Augmented Reality (AR)

Sophie Dixon leads this module, giving a deep dive into the parameters of Augmented Reality, exploring the key differences between different capture and creation methods. She also looks at how AR can be used in a variety of storytelling scenarios.

https://mnemoscene.io

Bridge the gap real and virtual – next big thing with mobiles

1. Marker-based AR which is triggered using a visual cue. Markers are unique images such as a QR code, but you can also design a more visually pleasing marker which can be as small as a postage stamp or even the size of a building.

  • Align visuals
  • Natural feature tracking
  • Small or huge as a building
  • What makes a good marker – different in every corner not repeatable distinguishable good contrast
  • Camera has to be all the time over the marker to see it
  • A key challenge of AR is to align the virtual data with the real-world environment. A marker-based approach solves the problem with a high degree of accuracy by using visual markers.
  • Used widely for many years, a marker-based approach uses pattern recognition to identify objects already programmed into your AR device or app. The user can download an app, or go to a website, and then hold their phone over a marker to reveal virtual content.

Pros

  • Anchors virtual content to a physical marker with a high degree of accuracy.
  • Easy to use and tactile. Most people don’t require instructions when using it for the first time.
  • Works on mobiles devices with limited computational capacity and memory.

Cons

  • The AR experience isn’t persistent so will disappear once the phone is moved from the marker.
  • The marker needs to be clearly visible to the phone camera in order to work. A hand in the way or the card placed at an obtuse angle will cause the digital content to disappear.

https://arstorydecks.com

https://poly.google.com

https://arstorydecks.com/decks

Instructions:

  1. Print an AR Story Deck*
  2. On your mobile browser go to: http://bit.ly/hamletAR
  3. Allow ARStoryDecks to use your camera
  4. Hold your phone’s camera over the markers to see the augmented reality 3D assets in your real-world environment

*NB If printing isn’t an option then markers can be displayed on a monitor.

Marker-less AR doesn’t need prior knowledge of a user’s environment to overlay 3D content into a scene and hold it to a fixed point in space.

  • It merges digital data with input from real-time, real-world inputs registered to a physical space.
  • In essence, it builds up the environment in real-time and then calculates where the mobile device is in relation to that environment. It does this by calculating the spatial relationship between itself and multiple key points. This process is called ‘Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping’ – or SLAM for short.

Pros

  • AR is persistent so will stay available until the app is closed.

Cons

  • Requires newer mobile devices
  • For location-based AR it is challenging to get precise GEO-located experiences on mobile devices.

Rembrandt Reality An augmented reality app that enables you to step inside Rembrandt’s painting ‘The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp’.

Try it out here: App Store Google Play

BBC Civilisations We had a quick look at this app in Lesson 1. It enables you to explore historical artefacts from UK museums in your own home.

Try it out here: App Store Google Play

Google Arts and Culture, ‘Art Filter’ A set of augmented reality Art Filters that you can apply to your face to transform yourself into a famous painting or try on a priceless historical artefact.

Try it out here: App Store Google Play

Interactive music box An interactive music box made using photogrammetry and Google’s model-viewer

Try it out here: Musicbox

Key Considerations

  • .space where would engage
  • .Mixed reality –
  • Optimised content — images video 3dmodel volumetric capture 2d/3danimation 360 video audio
  • .how long they have to hold the camera up
  • .do they have to walk – do not endanger them

AR is often seen as the most democratic and wide reaching form of immersive production. AR is accessible on any phone sold since 2017 when Apple’s AR Kit and Android AR core became standard in smartphones. As we learned in Lesson 1, the AR audience is as large as the number of people with smartphones, globally an estimated 1.6 billion.

Planning

So, now you’ve seen how we plan our AR experiences, let’s examine that process a bit further. Start by choosing one of the AR experiences featured in the previous steps – either marker or markerless AR.

Think about how the creators would have planned the experience and consider:

  • The relationship between the physical space and the virtual
  • How does the AR experience affect the physical location in which it is experienced?

The objective of the experience

  • Why has the AR app been made?
  • What motivates users to use it?

Target audience

  • Who is the target audience?
  • How does the AR app meet their needs?

Technical approach

  • What type of AR is used? What device is required?
  • How do audiences access the app?
  • Is it an app or WebAR?

Content

  • What types of content does it include?
  • What considerations have gone into making the content suitable for AR?

User Experience

  • Map out the UX of the AR experience (refer back to Lesson 1 for reference)

Try these steps to create a blueprint of your AR experience.

1. Start by writing out the user experience/journey of your AR experience

Consider the interactions of your user. Identify the sequence of actions which takes them from the start, to finish, of your experience.

2. Create a Storyboard sequence

Either use the 360 templates provided in Week 1, or use traditional rectangular storyboards if more relevant for your experience.

You might find this software useful for mapping out the experience:

3. Create visualisations

After the storyboarding stage, it can be useful to create visualisations to communicate the look and feel of your AR experience. This includes taking photos of the physical world and then overlaying them with visualizations of your AR content.

Try these steps to create a blueprint of your AR experience.

1. Start by writing out the user experience/journey of your AR experience

Consider the interactions of your user. Identify the sequence of actions which takes them from the start, to finish, of your experience.

2. Create a Storyboard sequence

Either use the 360 templates provided in Week 1, or use traditional rectangular storyboards if more relevant for your experience.

You might find this software useful for mapping out the experience:

3. Create visualisations

After the storyboarding stage, it can be useful to create visualisations to communicate the look and feel of your AR experience. This includes taking photos of the physical world and then overlaying them with visualizations of your AR content.

Free 3d models

===END OF PART 4

Location: online training