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Developers Share First Augmented Reality Creations Using Apple's ARKit

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Apple only announced its augmented reality developer platform ARKit last week at the Worldwide Developers Conference, but some video clips have already been posted online by developers eager to showcase the impressive potential of the software.

ARKit enables iPhones and iPads running iOS 11 to superimpose computer-generated graphics over the real world, allowing developers to take their apps beyond the screen and into the user's environment.

Apple ARKit running Unity and Overwatch Widowmaker, by Cody Brown​

By using the built-in camera, processors, and motion sensors found in iOS devices, virtual content appears on top of real-world scenes, and users don't need any special equipment to enjoy them because ARKit does the heavy lifting.

One developer who spoke to Motherboard said Apple had improved upon existing AR solutions like Hololens and Google Tango by making the ARKit framework elegant and simple to use.
"The most impressive aspect of ARKit is that it tends to just work," said Cody Brown, founder of virtual reality production studio IRL, in an online interview with Motherboard. "Other AR software often requires some sort of physical tracking mechanism (like a QR code), which inevitably becomes a major piece of friction if you are trying to get anyone to use this stuff.

"Another incredible aspect of ARKit is how it handles lighting adjustments in real time, continued Brown. "I can only imagine the math and magic underneath this tech to make it work."
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Impressed with how well ARKit maps objects to your environment. And easy to get started! pic.twitter.com/0am5dXlXui - Kyle Russell (@kylebrussell) June 6, 2017
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During its keynote at WWDC, Apple demoed a range of effects that ARKit is capable of. One demo by Wingnut Studios wowed the audience with a tabletop sci-fi raider assault. Another showed a user placing a steaming digital coffee mug and a lamp on a table and moving the objects around to show off the tracking and shadow effects.

Several other ARKit developer demos have since appeared online, including a virtual "iPhone 8", roving StarWars character BB-8, dog-stalking zombies, office floor naval battles, dancing Candy rock stars, and more.

Rainforest garage by 8ninths​

Apple has invested heavily in augmented reality in recent years, making several VR/AR company acquisitions including PrimeSense, FaceShift, and Metaio. Apple's much-anticipated "iPhone 8", which is expected to be announced in September, is rumored to have 3D sensing capabilities, with augmented reality being one possible use for the technology.

ARKit will come to compatible devices as part of iOS 11, which Apple is set to release in the fall.

Article Link: Developers Share First Augmented Reality Creations Using Apple's ARKit
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/06/14/developers-augmented-reality-demos-arkit/
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Ummm,..this video looks no different to every other AR app I own, am i missing something? This is what Apple has been working on,..a technology that has been used by IKEA for years...unimpressed.

I would have thought a pair of AR/ VR glasses would have been a priority for 2017.
 
So does this mean that there will be AR apps within the App store soon that will be compatible with iPhone's and iPad's? i'm guessing the iPhone 8 will have these capabilities as well. It would be really cool to see developers make apps and games that incorporate AR into Apple's ecosystem that doesn't need anything like a headset to work.
 
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After just a few days, and a developers-only release, iOS is already the dominant platform for AR. This is a market Apple will pioneer and dominate.

Who can miniaturize an AR device to the point it's actually desirable to wear? Only Apple. It's like all their work in chips and sensors of these last years is converging to make that single device possible.
 
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bLackjackj said:
Ummm,..this video looks no different to every other AR app I own, am i missing something? This is what Apple has been working on,..a technology that has been used by IKEA for years...unimpressed.

I would have thought a pair of AR/ VR glasses would have been a priority for 2017.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure you realize how difficult it was to build AR into iOS apps before ARKit entered the scene. The framework has only been out for a week and already indie devs are creating stuff that previously would have taken entire teams weeks or even months to produce. This is a game changer for sure, not only for games but for education apps too (anatomy, history, geography etc). The possibilities are endless.

Apple just shifted the goalposts.
 
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djcerla said:
After just a few days, and a developers-only release, iOS is already the dominant platform for AR. This is a market Apple will pioneer and dominate.

Who can miniaturize an AR device to the point it's actually desirable to wear? Only Apple. It's like all their work in chips and sensors of these last years is converging to make that single device possible.
Click to expand...

That is exactly what I've been thinking. The problem with the AR/VR glasses is that they are heavy and uncomfortable to wear. But Apple has the most powerful and most energy efficient chips. It also has great cameras. So they can make the best set of goggles. For now it will just be your phone (an $750 device, so pricey) sitting in a container similar to Samsung VR gear. But Apple can make something better and more powerful and still have it run on a battery that won't be that heavy. And all of Apple phones will have two cameras. Having two cameras will be key to AR. That is another happy coincidence.

Side note. Once again, Apple publicly announces dominance in a new field and the stock market doesn't get it.
 
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Telos101 said:
I'm not sure you realize how difficult it was to build AR into iOS apps before ARKit entered the scene. The framework has only been out for a week and already indie devs are creating stuff that previously would have taken entire teams weeks or even months to produce. This is a game changer for sure, not only for games but for education apps too (anatomy, history, geography etc). The possibilities are endless.

Apple just shifted the goalposts.
Click to expand...

Yes, impressive. But let's be serious about what this will be used for. It will be used for porn. Now the sexy girl is going to be in your house and in your bed. Apple won't like that part of AR but it will happen.
 
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Methinks the dual cameras will used for "scanning" real-world objects into 3D models that you can "send" to friends. Scanning would obviously be limited to the premium 7 Plus and iPhone 8 at this point. And isn't the 8 rumored to have dual front facing cameras as well? Perfect for scanning your face and all those filters that Snapchat/Instagram/FB users love.
 
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Interesting that at one point the character was completely out of shot and when back in shot, it remained in the correct position. It has me wondering what the limit is. I.e how far can I wander around with my AR frame out of shot, before iOS loses the ability to track the frame. Possibly limited by memory?
 
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TallManNY said:
Yes, impressive. But let's be serious about what this will be used for. It will be used for porn. Now the sexy girl is going to be in your house and in your bed. Apple won't like that part of AR but it will happen.
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Exactly.

Porn, over anything else, would sell this.
The problem is, as apps have to be approved by Apple, you won't get Porn.

It will have to be a open platform, that makes this happen.

Unfortunately Apple does not accept humans like sex
 
What's more interesting than apple having put together the basic motion tracking framework, is that it appears you can do better than upload corny low-polygon wireframe models for circa 1996 rt rendering.

This guy appears to have brought in video, or is applying an image map pretty perfectly to his model, giving a much more realistic synthesis:


*nevermind, iPad brightness was too low, clearly another mesh & color/texture map.
*yeah it's android, but if an android device can manage this...

Piggie said:
Porn, over anything else, would sell this.
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True, porn will never be the same, probably putting millions of entertainers out of work when there's no limits to what you can have your 3D models do in your own home... oh I'm sure we'll find a way to track and regulate/prosecute it anyway lol

Because violence is great, sex is evil.
 
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bLackjackj said:
Ummm,..this video looks no different to every other AR app I own, am i missing something? This is what Apple has been working on,..a technology that has been used by IKEA for years...unimpressed.

I would have thought a pair of AR/ VR glasses would have been a priority for 2017.
Click to expand...

I totally get that but as a developer, when you look at the new APIs and see how Apple has made things fairly simple and easy to start running with, it brings a lot of excitement. It turns something that was unreachable into something you can do.

Now this doesn’t mean that every app will be great and awesome, but after a while, you should be able to see things that you find impressive.
 
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