
Creator - runesoerensen
https://www.magicleap.com/creator
======
Ajedi32
Lots of really interesting details in the [developer documentation][1]. Quick
summary of the hardware:

* 6-DOF tracked controller

* Eye tracking

* Multiple depth of field display

* Persistent location tracking across multiple rooms

* Processor/GPU power comparable to "high end mobile hardware"

And software:

* Custom operating system based on Android (but heavily modified)

* Multiple apps can run at once and be displayed in the same physical space

And a few limitations:

* FOV is going to be rather small

* Variable depth-of-field display doesn't work well with objects less than a foot (30 cm) from your face

* Takes a few seconds for the system to adjust when you move real objects around (so if you move your couch, it won't notice instantly)

* The display can't draw darkness or black (virtual objects can't cast shadows on real ones)

[1]: [https://creator.magicleap.com/](https://creator.magicleap.com/)
(Requires login)

~~~
hokkos
We still have to wait for the exact FoV, and the eye tracking seems
interesting but it doesn't seems to be better than the Hololens, and won't be
from the 2018-2019 Hololens.

~~~
Ajedi32
Wait, the Hololens has eye tracking? That's interesting, I'd never heard that
before.

Anyway, I think the main innovation Magic Leap seems to be pushing over its
competitors is its multiple depth of field display. It'll be interesting to
see how big of a difference that actually makes in practice.

~~~
lwansbrough
No HoloLens doesn't have eye tracking. I think they're saying the device as a
whole doesn't seem to be better than HoloLens. Which I might agree with. The
form factor may be stranger though, which would be an accomplishment.

~~~
jadeddrag
Accurate eye tracking UI/UX might be the game changer that puts the ML over
the HoloLens, despite its other shortcomings.

------
jhauris
What does everyone make of perpetual license to content agreement? Is this
just so they can operate the service, or are they able to sell and use your
content without cutting you in?

> Specifically, you grant Magic Leap a worldwide, irrevocable (except as set
> forth below), perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free and fully
> sublicensable right and license to use, copy, display, store, adapt,
> publicly perform and distribute Your Content so that Magic Leap can operate,
> deliver, and improve our Services.

~~~
fairpx
When lawyers set these things up, they tend to keep things as broad as
possible. In practice this means that they can show how cool their technology
is in a commercial, while showcasing your app without necessarily your
approval. Obviously it would be absurd to make money of your content and not
cut you in, since those types of actions ripple very quickly in dev
communities.

~~~
drcode
You can't excuse a bad agreement by just arguing "it's so ridiculously in
Magic Leap's favor that it's against their interest to actually enforce it."

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fairpx
It's nice that we can start building with the SDK, but I'm more interesting in
experiencing what I've made. I'd rather have the device and build a simple
hello world demo that inspires me to build more vs spend a bunch of time
diving deep into an sdk and while having no idea how the end user will
experience the stuff I create. With iOS for example, you could develop a
majority of apps by just using the simulator, since the experience is (mostly)
2d. But I remember when starting out, the more fun projects to work on were
using the accelerometer. The only way to experience the magic in that case,
was with an actual device. With Magic Leap, the entire experience is spatial.
So it's probably the other way around where the device is mostly the only way
to really understand what it is that you're building.

~~~
roymurdock
Yea very strange that they released the SDK and tools without the hardware.
How r u supposed to know the ins and outs, quirks, user experience to expect
on the glasses without playing around a bit with them first, maybe with a few
pre supplied apps by magic leap. I can think of a few reasons, none of them
good, to release tools before the platform

~~~
jpalomaki
I think releasing the developer hardware too early can ruin the whole product
launch. People will form their opinion based on the reviews of the devkit
hardware and sample apps.

Launching the consumer product without apps is not good either. By launching
the SDK early, developers can play around with it. Maybe they can even pick
serious and promising apps to some "insider" program and provide access to
real hardware.

~~~
AndrewKemendo
This is a modern thing which I don't think applies to technology that is
(ostensibly) category setting. In the early days of consumer computing, the
hardware was released with a handful of supported software that the hardware
maker teamed up on, then MAYBE a devkit would come out.

The most hardcore would create their own DevKits.

[http://devkits.handheldmuseum.com/](http://devkits.handheldmuseum.com/)

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georgewsinger
It looks like Magic Leap is running a heavily modified version of Android.

For a project to take pure Linux Desktop to VR, see SimulaVR:
[https://github.com/SimulaVR/Simula](https://github.com/SimulaVR/Simula)

If you are interested in seeing Linux Desktop go from 1% of Desktops worldwide
to competing with Windows/Apple, show this project some love.

~~~
lev99
[https://github.com/SimulaVR/Simula/graphs/contributors](https://github.com/SimulaVR/Simula/graphs/contributors)

I love seeing open source projects with multiple active developers.
Georgeswinger has 47 commits on the project now, and is the third most
prolific developer when ranked by commits.

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dmode
Can someone comment on what are some compelling use cases for Magic Leap that
can be developed using these APIs ? Still seems to me that they are
constrained by a device that you need to carry

~~~
cheez
For me, a completely virtual desktop for work.

~~~
aetherson
Highly limited field of view means that even if everything else lines up for
this (which is unlikely), it won't work for you.

EDIT: Also, this seems like a better use case for VR than AR.

EDIT2: Also, it can't draw black.

~~~
cheez
I tried VR, way too immersive.

~~~
amelius
Maybe a better way to implement AR would be by combining real-world images
(through cameras) with CGI into a VR goggle. One problem though: focusing your
eyes doesn't work as expected. But at least you can get better black pixels.

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pwaivers
So... Can we buy the product?

~~~
ZenoArrow
The product doesn't exist. The only image of the device on that Creator page
is a 3D render:

[https://www.magicleap.com/_next/images/e14acd33a1d6136786b0b...](https://www.magicleap.com/_next/images/e14acd33a1d6136786b0bc78feecddca.jpg)

Ask yourself why a company would only release a 3D render when it's meant to
be finished before the end of the year ("Shipping in 2018").

~~~
robeastham
I'm a bit fed up of the childish negativity that always seems to be sent in
Magic Leap's general direction.

Instead of putting energy into this I'd suggest pointing the energy towards
creating something yourself.

To the Magic Leap Team - I am a believer :-) especially if you nail the stuff
that others don't focus on like smooth interaction models (i.e. voice,
gesture, 6DOF mobile controller etc.)

~~~
throwaway222229
And I'm a bit fed up with the fanboyism over vaporware and the lack of
perspective while simultaneously accusing those who /have/ perspective as
being lazy.

I, for one, /did/ try creating something at that company. Instead all I got
was a cut in pay, overwork, and a lack of career prospects while still being
required to play roles with rediculous levels of responsibility under working
conditions even OSHA would find intolerable.

Mind you, this was all happening while being told that my many years of
experience actually shipping consumer products at other companies was
worthless and that the failed leadership forklifted from Nokia would save the
day as they proceeded to continue making short-sighted decisions and ignoring
the experience they hired.

No, I will /happily/ sit back and watch and heckle. And why am I not starting
my own thing? Because when they fail to deliver the ill-defined "magic" they
so heartily promise, they will destroy an entire field I used to have faith in
actually taking off. Funding will dry up and VCs will turn away after this
fiasco.

Believe what you want, but keep your accusations of lack of trying to
yourself.

~~~
nneonneo
Interesting. I'd certainly love to hear more about the inside scoop (but
obviously don't say more than you legally can).

What's your take on the current push with the SDK coming out? Do you think
this signals that they're really getting ready to ship something, or do you
feel that they're still unready based on what you saw there?

------
mjal
I feel like a site shouldn't have to assume that you're familiar with their
product to understand what they're trying to push. This single page is useless
to actually explain what this is in context, you need to click back to the
main site (which is at the bottom of the page) to find out, and even then it's
very sparse.

------
fiatjaf
Some years ago I saw (here on HN?) a video of an iPad app that showed kids
drawing lines on blank paper, then tooking a picture of the drawings with the
app. After that, they would be able to run nice games with those same lines
serving as the scenario.

Does anyone know what was this?

~~~
davidmurdoch
There is
[https://attractive.se/games/papergame/](https://attractive.se/games/papergame/)
and then [http://www.quivervision.com/](http://www.quivervision.com/) does
something similar with drawings.

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jhauris
Is it unrealistic to hope for a linux SDK? They have Unity and Unreal SDKs
(both of which engines support Linux in my understanding), and their custom OS
is based on Android.

~~~
robeastham
Would love this too.

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NIL8
The front page should tell us exactly what this is and who/what it's for.
Those with knowledge of this industry might be able to jump on board quickly,
while everybody else is left scratching their heads.

------
MBCook
I’m getting SO SICK of random websites pausing my podcast because they have
some ‘video’ on their page that screws it up.

I couldn’t even see a video or animation on the page. But I was already pissed
off before I started reading.

~~~
RickS
IMO this is less a fault of websites that contain media, and more the fault of
the OS that mediates what media is playing.

In other words, there should be a toggle to "default mute the web and keep
spotify running".

~~~
MBCook
I disagree. How is the OS supposed to know the difference?

If you want to make a nice animation, how about not including an audio track?
Or using the attributes to specify it should be played muted so it won’t cut
my audio by default (what YouTube and others do).

~~~
rebuilder
The OS (or browser, rather) probably shouldn't allow autoplaying sounds at
all.

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bluetwo
Will it help me find my keys?

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walterbell
Are there good 3D/depth cameras that work with Linux?

~~~
lawki
I've been using the intel realsense D415 recently on linux/windows and it
works quite well.

~~~
photojosh
Can concur. I'm running a pair of D435 under Linux. Still some teething
issues, see the SDK and issues at [0], but the quality of the data out of
these things is amazing compared to previous generation sensors.

[0]:
[https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense](https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense)
[1]: [https://github.com/intel-ros/realsense/](https://github.com/intel-
ros/realsense/)

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p1necone
I still wont be convinced the magic leap isn't vaporware until I see a demo
that isn't an obviously prerendered mockup.

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sureaboutthis
I had to go half way down the page to get a hint as to what this software is.
I did not find anywhere on that page that describes it for anyone who doesn't
already know what it is.

~~~
sbarre
To be fair, the early-adopter audience for this SDK product is definitely one
who already knows what Magic Leap is, and what this would be for.

I would assume once the project is generally available, more time/effort will
be spent marketing the creator tools to a wider developer audience.

~~~
sureaboutthis
If one wants to promote anything, explaining what it is on the front page
would be essential. I see these omissions in abundance on tech web sites.

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eanzenberg
Timing? It feels like VR is old news and there's no killer use-case for AR.

~~~
cjsawyer
Welcome to the bleeding edge. If that’s how you think then tech may not be for
you.

