Meta Spark Desktop Player for Mac and Windows allows you to preview Meta Spark projects on your desktop and other external screens, so you can open multiple effect files on multiple windows.
Meta Spark Desktop player is particularly useful for previewing group effects designed to run on a video call on Messenger or Instagram.
You can open both arproj and .arexport files.
Download:
To preview an effect on Meta Spark Desktop Player:
The project will then open:
In Spark Desktop player, you can use the symbols in the toolbar to:
You can simulate someone’s touch on the device screen by clicking anywhere in the player. To simulate two fingers rotating or pinching the screen:
To open a different project:
If you’re building an effect designed to be used by multiple participants on a video call, you’ll need to test it out in Meta Spark Desktop Player, using grid view. Grid view is only visible when previewing effects configured for a video calling experience.
First:
The project will open in Meta Spark Player for Desktop. If the Meta Spark Desktop Player webcam feed is not enabled or you see a black screen, select Real-Time-Simulation video from the dropdown:
Next:
Below, we chose to simulate a video calling environment where 3 participants are using a group effect. 2 of the participants are selected in Meta Spark Desktop Player and the final participant, User, is already represented by the Simulator in Meta Spark Studio.
Simulating different call layouts
Platform
Use the Platform dropdown to get an idea of how your effect will look depending on the layout of the platform it’s used on. It's best to select between 2 and 4 participants when using this option, as this represents the most common group effet use case.
In the example below, we're previewing what a 3 person group call would look like on Messenger:
In the example below, we're simulating a 3 person call on Instagram:
Current view
Use the Current view dropdown to select which participant you would like to simulate the user’s perspective on a video call.
For example, when Participant 1 is selected from the dropdown, this participant’s video will appear in the self view as it would on a real video call. All other participants will use the peer layer output and have their video feed mirrored.
This option is especially helpful for checking that visual elements, such as text, will render as expected for everyone on the call.
Leaving and rejoining a call
To simulate a participant leaving the call:
To simulate a participant rejoining a call, select Rejoin to the right of the Participant’s number.
Learn more about testing and debugging group effects.