Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that overlays digital information onto the real world. It has revolutionized the way we interact with our environment, and its potential applications are endless. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of creating an AR app on Android using Unity, one of the most popular game engines for AR development.
Before we begin, let’s define a few terms. An AR app is a software application that uses a smartphone or tablet to display digital objects in the real world. The real world refers to the physical environment around us, and digital objects are computer-generated images or animations that are superimposed onto this environment.
Why Develop an AR App on Android?
Android is the most popular mobile operating system (OS) in the world, with billions of active devices running on it. This means that developing an AR app for Android has a large potential audience. Additionally, Unity is a widely used game engine that supports AR development on both iOS and Android platforms.
AR apps have many use cases, including education, entertainment, marketing, and healthcare. For example, an AR app could be used to teach students about the solar system by overlaying digital planets onto the real sky. Or, an AR app could be used to enhance the shopping experience by allowing customers to see how furniture would look in their home before buying it.
The Benefits of Using Unity for AR Development
Unity is a powerful game engine that supports 2D and 3D graphics, physics, animation, and more. It also has built-in support for AR development on both iOS and Android platforms. Some of the benefits of using Unity for AR development include:
- Easy to learn and use: Unity has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for beginners to get started with AR development.
- Cross-platform compatibility: With Unity, you can develop an AR app once and deploy it on both iOS and Android devices, saving time and resources.
- Large community support: Unity has a large community of developers who can provide support and guidance on AR development.
- Wide range of tools and assets: Unity offers a wide range of tools and assets that can be used to create AR apps, including pre-made 3D models, animations, and physics simulations.
Getting Started with Unity
Before you can start developing an AR app using Unity, you will need to install the engine on your computer. You can download the latest version of Unity from the official website (). Once you have installed Unity, open it up and create a new project.
In the new project window, select the “AR” template and give your project a name. This will create a basic AR project with some default settings and assets. You can now start building your app by adding 3D models, animations, and other elements to the scene.
Creating an AR Scene in Unity
The first step in creating an AR app is to design the scene that will be displayed in the real world. This involves adding 3D models, lighting, and other elements to the scene to create a realistic and engaging environment.
To add 3D models to your AR scene, you can import them from a 3D modeling software like Blender or Maya. You can also find pre-made 3D models on online marketplaces like TurboSquid or Sketchfab. Once you have imported the model, you can drag and drop it into the Unity scene.
Lighting is also an important aspect of AR development. Lighting affects how objects appear in the real world and can be used to create realistic shadows and highlights. To add lighting to your AR scene, you can use Unity’s built-in lighting tools or import custom lighting files from a 3D modeling software.