Month: March 2018
ViewAR SDK – now open source!
• • Augmented Reality
In the past months, we received an enormous number of demands for custom applications using our features. It became obvious that many developers are looking not only for fixed solutions but also a robust platform which would enable them to freely mix and match those modules.
Therefore, we decided to go open source with our SDK! Our beloved baby, effect of 7 years AR development and experience, base of our everyday work – now in your hands.
Why is it so special? Long story short – it gives developers a kick start into creating their very own custom applications, getting a ready built infrastructure right at the beginning. Moreover, it comes with a functionality of having a local development environment which makes you 20 times more efficient than other systems (like Unity, Unreal). Also, we created a CLI Tool (command line interface) which lets you initialise sample applications with a single command. It means that you can set up an open source sample application, a bare installation with plain JavaScript or using React within seconds. Last but not the least – the platform gives you instant and easy access to various tracking systems. Because there is no solution which would fit every need.
See the feature set of base6:
This app comes with features similar to the ones knows from IKEA Place, TapMeasure or CamToPlan plus a 3d room planner. And – you get the full source of it!
QR Navigation:
How to begin with a sample project:
Furthermore, in order to get you started, we are releasing our three of our most wanted templates: base6 (furniture and product visualisation), QR Navigation (indoor navigation with ARKit) and Object Tracking & Remote Support.
Note: License terms and fees still apply for using the ViewAR SDK.
Why are we doing this?
Because we think the power of creating applications is the developers’ hands out there. Can you make our code better than us? Great! Let us know. Share it and offer it on our platform. Maybe – join us? And let’s see what comes next 🙂
Real World awareness in AR
• • Augmented Reality
Real world awareness in AR – now possible thanks to the combination of ARKit & QR codes
There is no doubt that AR applications provide a captivating and mesmerizing experience, however, they owe their growing popularity on the consumer market also to the increasing simplification of use.
The release of Apple’s ARKit significantly improved the robustness of AR apps, turning the calibration process into a seamless and effortless experience. Still, in the subject of spatial orientation, there is one more obstacle to overcome – coordination system liability.
The coordination system created by the ARKit has its origin in the starting point of the application, resulting in coordinates being reset with each start of the app. Therefore, although a coherent modeling environment may be visualized, it is not anyhow localized or reproducible. Establishing a stable connection with the real world is necessary for example to overlay BIM models with surroundings in order to navigate around a construction site or mark defects in an existing building.
ViewAR developed a solution to solve this problem by enabling for establishing a permanent coordinate system in two simple steps. All one needs is an ARKit compatible device and a QR code.
First, the Apple ARKit tracking is initialized by moving a few steps sideways while filming the ground (STEP 1). Next, an anchor point must be defined to allow establishing a relation between freshly initialized 3d space and target coordinate system. It is achieved by filming a QR code with known world coordinates (STEP 2). When scanned, its location in reference to the initial origin point is saved and a permanent coordinate system gets established. From this moment on, we are combining the precision of the ARKit with real-world location awareness.
This technology may be easily adapted to serve multiple purposes with indoor navigation, building maintenance and construction site management being just a beginning.
Austrian Airlines Premium Economy AR-experience
• • Augmented Reality
Via Augmented Reality, Austrian Airlines enables its passengers to take a full look at its new MyAustrian Premium Economy even before entering an airplane.
Just pick up your smartphone, place the new Premium Economy seat in your living room or wherever you are and enjoy the interactive experience.
This way future passengers receive the possibility to explore all the new features of Austrian’s Premium Economy class, such as bigger seats, an extended entertainment system or a footrest, by only using the iOS Smartphone or Tablet. The new application was created in cooperation with the Austrian Augmented Reality expert ViewAR to give passengers a real-life overview of all the extra benefits of this new product even before boarding a plane. This way Austrian is bridging the imagination gap, creating an emotional experience for all of its guests.
The system is based on the ViewAR system – the Augmented Reality template system – in combination with Apple’s ARKit. This combination makes it possible to place objects, such as the seat, in your environment in true scale, not needing any marker or such. Other brands like IKEA, the New York times or Bang & Olufsen are using this technology to visualise their products or interactive content.
Just download the App in the iOS AppStore, searching for “MyAustrian Premium Economy” and take it for a test-ride.
