Augmented Reality (AR) is currently booming and achieves a similarly high demand from users such as 3D configurators. Apple has been pursuing the goal to make AR the mainstream for quite some time and since the announcement of ARKit at the latest, all developers are looking for the best AR tools to develop the next AR app or game. With so many AR tools to choose from, the decision isn`t always easy. First, developers should define their goals.
You need to determine what type of AR you need for your mobile application or game: marker-based or location-based. Marker-based AR tools are based on image recognition. Location-based AR tools are based on position detectors or GPS to determine their current position and then adjust the environment and design objects accordingly.
The more advanced AR Reality Tools are, the more powerful they can detect 3D markers and real objects. The most advanced AR-SDKs support the detection of 3D markers and real objects. Of course, there are other aspects you need to consider, including supported platforms, whether they offer a Unity plug-in, and additional features and pricing.
That`s why we`ve put together the 11 most important AR tools for 2018 in this post, which you can choose from as you need them.
ARKit.
ARKit is Apple`s new AR framework for iOS apps and games, introduced with iOS 11. It detects the environment around you, including layers and objects, and then allows you to place your own objects in that environment, manipulate them and track them as iPhone moves.
ARKit works with Apple`s 2D and 3D gaming platforms. SceneKit and SpriteKit, very easy to integrate and all you need to set up the SceneKit view is about four lines of code and then one line to add ARKit.
- Platforms: iOS.
- Unity-Support: Yes.
- Pricing: As needed, depending on active projects and not users.
ARLab.
ARLab enables them to add and remove real-time AR geolocation views to their applications. The framework is fully customizable with an extremely easy to use API.
It takes care of all the complex functionality of the AR so you can focus on designing your application.
- Platforms: iOS, Android
- Unity-Support: Yes
- Pricing: Starts from $199 per app
Vuforia
Vuforia is another AR-SDK that supports Windows Phone and Unity as well as iOS and Android. One of the biggest advantages is the cloud detection service, which allows them to use either local or cloud databases for image detection as well as target tracking and multi-target detection.
- Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows Phone.
- Unity Support: Yes.
- Pricing: Free of charge. Paid versions starts at $499, with cloud plans at $99 per month.
EasyAR
EasyAR has two great selling points: it supports all major platforms and is free. The free version offers all important features like cloud detection, QR code scanning, unlimited detection times and more.
It also offers a paid version with some additional features such as 3D object tracking, which allows you to detect and track a common 3D object with textures in real time, and a screen recording.
- Platforms: Android, Windows Phone.
- Unity Support: Yes.
- Pricing: Free of charge. Upgrade for additional features approx. $499 per app.
Wikitude.
Wikitude is an all-in-one AR SDK. It combines all the key features of other AR tools in one place, including instant 3D tracking technology, object, image recognition, tracking and geolocation AR.
The only drawback is the high prices that all this entails, be it for one-time licenses or for monthly and cloud plans, which is definitely not indie developer friendly.
- Platforms: iOS, Android.
- Unity Support: Yes.
- Pricing: Paid versions start at 1.990 € with cloud plans at 4.490 € per year.
ARToolKit
ARToolKit is a Open Source Tracking und Recognition SDK. It is one of the first AR SDKs to be released. It is fast, easy to use and free. However, it is somehow limited in terms of what it has to offer.
- Unity-Support: Yes
- Pricing: Free of charge
Maxst
Maxst has five key features, including image tracking, instant tracking, SLAM, object tracking and barcode scanning. This is another powerful tool that has great features, but is not indie developer friendly, as the free version is for nonprofit AR projects only.
- Plattforms: iOS, Android
- Unity-Support: Yes
- Pricing: Free-of-Charge. Paid version starts from $499.
Kudan
Kudan AR is the only SDK available with markerless, marker operation and 2D/3D rendering in a single package. Highly configurable, it offers excellent image recognition, low memory requirements, lightning-fast development speed and an unlimited number of markers.
- Plattforms: iOS, Android.
- Unity-Support: Yes
- Preisgestaltung: Free-of-charge. $1000 a year per app.
XZIMG
XZIMG offers three products: Augmented Face offers high-quality face tracking. Augmented Vision offers reference marks and image tracking, Magic Free offers deformable face tracking – all ideal for creating more efficient AR-based applications.
- Plattforms: iOS, Android.
- Unity-Support: Yes
- Pricing: Chargeable version for Augmented Face for 19.000 HK$ (ca. 2.200 €), Augmented Vision for 14.000 HK$ (ca. 1.600 €) and 95.000 HK$ (ca. 11.000 €).
NyARToolklit
NYARToolKit is a simplified version of ARToolKit. It`s a simple, free tool that you can start using immediately if you just want to identify and track images.
- Plattforms: iOS, Android.
- Unity-Support: Yes
- Pricing: Free-of-Charge.
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