launch this external content and then perform their own actions instead, such as displaying video content in their own video player

Will there be any Blippar branding on the SDK?

Once the SDK has been purchased with a yearly subscription, there will be no Blippar branding; there will, however, be a watermark in the SDK view during the initial trial period.

How many MB will the SDK add to my app?

With respect to the final size of the application, on iOS the SDK will add approximately 19MB, and on Android it will add approximately 21MB. These numbers are estimates, and in general the added size will be even smaller due to the target device optimisations that all operating systems perform during the application installation. The important thing to note is that our SDK is relatively light, and is one of the smallest cross-platform AR SDKs available today.

Content Creation and Publishing

What can be shown via the SDK? Is it all the same as with the Blippar app?

Currently the SDK triggers only augmented reality content, i.e., blipps that have been built by your team or our in-house studio for viewing through your app. In the future we plan to allow users the combine the SDK with other parts of the Blippar offering, such as our CV APIs to provide a more multi-dimensional experience.

What are the limits of your AR capabilities?

Our technology is marker-based--while we support 3D markers, we don’t support markerless AR (e.g., SLAM) at present.

Does the Blippar SDK support Geo?

The Blippar platform and SDK do not currently support Geo for tracking.

What happens to the content created during the initial 30 day trial?

All the content will remain available on our platforms, and can be tested through the Blippar app; the content does not stop working once the trial is finished, only the SDK itself stops. Once the SDK subscription is purchased, the previously created content will be available immediately.

Can we control what happens when a trigger image is detected?

The moment a trigger image is detected, the SDK lets the application know that it should launch a specific blipp. You can, however, choose to stop the blipp launch and perform a different action instead, such as delivering different content depending on the location of the user; this would be useful if, for example, you wanted to use the same packaging to deliver country-specific experiences across multiple geographies.

Pricing

What does your pricing model look like? How much does the SDK cost?

The SDK is purchased on an annual licensing model. Every app has different requirements, and as a result we customise all of our SDK packages depending on your needs; for more details, please contact us.

What services can be included in my SDK package?

Depending on the technical resources available to your team, we will be able to suggest the ideal product and service package to help you best achieve your objectives; services could include bespoke blipp development, integration support, consultancy time, or custom app development.

SDK Support and Updates

Can you help to integrate the SDK into our app?

We can assist with building a new app, either through our in-house team or via an external partner that we can suggest; if you’re looking to embed the SDK into an existing app, however, we strongly recommend working directly with the team who originally built your app.

How long does it take to integrate the SDK?

We estimate that it should take between 2-4 weeks, though this may take longer depending on how much of the UI and UX you would like to customise.