The different augmented reality solutions

Do you have an augmented reality project? Don't know where to turn? A Wysiwyg turnkey solution? Native development? A mix?

Having already developed multiple augmented reality solutions, we have a few ideas to guide you in your choice.

The turnkey solution

The turnkey solution is the simplest and certainly the least expensive way to set up your augmented reality project. Using a "visual" or "wysiwyg" (What You See Is What You Get) editor, you can easily add media to targets (posters, posters, business cards, flyers, etc.).

From a disadvantage point of view, Clé-en-main doesn't facilitate the use of out-of-the-ordinary functionalities. Putting a logo in a company's colors becomes a difficult operation. The application also requires a good quality, constant network connection. Control and confidentiality of user data are not assured at 100%. There are many start-ups offering solutions to these problems. However, you need to be wary of them, as many open and close very quickly, which, for a medium- to long-term project and investment, is a considerable risk.

Some interesting turnkey solutions:

WIKITUDE STUDIO : https://www.wikitude.com/products/studio/

LAYAR (Blippar): https://www.layar.com

ROAR : https://theroar.io/fr/

Native development

Completely native development in Java for Android or Objective-C for Apple is not recommended. On the one hand, it requires advanced computer skills, and on the other, it doesn't offer as many advantages as you might expect. The complexity of this development makes it unsuitable for most projects.

We carry out native development for augmented reality under the Unity game engine. This means greater flexibility, time savings and a single project. When the application is published on Android or IOS, the project is then compiled in the right language (Java / Objective-C).

What's more, Unity easily manages unified access to the ARCore (Android) and ARKit(IOS) augmented reality libraries.

Such a development is justified if you want total freedom and personalization in the realization of your project. It's the ideal solution if you want to take the experience a step further with, for example, an augmented reality game or advanced 3D animations.

It's also possible to create augmented reality applications that don't require a constant Internet connection. Confidentiality and data backup are also assured. Performance is optimized for gaming.

2 game engines enable native augmented reality development:

Unity : https://unity.com/fr

Unreal Engine: https://www.unrealengine.com

The blend

It's perfectly possible to mix native Unity development with a turnkey editor.

This solution may be of interest to you if you're looking for advanced data management, excellent performance and access to an easy-to-use administrator area. It also allows you to easily add new content, while keeping complexity, development time and project costs to a minimum.

Several development kits are available for this purpose and are compatible with the game engines listed below:

PTC (ex-Vuforia) : https://www.ptc.com/en/products/augmented-reality

Wikitude: https://www.wikitude.com

In conclusion

The 3 solutions presented above are interesting and should be chosen according to your needs: simplicity, cost, scalability, performance, data, lifespan.

We'll be happy to discuss your augmented reality project and answer any questions you may have.