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TOP 7 AR FRAMEWORKS TO USE FOR YOUR AUGMENTED REALITY APPS 

Author
Rohini Gupta

Category
Technoloy

Published
16 Jan, 2024



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Here’s the thing about AR apps: businesses have brilliant ideas to elevate UX
with AR innovations, but the output is often broken — sometimes significantly.

 

The failure of AR apps/slowdown in the dev lifecycle / increased tech debt often
boils down to a mismatch in the AR framework used and the use case/platform it’s
best fit for.

 

To save you the trouble of damage control for a defective app, we’ve compiled
what we think are some of the best AR frameworks for your application(s).

 


FIRST – HOW EXACTLY DO AR FRAMEWORKS HELP?

 

Frameworks are essentially software libraries that give developers pre-defined
standardized code. This code serves as the foundation for app development in a
specific environment – in our case, augmented reality.

 

 * ● Frameworks let developers take a modular approach to app development (as
   opposed to a ‘Waterfall’ linear development sequence). This means greater
   development agility, easier debugging and modification, and reduced errors
 * ● Developers working with frameworks can reuse pre-built code and design,
   which accelerates development and improves output quality
 * ● Frameworks are customizable, which means applications can be built around a
   business’s specific requirements

 


WHAT PLATFORMS/DEVICES ARE AR FRAMEWORKS BUILT FOR?

 

The AR frameworks listed below typically work for native, web-based, and hybrid
mobile and desktop applications. These applications are built for iOS, Android,
and web browsers.

 

In addition to these, AR frameworks are also used to develop apps for heads-up
displays (HUDs), smart glasses, and other augmented reality displays.

 



 

Companies are increasingly adopting 3D holographic AR displays that don’t need
wearable or hand-held hardware to function.

 

Source: New Atlas

 


THE BEST AR FRAMEWORKS TO USE FOR YOUR AR APPS

 

Here’s our list of AR frameworks that we recommend to clients for different
types of AR applications and platforms.

 


1. ARKIT – BEST FOR IOS APPS

ARKit is Apple’s AR development framework for iOS devices. It combines motion
tracking, world tracking, scene understanding, and display conveniences for
cohesive AR experiences on iOS devices.

 

One of ARKit’s nifty features is Location Anchors, which connect virtual objects
with real-world longitude, latitude, and altitude. The AR framework also offers
LiDAR for iOS devices.

 



 

Example of how ARKit’s LiDAR Scanner uses depth buffer to create a virtual fog
effect in AR.

 

Source: Apple.com

 

The latest ARKit features include:

 

 * ● Ray casting API (for placing virtual objects on real-world surfaces)
 * ● Face Tracking via devices with True Depth cameras
 * ● People Occlusion (for more immersive, green-screen-like effects)
 * ● Simultaneous back and front camera usage
 * ● 4K video for enhanced AR experiences

 

ARKit is available free of cost as part of Apple’s XCode. Note that membership
to the Apple Developer Program costs $99 per year. If iOS devices are your
primary focus, ARKit is the AR framework you need.

 


2. ARCORE – BEST FOR ANDROID APPS

ARCore (a.k.a. Google Play Services for AR) is Google’s development platform for
augmented reality apps. It’s built on three key capabilities:

 

1. Motion tracking, for an Android device to track its position relative to the
real world

2. Environmental understanding, for a phone to detect the size and location of
various surfaces in different orientations

3. Light estimation, for the Android device to estimate lighting conditions
Other fundamental tools ARCore offers include:

 

 * ●   Geospatial API to attach AR content to any area on Google Street View
 * ●     Depth API to deliver immersive experiences via object occlusion and
   environment interaction
 * ●     Scene Semantics for an ML-driven understanding of user surroundings
 * ●     Recording and Playback API for replayable AR experiences
 * ●     Streetscape Geometry for object occlusion or anchored content for
   buildings and terrains
 * ●     Augmented Images for apps that respond to specific 2D images
 * ●     Cloud Anchor API for multiplayer apps for Android / iOS

 



 

Example of rich AR experiences created with ARCore, utilizing the platform’s
Depth API feature.

 

Source: Google Blog

 

ARCore is free of cost and is supported by most (not all) Android device models.
ARCore also works with Unity3D and Unreal Engine, which means AR-based game
development becomes that much easier. ARCore also offers cross-platform
capabilities via SDKs (including for iOS).

 


3. META SPARK STUDIO – BEST FOR META PLATFORMS

Meta’s Spark Studio is an AR development platform for Facebook and Instagram.

AR experiences built on Spark Studio are excellent for not just engagement but
also for social commerce objectives. The platform offers a range of incredible
features that make this possible.

 

 * ● Trackers, which include face and eye trackers, hand and body trackers, and
   environment trackers for realistic AR experiences
 * ● Light and visual effects, which allow developers to add lighting and
   shading effects to AR content
 * ● 2D and 3D animation, most of which can be done without scripting via Spark
   Studio’s Patch Editor
 * ● Responsive audio, which lets developers build complex sound experiences
   that pair with AR content
 * ● Group effects for video calling, which allow developers to build an effect
   that a group of people can interact with on a video call
 * ● AR advertising, which lets you run augmented reality advertising on
   Facebook and Instagram for immersive shopping experiences

 



 

Example of Meta Spark Studio’s Group Effects features via the multiplier API.

 

Source: Meta Spark Studio

 

One of Spark Studio’s neatest features is its AR library, which offers hundreds
of 3D models, audio clips, and templates — so you don’t need to be a 3D modeling
maverick to at least get started.

 

Spark Studio is entirely free of cost and can be downloaded for desktop.

 


4. CAMERA KIT – BEST FOR SNAP PLATFORMS

Camera Kit is Snap’s AR platform that lets businesses build AR experiences for
Snapchat. AR content built on Camera Kit can be shared with Snapchat, Snap
Spectacles, as well as web and mobile apps.

 

Here’s how it works:

 

1. Integrate Snap’s Camera Kit AR development SDK with your mobile apps and
websites/web apps

2. Create customized AR content on Lens Studio (Snap’s AR content development
platform)

3. Distribute AR content via the Camera Kit portal on your apps

 



 

Example of Camera Kit’s e-commerce template – ‘Shopping Lens’ – in action.

 

Source: Snap

 

Camera Kit works well with Lens Studio, which is Snap’s desktop application for
AR content creators. Snap also offers an extensive creator marketplace so you
can collaborate with AR experts and Snap partners to build exceptional AR
experiences.

 

Camera Kit and Lens Studio are free of cost, BUT templates (also called
‘Lenses’) available in the creator marketplace need to be bought.

 


5. VUFORIA – BEST FOR INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE USE CASES

Vuforia is an AR development suite built on computer vision technology that is
able to recognize and track 2D images and 3D objects in real-time.

 

As opposed to the frameworks explored before for social commerce, e-commerce,
and engagement, Vuforia is more oriented toward industrial enterprise use cases
(manufacturing, service, training, inspection, sales, and marketing).

 

Vuforia has four key offerings in its suite:

 

 * ●     Vuforia Chalk, which essentially lets service departments accelerate
   customer/field technician query resolution via remote troubleshooting in even
   low-bandwidth connections
 * ●     Vuforia Expert Capture, which allows companies to let their subject
   matter experts use 3D CAD (computer-aided design) models to train and
   instruct frontline teams
 * ●     Vuforia Studio, which allows technical content creators to convert
   existing CAD, 3D animations, and IoT data into AR content
 * ●     Vuforia Engine is an AR software development engine used to build AR
   experiences in a variety of environments and platforms

 



 

An example of Vuforia’s Model Targeting feature is that it enables devices to
recognize and track particular objects in the real world based on the shape of
the object.

 

Source: Vuforia

 

If ops optimization, customer service enhancement, better quality assurance,
improved training, or just better engagement across your mobile/web apps are a
priority for your enterprise, Vuforia is the way to go.

 

Vuforia’s ‘Basic Plan’ is free to use, but there are enterprise plans the
platform offers for custom requirements.

 


6. AR.JS – BEST FOR WEB-BASED AR APPS

So far, we’ve looked at AR frameworks and platforms for mobile and desktop
applications. But what if you’re building AR innovations for the web? That’s a
whole different ball game, and AR.js is the way to go.

 

AR.js is a free and open-source AR development framework for web-based
applications.

 

 * ● AR.js is entirely JavaScript-based and needs no installation
 * ● The framework is super-fast and works well on mobile devices as well
 * ● The framework is open source and completely free of cost
 * ● AR.js works on any phone with webGL and webRTC (JavaScript APIs)

 



 

Example of augmented reality experiences built on the web with the AR.js
development framework.

 

Source: GitHub

 

AR.js offers the following types of augmented reality development:

 

 * ●     Image tracking, which lets devices recognize and track 2D images and
   superimpose content onto them
 * ●     Marker tracking, which triggers AR experiences by scanning a marker
   (like a QR code) via a mobile device
 * ●     Location-based AR for AR experiences that use a user’s position in the
   real world to show AR content

 

AR.js has a massive repository of documentation and a thriving online community,
which means you get all the help you need to build AR apps that floor your
audiences.

 

Note: MindAR is another open-source augmented reality library for web-based AR
applications and an alternative to AR.js for image tracking and face tracking
features.

 


7. 8TH WALL – BEST FOR WEB-BASED AR APPS

8th Wall is a WebAR platform that lets companies build AR experiences within
browsers.

The platform’s AR engine offers:

 

 * ●     World Effects, built on JavaScript and WebGL, which offers simultaneous
   localization and mapping (SLAM) for real-time AR experiences on mobile
   browsers
 * ●     Lightship VPS, which uses Niantic’s AR global map to anchor immersive
   WebAR content at locations around the world
 * ●     Image Targets, which lets creators upload and manage image targets of
   any shape and combine image targets and markerless Tracking
 * ●     Face Effects, which lets creators build custom high-resolution face
   filters and anchor 3D objects to face attachment points.
 * ●     Cloud Editor, which offers auto-complete, an asset viewer, developer
   key bindings, and support for popular web dev frameworks. It also allows
   collaboration and AR content management solutions.

 



 

Example of Sky Effects and World Tracking features on 8th Wall.

 

Source: 8th Wall

 

8th Wall supports popular WebAR development frameworks, including A-Frame,
three.js, babylon.js, and PlayCanvas.

 

8th Wall costs $9 a month for the basic plan, going up to $99 a month for more
advanced features.

 


FRAMEWORKS CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR AR APPS.

The difference between a broken AR app and one that delivers extraordinary
experiences often boils down to astutely selecting a framework that aligns
seamlessly with your specific objectives.

 

Taking time out to understand the possibilities of each tool is a great way to
start developing ideas on how to use AR to meet marketing and advertising
objectives and provide as accurate and immersive an experience as possible.

More


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