6 Tools For Building Augmented Reality Mobile Apps

Technology is part of today’s world, what was earlier a little challenging in terms of doing is now getting easier, swifter, and can be done in an efficient way. This is what technology has changed over the years. 

With so many technologies coming into the real world, they are also admitting themselves to a various number of domains starting from healthcare, travels & tourism, hospitality, entertainment, and so on. And with the passage of time and more advancement, technology is now getting integrated into mobile applications. 

Yes, mobile applications are now not just the source of entertainment and information, they are also becoming the mode of getting things done in a swift and efficient manner. And the addition of technology is just making mobile apps even more powerful. Keeping the requirements of the real-world scenario and making the app competitive, effective and powerful for real-world usages, a leading mobile app development company has to take care of everything along with keeping an eye upon the coming technologies too. 

Among many other technologies available, Augmented reality is making a lot of fuss in the market. It can also be integrated into the mobile application and also into the market zones to make the experience of the users way better and enhanced. 

Zooming in on the importance of Augmented reality, here is the blog showing the top tools meant for building AR-based mobile applications. 

Tools for building Augmented Reality mobile applications

Vuforia

One of the first tools for building an Augmented reality-based mobile application is Vuforia. It got features like- 

• Can recognize multiple objects that include toys, boxes, flowers, along with images
• It also supports text recognition that can also include custom vocabulary and 1,00,000 words too
• It can turn static images into full-motion video
• Supports local and cloud storage both
• It also allows creating customized VuMarks that looks better than typical QR-code
• Using smart terrain feature also allows creating the 3D geometric map
• Provide unity plugins

The tool supports platforms like- Android, iOS, Windows, Unity

Google ARCore

Google never misses the chance to offer developers the chance to develop AR-based applications, and that is why it had offered users Google ARCore for the same purpose. The tool features- 

• It is made with environmental understanding and can be used for motion tracking
• With motion tracking feature, Google ARCore can determine the position and orientation of the device through the camera while features points in the room
• Other than that, the tool allows the app to match the environment lighting for giving a natural appearance.

The toolkit can work with Unreal, Unity, Java/OpenGL and supports a plethora of devices like- Samsung smartphones- S7-S8, A5-A8, Note8, Asus Zenfone AR, Huawei P20, OnePlus5 while supporting Google Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL. 

Apple ARKit

During Apple’s Worldwide Developers conference in the year 2017, with the introduction of iOS 11, Apple also introduced its own ARKit. The kit got features like- 

• Face tracking for applying face effects or also for creating a facial expression of 3D characters
• Tracking the environment light level
• Visual Inertial Odometry helps in tracking the environment accurately eliminating the need for additional calibration
• Supports detecting 2D objects giving access to developers to interact with them
• Integrating third-party tools with Unreal Engine, Unity
• Also helps in detecting horizontal planes like floors, tablets vertically and irregular shapedmobile applications are now not just the source of entertainment and information, they are also becoming the mode of getting things done in a swift and efficient manner.

The tool is compatible with a major number of iPhones.

ARToolKit

The next AR tools for creating mobile apps is ARToolKit. It is an open-source tool with a free library while offering the following features- 

• Offers the support of single and dual camera
• Unity3D and OpenSceneGraph support
• Smart glasses integration
• Multiple language support
• Automatic camera calibration
• GPS and compasses support

The tool supports platforms like iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Smart Glasses, and others.

Maxst

The tool has two SDK available- a 2D SDK for tracking images and a 3D SDK for environmental recognition. It offers various features like- 

• MAXST visual simultaneous Localization and Mapping for tracking and mapping environments
• Barcode and QR scanner
• For more immersive AR experiences, it saves files with  visual simultaneous Localization and Mapping
• Unity plusgin integration
• Offers image and multi-target tracking

The tool supports Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac OS

Wikitude

The last AR tool for developing Augmented reality mobile apps in Wikitude. It supports localization and mapping while offering features like- 

• Image recognition and tracking
• Tracking and 3D recognition
• Location-based services
• Smart glass integration
• Cloud recognition
• External plugins integration

The tool supports platforms like iOS, Android, Smart Glasses

These are the top tools for building Augmented Reality based mobile applications and as time is passing more will come into the mainstream helping developers to do the task. 

As AR is getting a lot of praise and footfall from the users while many shop owners are using the same to entice users if you are also willing to take the leverage of the technology via the mobile application, connect with the leading app development firm.