Hey there! 👋
If you’ve been following the evolution of AR, you already know that location-based experiences are where things start to get exciting.
Whether you’re exploring a museum, navigating a complex venue, or playing an interactive game in your local park, the ability to anchor digital content in physical locations adds a whole new layer of magic. But what’s the secret to making these experiences truly work, even in tricky spaces like underground tunnels or dense city environments?
That’s where Visual Positioning Systems (VPS) come in. Today, I’m thrilled to announce that Mattercraft – our web-based tool for creating immersive 3D content—has integrated with Immersal’s VPS technology.
This is a big deal for anyone looking to build precise, scalable, and cross-platform AR experiences that interact with your physical environment, directly on the web.
Why VPS is critical for location-based AR
Creating AR experiences that adapt to the user’s physical environment requires precision. A good VPS doesn’t just slap digital content onto a rough location—it needs to know exactly where the user is, even in environments where traditional GPS might fail, like indoors or underground. That’s where Immersal’s system shines. It "sees" the environment using computer vision, allowing it to map spaces with pinpoint accuracy.
Now, what if you could use that same system, but on the web, without needing an app, with total control over your data, and without any complex approval processes? That’s what we’ve built. With our new Mattercraft-Immersal integration, we’re making it possible to map physical spaces, anchor 3D content, and deploy rich, location-based AR experiences with minimal friction directly to the web.
How does it work? Let’s break it down
We've made everything about Mattercraft's new Immersal integration, simple and easy to use. Here's how to get started creating location-based experiences for the web using the new integration:
1) Map Your Location: Download the Immersal Mapper app for iOS and Android, and use the realtime or manual mode to create a spatial map of your chosen location. This can be done by scanning the environment with your mobile device’s camera, generating a detailed map that Mattercraft will use to anchor AR content.
2) Upload your map: Once you're happy with your created map you can upload it to your Immersal Developer Portal. You'll then use the map ID in Mattercraft directly.
3) Create a Mattercraft project: Log into your Zapworks account and create a new project, selecting Mattercraft as your development tool. Choose the Immersal template to get started.
4) Add your map ID: Within the Immersal Anchor Group add your Developer Token and Map ID to the correct fields and watch your map come to life!
Once added, you can start to design and place your 3D assets, using the map as a visual guide. Once you’re happy with the experience, publish it directly to the web. Your AR content will be accessible on any device via a simple link—no app required.
Immersal VPS: Solving Data Ownership
One of the common problems with existing VPS solutions over the web at least, is that Enterprises don't have control over their own map data, and certainly can't host is on private servers for greater flexibility and control.
Map & Own Your Space
With Mattercraft, businesses can create precise spatial maps and keep full ownership of that data. Your maps live in your own private cloud environments, giving you control over compliance and security. No third parties involved.
Anchor and Interact
Using your phone’s camera, you can pin interactive 3D elements to physical objects or landmarks with centimetre-level accuracy. Whether it’s a virtual guide in an exhibition or a gamified experience in a retail store, your AR content now responds to the user's exact location dynamically.
Versatile and Scalable
Immersal’s VPS is incredibly flexible too, it works in tricky indoor and underground environments, meaning you can map complex locations like airports, museums, or shopping malls. It’s also cross-platform, so you can build once and deploy across iOS and Android.
No App Stores, No Delays
One of the best things about Mattercraft is that it’s web-based. You don’t have to wait for app store approvals or navigate app downloads. Once you’ve built your experience, it’s instantly live on the web, available to users with the click (or tap) of a link.
So, what Can You Do with It?
Here’s where it gets fun—what can’t you do with it? We’ve already started seeing some incredible use cases across industries:
Wayfinding in Complex Spaces: Imagine navigating a large venue like an airport or hospital, where traditional maps don’t cut it. Now, you can create AR experiences that guide users with precision, overlaying directions in real time as they walk.
Gamified Experiences: We’re talking about city-wide scavenger hunts or museum tours that come alive with digital characters and stories, all anchored to specific locations.
Enterprise Training: Businesses can create interactive, location-based onboarding experiences. New employees can be guided through a facility, learning about key equipment or safety protocols in context.
Faster Location-Based AR for Developers
At Zappar, we’ve spent over a decade building AR, VR, and MR experiences. What we’ve learned is that for AR to scale, it needs to be easy to develop, deploy, and distribute. With this new integration, Mattercraft now lets developers create complex, location-based AR experiences faster than ever without the usual headaches.
Quickly develop: Just pop in your map ID and watch it spring to life in Mattercraft's 3D viewport. You can test and adjust your AR content on the fly with our Live Preview feature—no need to hang around for your project to build, just enjoy instant feedback right then and there.
Reuse & Collaborate: Mattercraft’s Zcomponents lets you build once and reuse elements across multiple projects. Plus, multiple developers can work on the same project concurrently—perfect for larger teams.
Cross-Platform Magic: We’ve made sure that Mattercraft works seamlessly across iOS, and Android. No need to worry about platform compatibility—build once, deploy everywhere.
The Bottom Line: Mattercraft + Immersal = a whole new world of AR possibilities
The combination of Mattercraft’s ease of use and Immersal’s precise VPS tech opens up a whole new world of possibilities for AR creators. Whether you’re a developer looking to build the next big thing in location-based AR, or a business wanting to enhance your customer experience, this integration gives you the tools to make it happen—right from your web browser.
We’re excited to see what you’ll build with Mattercraft and Immersal, and as always, we’re here to help. Jump in, try it out, and let us know what you think over on Discord.
Get started today by creating a 14-day free trial at my.zap.works/register.
I can’t wait to see the immersive experiences you’ll create with it.
Connell Gauld