An overview of the Layar platform

Layar has two parts: the browser to experience the content layers, and the platform to serve and publish the content layers.

The platform is where content layers are defined and acts as the link to the actual publisher who hosts its data. The content layer definition is a key component of your layer. This definition gives the viewer the title and look-and-feel of the layer, plus the meta-tags and the web service location (where the data is hosted). There is no charge for using the Layar platform.

Discover the many great features and capabilities that can be used to create great layers in the development wiki, including:

Points-of-interest publishing
The basic function of Layar: serving data in the form of information concerning specific locations.

3D
Instead of simple icons, you can use 3D objects. Any object can be placed at any location. This is where you start to build your own world…

Proximity triggers
These triggers help do many things. They define an action that will occur when the user comes in proximity to a location. For example, an Easter eggs that only appears on a main town square when you are within 10 meters of it.

Audio
Any point of interest can have an audio element assigned to it. So, for example, an accompanying song could play when the Easter egg appears.

Authentication
Authentication lets you develop personal services. An example is the Tweepsaround layer. Only when logged in is it possible to see your friends around you or tweet from within the content layer.

More, more and much more
There are lots more features available with which great layers can be developed. Details can be found in the layar documentation in the wiki.