Popular AR VR Tools of 2021

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR / VR) have been around us for a while and every tech-giant in the industry are experimenting with these tools to augment visual experience across channels. The gamification of customer interaction has led to massive investments in the AR VR market in the last few years with popular gadget makers complementing retail and entertainment businesses. In the COVID-19 era, AR and VR tools seem to be expanding at an incredible speed; from shopping to entertainment and gaming. Whether it’s product viewing, interactive apparel research, or improved game experience, AR technology is booming at a rapid pace. An increasing number of fashion retailers, labels, and major technology companies have already begun to launch solutions offered by VR and AR. Either they are designed to provide a shopping experience for consumers or to improve entertainment.

“In 2020, the Chinese market is expected to reach 6.6 billion US dollars. Moreover, the total spending on AR/VR-related products and services in the Chinese market accounted for more than half of the global market share (approximately 55%).” – IDC Research

Let’s see what are the prominent tools used to construct these outstanding experiences by businesses.

Vuforia Engine

Vuforia’s AR SDK uses computer vision technology for the detection and tracking of image targets and 3D objects in real-time. Its 3D tracking feature uses images like cubes, cuboids, or cylinders as targets. The quick setup method is one of Vuforia AR SDK’s key advantages. This facilitates the creation of an easy developing environment, an easy installation of the correct SDK version, and easy application creation. Vuforia’s simple free edition contains watermarks and a limited collection of tools. Its paid plans, on the other hand, include an upgraded camera, better support, and more.

Kudan

During the mapping of a 3D environment structure, Kudan locates a sensor in relation to its surrounding environment with its own SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology. In many emerging technologies, including helicopters, robots, and vehicles, SLAM has been licensed to outside production partners. SLAM can be used with any camera or sensor, providing accuracy of tracking up to mere millimeters on Smartphone cameras. The low-consumption/high-speed system uses less than 5% of a mobile device CPU and continues to run under low light. Kudan has a free release of its AR SDK for testing by its developers. The cost of a manufacturing license is £1,000 annually.

EasyAR

Winner of the 2016 World Augmented Reality Expo’s Best Software Award, EasyAR recognizes and monitors several 3D objects simultaneously in real-time. Both PCs and mobile devices are able to use EasyAR. The absence of watermarks and no time limits are other advantages.

MaxST

A two-set of services is accessible via MaxST. A 3D toolkit is the first and a 2D toolkit is the second. The 3D toolkit is used to scan and track maps, environment for scanning realistic virtual objects. The 2D toolkit is used for image and space monitoring along with QR codes.

MaxST provides AR software solutions for various sectors, including fashion, publishing, leisure, and advertising. Other MaxST products and services include image processing and AR games. It also offers cloud recognition and SLAM support as well.

Apple ARKit

Available only for iOS devices, ArKit is the best AR creation tool of the class. In order to monitor the environment correctly, the tool utilizes Visual inertial Odometry (VIO). Its strong facial tracking capabilities allow 3D characteristics and face effects. The framework also incorporates methods for detecting 2D objects from third parties, such as Unreal and Unity.

Google ARCore

ARCore is Google’s platform for building augmented reality experiences. ARCore helps your smartphone to feel its environment, understand the world, and communicate with information using various APIs. Some of the APIs can be shared on Android and iOS for shared AR experiences.

ARCore’s understanding of the real world lets you seamlessly incorporate real-world elements, annotations, or other details. Anything in the room/house can be placed by users. Furthermore, users can view these objects from any angle with motion tracking.

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