HTC Releases Dual Lens SDK for the HTC One M8 (2014)

One of the highlights of the HTC One M8 is its new dual lens camera system. Termed “Duo Camera,” this innovative system allows the device to capture depth data in addition to standard imaging data. The Duo Camera System then maps this captured distance information to each pixel taken by the main camera in order to achieve various types of effects such as depth-of-field blur ( i.e. bokeh), as well as Lytro-style refocusing effects.

Up until now, the full functionality of the Duo Camera System has only been accessible through HTC’s first party camera application. Today, however, HTC opened up the Duo Camera System API for use by third party developers.

The Dual Lens SDK currently consists of two APIs: Dual Lens and DimensionPlus. The Dual Lens API allows developers to obtain and manage a bokeh strength map mask that can be mapped to the main camera’s image data. The DimensionPlus, API on the other hand, allows developers to export to the DimensionPlus file format in order to keep both depth and image data in one file.

The Dual Lens SDK is currently available in the form of an initial preview, so it is possible that more functionality will be added in the future or that current implementations may not be compatible with future software revisions. That said, it’s exciting that HTC decided to open up the APIs behind its most notable camera feature.

Developers looking to play around with and develop for the HTC Duo Camera System should head over to the HTC Dual Lens SDK site to learn more.

source: xdadevelopers