Best Tools for Augmented Reality Development

What are the best tools for augmented reality development?

Introduction

AR technology has been around for a while, but it's still in its infancy. It will be years before we see widespread implementation of this exciting new technology into our daily lives, but that doesn't mean there aren't tools available today that can help you get started with building an augmented reality application.

Overview of AR Technology

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that allows users to see and interact with computer-generated objects in their environment. It's similar to virtual reality, but AR adds a layer of realism by overlaying real-world data onto the world you're looking at.

So what does this mean for developers? Well, if you're building an app or game where your users can walk around using their phones and see things like billboards or posters in their surroundings, then augmented reality is probably something worth considering. For example: if you're making an AR game about space travel and want players' characters to have access to space equipment such as spaceships and rocket launchers—you'll need some way of adding those things into your environment so they look realistic enough; this is where software like Sketchfab come into play!

Augmented Reality Platforms

An augmented reality platform is a tool that allows you to create immersive and interactive content. There are several different types of AR platforms, including:

• Layar: A free and open-source platform for creating 3D graphics, games, and applications that runs on Windows or Android devices.
• PTC building blocks for UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) SDK: A collection of APIs for creating custom apps using UAVs as sensors in real time.

The Best AR Platforms Today

• Unity3D

Unity3D is the most popular and widely used game engine for building 3D content. It contains an entire suite of tools, including editor, particle system, 2D rendering and multiplayer support. The open source nature of Unity3D means that you can easily customize or extend its functionality by using plugins that extend its capabilities.

• Vuforia

Vuforia is another AR platform that works on top of the Android SDK or iOS build environment (Xcode). It's available as an extension for apps built with Google Play Services or Apple’s App Store respectively. The main advantage here is that it provides access to a large library of assets which makes it easy to add realistic images into your app without having to write code yourself! This makes it perfect if you're new to augmented reality development but don't want too much overhead involved with creating new content yourself as well - just point Vuforia towards some free assets from their website instead!

Unity3d

Unity3d is a cross-platform game engine that can be used to develop games, applications, and more. It's free to download and use, but there are some limitations on the number of users who can access your app.

Unity3d has a large community of developers who are constantly adding new features and assets to the platform—making it easy for you to find what you need for your project. The library includes over 6 million 3D models, which means there's likely something in there that will fit your needs perfectly!

The editor also comes with powerful development tools like code completion (which helps programmers write code without having to remember every single line), live previews (which allows users see how changes affect their scenes), debugging support (so developers don't have any trouble figuring out why things aren't working), direct link into our forums where we'll help solve issues faster than ever before! We've got tutorials galore so even if this sounds too complicated at first glance...well...just give us 24 hours or so :)

Vuforia

If you're looking for an AR platform that can be used on both Android and iOS devices, then Vuforia is your best bet. It's a cross-platform tool developed by Qualcomm and supports over 700,000 developers.

The software has been used in countless applications including BMW's new app for navigation (which uses augmented reality to let drivers see the environment around them), Ikea's furniture shopping experience, mobile games such as Pokemon Go and many more.

Vuforia also has a large library of objects that users can add into their projects without having to create them from scratch themselves—this means there are plenty of pre-made models available at no cost!

An overview of the tools needed to build an augmented reality application.

As you start building your own AR applications, it’s important to understand the different tools that are available.

AR is a technology that allows users to view digital information on real-world objects by overlaying computer-generated images onto their surroundings. It allows users to see virtual objects in their physical environment, which can be anything from 3D models of buildings or furniture pieces to animations of characters walking around. This is achieved through the use of sensors such as cameras and microphones.

In order for an application built on a platform like Unity or Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) to work properly with ARCore and other frameworks, developers will need access to some specific features:

• A high-performance mobile device capable of running Android 8 Oreo or higher (such as Pixel 2 XL). You may also need one that supports Vulkan APIs if your game relies heavily upon post processing effects such as volumetric lighting or shadowing; this includes Samsung Galaxy Note 9 smartphones equipped with Exynos 9810 chipsets where possible!

Conclusion

Augmented reality is a technology that is being widely adopted by companies, but there are still many challenges to be overcome. In this article we have reviewed some of the key tools available today to help you develop your own augmented reality application. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, but all are powerful and flexible enough for developing an application in this emerging area of computing.