Augmented Reality (when you incorporate digital assets to enhance your reality) is a technology that has been around for a few years, but still hasn’t gone mainstream.

In our Homeless Realities project, we used AR and paired it with Snapchat as an easier way to distribute the unique experiences.

Knowing that many people may not regularly use (or understand) the app, here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to unlock and experience these innovative experiences.

You can activate these experiences in a variety of ways, but the quickest way to activate these experiences via Snapchat is simply by clicking these links:

• Jennifer’s tent from Echo Park: http://bit.ly/jovrnalism-hr-jennifer
• Angela’s car “Big Jimi Red”: http://bit.ly/jovrnalism-hr-angela
• Mike’s handmade cart: http://bit.ly/jovrnalism-hr-mike
• Tabia’s tissue art: http://bit.ly/jovrnalism-hr-tabia

These links should prompt you through the process as well as enable you to share the experiences with others.

Another way to activate is via the Snapcode.

Open the Snapchat app and point your camera at a Snapcode. Treat it like a button by pressing and holding on the Snapcode on your screen to scan it. (Press and hold make take a few tries.)

Still one more way to launch Snapchat, point at the Snapcode and take a photo/snap. That also unlocks the Lens and will become available with your other Snapchat Lenses.

Tips
Make sure your audio switch is turn on and the volume is up before you launch Snapchat. (Increasing volume in Snapchat triggers taking a snap.)

Our experiences play introduction audio to set the scene. Once that audio is finished playing, the other audio buttons are enabled. To avoid confusion, we limit to one audio clip playing at a time.

The best part of our AR experiences are also hidden “Easter eggs.” For Jennifer and Angela, you can see inside their homes by physically stepping inside the 3D model.

Are those real objects and places? How did we make those models?
Yes, these homes and artifacts are 3D models converted from many photos using technology known as photogrammetry. These are not artist renderings or interpretations of the spaces or objects, these are the spaces and objects.