Overview
Connected Lenses allow multiple devices in the same Lens and session to share the same experience. Spectacles support Connected Lenses for co-located sessions (i.e. physically with the participant) and only support Spectacles-to-Spectacles connections. It uses the same infrastructure as Snapchat, so many principles and restrictions still apply.
This document details how Connected Lenses work on Spectacles and guides you in creating your own Connected Lenses on Spectacles.
Playing Connected Lenses on Spectacles
Creating a new session
Lenses with Connected Lenses support are available under the Play Together section of your Lens Explorer. Launch the Lens and start a multiplayer session. Select the multiplayer session to open the system dialog for creating a new session.
Joining an existing session
You can join an existing session through two ways:
- Play Together Section
- Active Nearby Section
Play Together Section
Open the same Lens as the person you want to join. Select the multiplayer option within the Lens, and a system dialog will allow you to choose a nearby active session to join.
Active Nearby Section
View the names of friends currently in an active Connected Lenses session and select the Lens to join.
Establishing a shared coordinate space
In a Connected Lenses session, establish a shared coordinate space by mapping your surroundings.
Ensure better detection and mapping by:
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Including physical objects and patterns
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Avoiding plain, solid-colored walls
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Moving steadily with lateral movements
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Using good lighting to make details visible
Once you have finished mapping your surroundings, you are ready to begin your Connected Lens session.
If you are not the first person to join the session, you must wait for the first person to finish mapping their surroundings before proceeding with your mapping flow.
Building Connected Lenses in Lens Studio
Building Connected Lenses experiences for Spectacles in Lens Studio is similar to mobile development. Use the Spectacles Sync Framework package, which adopts the Spectacles Interaction Kit.
Setting your environment
Ensure your Lens Studio environment is set up for Spectacles development. Review the Spectacles Lens Project Setup section of the documentation.
Refreshing Session ID
Ensure that you join a new session by randomizing the Session ID on the Connected Lens Module.
Joining Connected Lens Session in Lens Studio
Select the Join Connected Lens Session button in the lower right corner of the Preview Panel. Re-join the session whenever a new session is refreshed (i.e. Randomize Session ID).
Refresh Preview Panel
After joining a new Connected Lens Session, refresh your Preview Panel to update the simulation environment.
Multiple Preview Panel
Lens Studio supports multiple Preview Panels, each acting as an individual player in a Connected Lens Session. This simulates different player perspectives.
Ensure you set up the environment again whenever a new Preview Panel is created. Confirm that the secondary Preview Panel has Spectacles (2024) simulation and press the Join Connected Lens Session Button.
Testing your Lens on device
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Pair Spectacles devices to separate Snapchat accounts.
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"Pairing Snapchat Account to Lens Studio". Repeat this step for each device you need to test.
Only one Spectacles devices can be paired to a Snapchat account at a time.
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Use the "Send to All Paired Spectacles" feature.