Blippar makes Blippbuilder free to use

AR development company Blippar has an in-house design studio. They also have a web-based AR content creation tool called Blippbuilder. Now, that content creation tool is free to use. That is, under certain thresholds.

Free blipbuilder for everyone

“Our goal has always been to enable everyone to create unique and engaging AR content and experiences.” Blippar CEO Faisal Galaria said in a statement. “By making Blippbuilder free, we invite everyone to play, create and share what they’ve built with Blippbuilder.”

The announcement came just days after the company announced a collaboration to make Blippbuilder WebAR compatible with Microsoft Teams.

“By introducing Blippbuilder to Microsoft Teams, workflows that include team channels and group chats, we’re making it easier than ever for people to collaborate, create and share amazing augmented reality experiences with our partners in Teams.” Galaria said at that time.

Material on the company’s website says no coding or experience is required, using a drag-and-drop interface and included sample projects. With the tool, users can create experiences that take place spatially around the user, on a target, or on any flat surface. The tool comes complete with instructional videos every step of the way.

“We are confident that this decision will give creators free rein and accelerate the development of AR content for end users to experience,Galaria said.

What’s the trick?

Whenever something is released for free, it’s fair to ask how it’s paid for. The end of the release announcing the free availability of Blippbuilder introduces the idea that “for developers, agencies, and studios looking to create more complex, code-driven AR experiences, Blippar’s WebAR SDK is the solution.”

A beta version of the WebAR SDK was released last October, and a more complete version with a scalable pricing model was released in December. The pricing model for the WebAR SDK is based on views with projects being hosted for free until they reach 1,000 views. After 1.5 million views, the projects land in “custom solution” territory.

That’s not to say that free access to Blippbuilder is some kind of cheat. That access is likely to do exactly what the release is supposed to do, namely dramatically increase public introduction to these tools. For most people creating accounts and using the builder for the first time, the free versions of the studio or even the SDK will suffice for any pet project.

If you still want to be suspicious of a company that does something for free, you can always look at the fact that Blippar recently announced plans to expand its foothold in the United States and the US-based WebAR development company 8th Wall doesn’t have any. free pricing model. So if you have your cynical glasses, this could help bring new users to Blippar on 8th Wall.

“Part of the reason for building our presence in the US is to build even deeper relationships with agencies and creative onboarding agencies for Blippbuilder.” Galaria said ARPost at the time.

Here only the winners

Whether Blippar’s motives are altruistic, competitive, or a bit of both, the result is the same for the end user. One of the best WebAR development tools is free to use. If you need more capacity and support than the free models, you know what to do.