Inspiration
JASE was inspired by two pieces of software: ShareX and the regular editor in every smartphone. ShareX is a powerful tool with many functions, almost like a pocketknife for screenshots and screen recordings.
What it does
It lets you take screenshots of what you are seeing in passthrough by using a single pinch. You can also edit (crop, paint, and add text) and share the picture you just took.
If you have a QR code that you want to scan, simply take a picture of it, and JASE automatically detects it, so you can just tap to access the website or copy the content of the QR code.
Additionally, it includes a ruler tool that you can use to quickly measure things. You can change the unit of measurement to inches, feet, centimeters, and meters at any time.
How we built it
I built JASE using Godot 4.7 with a special Android plugin for the Camera2 API access.
Challenges we ran into
The greatest challenge was to handle the projection of what the user sees when they try to take a screenshot and where the actual screenshot is in 2D.
Another challenge was the limited support for getting images out of the headset. Having a way to obtain the same image that the native screenshot tool for the Quest gets would have solved plenty of issues.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
I'm proud of how quickly the whole process of taking, editing, and sharing is. The idea of this tool is to be as unintrusive as possible. In and out as quickly as possible.
What we learned
I learned a lot about how the process of getting images out of the headset works. Also, about how to make UIs that are designed to be hands-first.
What's next for JASE: Just A Simple Editor
I'd like to expand on the ShareX-like side. Adding automations like a way to automatically upload screenshots to platforms like Imgur if the user wants to, for example, or maybe automatic cropping. Perhaps also expand on the editor side to include a way to layer images, adding watermarks and other things.
While this project is functional, I consider it a proof of concept. If there's enough interest, I plan to switch from using an engine to going fully native and use native Android windows, which will make the experience more seamless.
