What do I need to do?

You just need to download and execute the file. It will check your system for some pre-requisites: NET Framework 3.5 SP1, updated DirectX drivers, Visual C++ 2005 and 2008 Redistributable SP1. These can be found in most recent versions of Windows Vista, but if you don’t have them already they are also provided on installation.

After installing you can jump right into the application or take a look at the settings. You can choose between viewing the Public Timeline, a particular word or hashtag search (e.g.: #followfriday) or your own account. You can also fine tune your render and webcam settings (btw, most people will most likely prefer having the camera on mirror mode).

How does it work?

Flyar uses your webcam to create an augmented reality image where birds fly or hang around tree branches and fly towards you to deliver tweets. The birds represent incoming tweets, and their color represents different types of messages: blue for normal messages, green for replies and red for direct messages.

When a bird is standing on a branch it means you have a new message. With just a tap you can “call” him and he’ll fly to your side to deliver the tweet (only one bird at a time). You can also interact with the birds by disrupting their flight patterns, or affect the falling leaves. The flock of birds flying around tells you how many messages you have waiting to be read.

Why did you create this?

We developed Flyar to test some aspects of our Augmented Reality composition framework (YVision), and decided to share it with the community.

If you want to learn more about YDreams and our AR work, go to www.ydreams.com.