Augmented reality (AR) has become a new trend in the digital world and you are not able to meet with people who are not familiar with it after the explosion that Pokemon Go brought into the lives of the average mobile phone user. Although many people consider AR being only entertainment technology, it is actually widely used in various industries such as healthcare, e-commerce, architecture and many others. This article will break down stereotypes.
Potential AR seamless and brands that are already utilizing this technology in their business to provide a brand new user experience. Companies applying AR to create product demos, interactive advertising and provide real-time information to customers. It proves that when people touch or interact with a product, they are more likely to buy it because it established an emotional bond.
According to estimates statista, augmented reality and virtual market is expected to reach a size of $ 215 billion in 2021. Being a rapidly growing market with huge potential, AR attracting both large companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook, etc., as well as small businesses.
This article aims to help developers to make their first AR app to summarize the information about the software development kit AR popular and useful (SDK) is available. In addition, we listed the criteria that you must pay attention to temporarily build augmented reality applications.
What kind of an application of Augmented Reality?
Before embarking on the development of augmented reality applications, you must choose between two broad categories: application location based applications and bookmarks. Below we briefly discuss the differences between them.
marker-based applications
marker-based applications based on image recognition. They use a black marker and white as a trigger to display the AR content. To view the augmented component, you have to point the camera at the marker position anywhere around you. Once the device recognizes a bookmark, an application overlay digital data on this marker and you can see the objects added.
When you build an application based marker, you give them a picture or descriptors in advance to facilitate their search process when the camera data is being analyzed. In other words, the object that has been hard-coded in your application, so they are easier to detect. It is not surprising that the majority of the AR application is a marker-based.hey very popular in advertising.
location-based applications
location-based AR application works without markers. They detect the user’s position with the help of GPS, accelerometer, or a digital compass and augmented reality overlay objects over the real physical place. Location-based applications is certainly the most famous Pokemon Go.
This application can send notifications to users based on their location to provide them new AR content related to a particular place. For example, an application can provide recommendations on the best bar nearby, and show how to get there. As an additional example, an application can help you find your car in a large parking using GPS.
What are the main criteria will select Augmented Reality SDK?
When it comes to choosing a development kit, very easy to get frustrated with the number of tools available. In order to select the most appropriate SDK to your project, you should ensure it supports all the features of your application requires. Here, we detailed the main points to consider.
Cost
Price is the distinguishing mark of the first of the AR SDK. For those who want to try the development of AR for the first time, the best choice is a free, open-source SDK AR, which is open to contributions and can be extended with new features proposed by the developer.
SDK paid in most cases offer several pricing plans, depending on user requirements. As it happens, the level of smoking has unlimited possibilities and is meant to be a “demo” version of the full product. Build complex applications with large, dynamic content is likely to require a commercial license. So be ready to pay.
platform
If you plan to develop applications for iOS or Android, there will be no problem when choosing an augmented reality toolkit, because almost all of them supporting them. Meanwhile, a selection of tools that are compatible with Windows or MacOS rather small. However, you can build applications for Windows computer or smartphone using augmented reality development kits, Universal Platform supports Windows (UWP).
image recognition
This feature is a must-have for every AR applications as it allows to identify objects, places and images. For this purpose, smartphones and other devices using machine vision together with the camera and artificial intelligence software to keep track of images that can then be overlayed with animation, sound, HTML content, etc.
3D recognition and tracking
3D image recognition and tracking is one of the most valuable features of each AR SDK. Because tracking, an application can “understand” and increase the large space around the user in large buildings such as airports, bus stations, shopping malls, etc. Supporting applications can recognize three-dimensional objects such as boxes, cups, cylinders, toys etc.
Currently, this technology is commonly used in mobile gaming and e-commerce.
Unity support
Unity known as the most popular and powerful game engine worldwide. Although usually used to develop a computer game, it can also be used to create AR applications with powerful effect. Are you going to create a fresh experience or extend the more traditional ideas with new techniques, such as Unity versatile tool allows you to apply both.
OpenSceneGraph support
OpenSceneGraph is an open source 3D graphics toolkit (application programming interface). It is used by developers of applications in domains such as computer games, augmented and virtual reality, scientific visualization and modeling.
Cloud support local storage vs.
When developing mobile AR application, you must decide whether the user data will be stored locally or in the cloud. This decision is largely driven by the number of bookmarks you will make. If you plan to add a large number of markers for your application, consider storing all this data in the cloud, if your application will use a lot of storage on the device. In addition, having an idea of the number of markers used your app is also important because some augmented reality SDK supports one hundred markers while others support the thousands.
On the other hand, keep local marker (ie, on-device) allows users to run applications of augmented reality you are offline, which can be convenient since you do not always have Wi-Fi or mobile data is available.
GPS support (geolocation)
If you are going to create a location-based AR applications, geolocation is a fundamental feature that must be supported by AR tool you will use. GPS can be used both in games such as Pokemon AR Go and applications create a data overlay on some nearby location (for example to find a nearby restaurant).
SLAM support
SLAM means Simultaneous Localization and Mapping. It is an algorithm that maps the environment where the user is located and track all their movements. AR application that contains this feature can recall the position of physical objects in multiple environments and positions of virtual objects in accordance with its position and movement. SLAM has huge potential and can be used in various types of applications, not just AR applications. The main advantage of this technology is the ability to be in the room to use while GPS is only available outdoors.
Top 6 Augmented Reality SDK for Mobile Apps
Once you know all the features you could possibly need an SDK to create augmented reality applications, you can check out the following list of six popular tools available in the market. We consider this toolkit to be the most relevant and appropriate based on a set of features that they provide and their value for money. Some of them are free.
Vuforia
Vuforia is a leading portal for the development of augmented reality application that has an extensive set of features. Vuforia augmented reality SDK:
Acknowledging several objects including boxes, cylinders, and toys as well as images.
Recognition supports text includes about 100,000 words or custom vocabulary.
Allows creating customized VuMarks, which looks better than the QR-code which is typical.
Lets make a 3D geometric map of any environment using terrain features Smart
It turned out that static images into full motion video that can be played directly on the target surface.
Provides Unity Plugin.
Supports both Cloud and local storage.
Supported platforms: iOS, Android, Windows Platform Universal, Unity.
Price: free version, the classic version – $ 499 one time, cloud – $ 99 per month and a Pro version for commercial use.
Video Presentation:
ARToolKit
Although the library is free, it provides a set of well-off feature to track, including:
Unity3D and OpenSceneGraph Support.
It supports both single and dual cameras.
GPS and compass support for the creation of location-based AR application.
The possibility to create AR applications in real time.
Integration with smart glasses.
Multiple languages supported
automatic camera calibration.
Price: free
Google Arcore
With two million active Android users, Google could not pass up the opportunity to give developers the opportunity to create AR apps on this operating system. That’s how Google Arcore appear.
It provides features such as:
motion tracking. Arcore can determine the position and orientation of the camera and the device using the feature points in the room. Which helps to place virtual objects accurately.
understanding the environment. Because the likelihood of detecting a horizontal surface, you can put virtual objects on a table or on the floor. This feature can also be used for motion tracking.
light estimation. This technology allows your application to match the lighting environment and virtual objects so that they look natural light into the surrounding space. With the help of smart light tracking developers can now create highly realistic objects.
Supporting devices: Currently: Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Samsung Galaxy S7-S8+, Samsung A5-A8, Samsung Note8, Asus Zenfone AR, Huawei P20, OnePlus 5 ARCore is designed to work on devices running Android 7.0 and higher.
apple ARKit
With iOS11, Apple introduced its own ARKit, announced at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2017. Here are the features Apple augmented reality SDK for iOS:
Inertial visual odometry (VIO) which makes it possible to accurately track en environment without additional calibration.
Robust face tracking easily apply effects to faces or create 3D character facial expressions.
Tracking the ambient light level to apply the correct amount of lighting for virtual objects.
Detecting the horizontal plane such as a table and the floor, vertical and irregular shaped surfaces.
Detecting a 2D object and allows developers to interact with them.
Integration with third party tools such as Unity and Unreal Engine.
Compatible with the following devices: iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, SE iPhone, iPad Pro (9.7, 10.5 or 12.9) – both first-gen and 2nd-gen, iPad (2017), iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, iPhone X
Price: free
Maxst
MAXST has two available SDK: SDK for tracking 2D drawings and 3D SDK for environmental recognition. Here is a list of features of the 3D SDK:
MAXST Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping for tracking and mapping environment. When you track environment, the map is automatically extended beyond the first sight with the camera move. Maps can also be stored for later use.
Save files created with Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping to create 3D objects wherever you like on it to create a deeper AR experience.
QR and barcode scanning.
Extended image tracking and Multi-target tracking. You can track the target as far as the camera can see it and can track up to 3 images at the same time.
Tracking and putting the digital object in relation to the plane.
Unity plugin integration.
Supported platforms: Android, iOS, Mac OS and Windows.
Pricing: Free version, Pro-One time fee – $ 499, Pro-Subscription – $ 599 per year, the Enterprise version.
Video Presentation:
Wikitude
Wikitude has recently introduced SDK7, including support for simultaneous localization and mapping. This tool provides a current following features:
3D recognition and tracking.
image recognition and tracking.
Cloud recognition (allowing it to work with thousands of images of the target host in the cloud).
Location-based services.
Integration of smart glasses.
Integration with external plugins, including Unity.
Supported platforms: Android, iOS, Smart Glasses (currently Google Glass, Epson Moverio BT-200, and Vuzix M100).
Pricing: The Pro version – € 2490 per year per application, Pro3D – € 2990 per year per application, Cloud – € 4490 per year per application, the Enterprise version.
AR SDK Comparison Table
We decided to organize the main characteristics and features of the AR tools mentioned in the table so you can quickly compare them.
AR SDK
Best for:
Supported platforms
Cost
Vuforia
marker-based applications
iOS
Android
Universal Platform Windows
Unity
The free version
classic version – $ 499 one time
Cloud – $ 99 per month
The Pro version for commercial use.
ARToolKit
location-based applications
Android
iOS
Linux
window
Mac OS
smart glasses
Free
Google Arcore
marker-based applications
Google Pixel
pixel XL
pixel 2
Pixel 2 XL
Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung Galaxy S9
Free
apple ARKit
marker-based applications
IPhone 6s and higher
iPad Pro (9.7, 10.5 or 12.9)
Free
MAXST
marker-based applications
Android
iOS
Mac OS
window
free version
Pro-One time fee – $ 499
Pro-Subscription – $ 599 per year
version of the company
Wikitude
marker-based applications
Android
iOS
Intelligent Glasses (currently Google Glass, Epson Moverio BT-200, and Vuzix M100)
Pro version – € 2490 per year per application
Pro3D – € 2990 per year per application
Cloud – € 4490 per year per application
Enterprise version.
conclusion
Needless to say, augmented reality technology trendy. Each new AR app launch caused a wave of excitement. Therefore, smart developers are trying to master this technology and launch their own AR applications.
Now, we are the best virtual reality application development company in USA use an expert to have a wide selection of AR toolkit to create both application-based and location-based marker. The first step to get started is to take augmented reality SDK that is best suited to meet their needs for the development team to easily select the best toolkit for their future application.
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