Nuclei (Real-Time VFX)

February 2023

Taking inspiration from my time in Visual Effects, I tried to create a more complex particle system, combined with some fun compositing tricks.

These particles, ‘nuclei’, are following the user’s body in 3D, and they even take on their colors.
Meanwhile, the user is removed (‘inpainted’) from the picture before the particles are added.

This lens really shows the power of Snap AR: it renders thousands of particles, it inpaints the user, and it does a 3D body track – all in real-time on mobile devices.

It was featured at the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl, and Snap has it installed on some of the AR Mirrors at their offices!
I have also released the project files, and it has been added an asset to Lens Studio’s Asset Library so other developers can use it for their own projects.

Try it for yourself here!