Scenario: your store is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In an attempt to avert financial disaster, you are searching for solutions to quickly open your store in AR. You want to give your customers the ability to view your products in AR from their homes by hiring a 3D designer to recreate your products. However you soon realize that this will be a costly, time-consuming process, which is not practical in your current situation. You need to add revenue fast, and you don’t have time or money to waste.
We have good news - there’s no need to panic!
You can still give your customers a great experience in AR, just by using 2D elements such as pictures and videos. Minsar is a no-code solution which was created as a way for individuals with no programming knowledge to be able to independently create immersive experiences. With simple drag-and-drop technology, it is easy to create and customize AR experiences. In this blog we will show you step-by-step how to create your store in AR using only 2D elements, completely no-code. The following example is an AR store created for Michele’s Originals jewelry.
Step 1: Gather your assets
All of the images we used were from the Michele’s Originals website. We didn’t need to make any modifications to the images, but we decided that we wanted them to have transparent backgrounds. This can be easily achieved by using the preview app on macOS, or on Photoshop, GIMP, or Paint.NET. Once the images were made transparent, we simply uploaded them to our Dropbox and moved onto step 2.
Step 2: Import the assets into Minsar
Minsar supports the integration of Dropbox, Google Drive, and Sketchfab. Simply head to the Minsar portal and scroll to the “App Integrations” section in order to connect your accounts. In this instance, we uploaded all of our assets to Dropbox and then imported them into the experience from there.
Once our Dropbox was connected through the portal, we simply selected “Import Assets”, chose “Dropbox”, and then clicked on the assets we wanted to import.
After we imported the assets, we arranged them in the experience by simply dragging and dropping them to our chosen locations. Once we were satisfied with their placement we moved onto step 3.
Step 3: Add triggers and actions
For this experience, we used the “Face Visitor”, and “Open URL” actions. “Face visitor” orients the image depending on where the viewer is, so that they only see the front of the image. This action is particularly helpful when using two-dimensional assets, and does not require a trigger. The “Open URL” action allows the visitor to access a link by performing a selected trigger (ie. tapping). In this experience, when the user taps the piece of jewelry they are redirected to its unique purchase page.
Step 4: Share your experience
The final step is to share your experience with your customers! Simply head to the Minsar portal, find your project, and select “Publish”. You will then be provided with a QR code and a URL that you can distribute to anyone. Each person who views your experience will need to download XR View, which is an AR viewing application, but they are not required to have Minsar Studio installed on their device. You can click here to view this experience!
About Michele's Originals
Michele's motto has always been: “brilliant ideas require masterfully-crafted execution.”
Creatively conceived and consciously constructed
Each piece is crafted from a place of intention to bring the wearer good luck and good fortune. Precious metals like .925 sterling silver or copper are adorned with thoughtfully chosen semi-precious stones. The attention to detail is unparalleled and provides the wearer with a unique one of a kind looks that one can wear for years to come. Visit her online store today, or view her store in Augmented Reality to learn more!
