Introduction
With augmented reality (AR), you can add digital objects to the real world. You can use AR to add holograms and virtual games into your life, or even create new experiences with it. Augmented reality has many applications, from gaming to education and beyond.
1. Unity
Unity is a game engine developed by Unity Technologies and used to develop video games for PC, consoles, mobile devices and web browsers. Unity has been used to develop more than 18000 titles including Hyper Light Drifter and Celeste.
Unity provides an integrated development environment (IDE) that allows programmers to write code once and deploy it to many platforms. The IDE uses Microsoft Visual Studio on Windows or Xcode on macOS for its text editor; however, it also supports third-party editors such as Sublime Text 3 which provide additional features such as syntax highlighting or line numbering.
2. GameSalad Studio
GameSalad Studio is a drag-and-drop game creation tool that allows you to create games for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. It also supports HTML5, so your projects can be published on the web. GameSalad Studio has been around since 2009 and has been used by over 1 million people worldwide.
It’s easy enough for beginners but powerful enough for experts who want more control over their games’ functionality and performance. A few of its features include:
- Full 3D physics simulation engine with rigid bodies, joints, collisions and ragdolls – perfect for making action-packed games like Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja!
- Multitouch gestures such as pinch and zoom (for mobile devices)
- Comprehensive sound effects library including music loops from Bensound
3. Project Anarchy
Project Anarchy is a free, open-source game development tool that is designed to help you build games for the web and mobile devices. It’s a cross-platform tool that allows you to build games for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.
The tool comes with an extensive set of features including:
- 3D graphics engine based on OpenGL ES 2.0 API (Android only)
- Scene editor with support for 2D textures or custom shaders (iOS/Android/Windows Phone)
- Physics engine based on Box2D (Android only)
You can find more information about Project Anarchy here: https://www.projectanarchy3d.com/.
4. Leap Motion + Codea
Leap Motion is a gesture control device that allows you to interact with digital content using intuitive hand motions. It’s like having your own personal Jedi force, except it doesn’t come with the Force or a lightsaber.
Codea is an integrated development environment for programming games and apps for iOS and Android, Mac OS X and Windows. Codea is available for iPad, iPhone and Mac computers (OS X 10.10 Yosemite or higher).
5. Intel Edison Kit for Arduino (Gen 2)
Intel Edison Kit for Arduino (Gen 2) is a complete development kit that includes the latest Intel Edison Board with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE, Arduino breakout board, power supply, USB cable and SD card.
6. Vuforia – WebARVuforia Engine SDK Vuforia Augmented Reality SDK
Vuforia is a tool for creating augmented reality apps. It also acts as a platform for creating AR applications and provides you with tools to make it happen.
If you’re looking for an easy way to get started with Augmented Reality, Vuforia might be the best choice for you!
7. Hololens Development Kit (HDK) – Microsoft Store HoloLens Development Edition
Hololens is a holographic computer. It has sensors, cameras and microphones that can recognize voice commands and gestures. The headset can also recognize objects and track the user’s gaze.
8. ARCore SDK – Google Developers ARCore SDK
ARCore SDK is a software development kit for building augmented reality apps. It’s available for free on Android 7.0+ devices, and currently supported on the following devices:
- Google Pixel 2 XL
- Google Pixel 2
- Samsung Galaxy S9 / S9+
- Samsung Galaxy Note 9
9. Visual Studio Tools for Unity – Microsoft Visual Studio Team Services Visual Studio Tools for Unity Extension Pack, GitHub Repository for Visual Studio Tools for Unity Extension Pack and Nuclide Project (Visual Studio extension to improve development time and tooling support for web developers who are building apps that target Universal Windows Platform).
- Visual Studio Tools for Unity – Microsoft Visual Studio Team Services
Visual Studio Tools for Unity Extension Pack, GitHub Repository for Visual Studio Tools for Unity Extension Pack and Nuclide Project (Visual Studio extension to improve development time and tooling support for web developers who are building apps that target Universal Windows Platform).
You have a wide variety of tools to create augmented reality apps
You have a wide variety of tools to create augmented reality apps. Here are some of the most popular:
- Unity – A game engine used by many developers, including those who work in AR and VR. Unity supports both 2D and 3D apps. It offers a free trial version with full access to most features but limits you to 1,000 objects per scene or 100 physics objects at once until you upgrade your subscription plan (starting at US$25/month). For more information on using Unity for your next project, visit [www.unity3d.com](http://www.*unity3d.*com/) or check out their community forums if you’re looking for help from other developers!
- GameSalad Studio – An easy-to-use drag-and-drop app builder that lets users create mobile games without programming experience by dragging images onto screens and adding instructions such as “if this happens then do that.” Users can also add audio files into their projects through iTunes File Sharing feature so they don’t have too much trouble finding good music tracks for their games either!
Conclusion
The tools listed above are just a few of the many options available to create augmented reality apps. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to research which one best fits your needs before jumping into development. If you’re looking for something that can be used on multiple platforms, then Unity or GameSalad might be good choices. If you want something more specialized like Vuforia but don’t want to spend money on licenses or SDKs then try WebARVuforia Engine SDK instead!
