Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
Features of ARKit
3.
ARKit5
4.
What makes ARKit5 special
4.1.
Expanded Face Tracking support
4.2.
Location Anchors
4.3.
Depth API
4.4.
People Occlusion
4.5.
Simultaneous front and back camera
4.6.
Additional improvements
5.
Frequently Asked Questions
5.1.
Does ARKit use lidar?
5.2.
What language does ARKit use?
5.3.
Does ARKit work with SwiftUI?
5.4.
Is ARKit an SDK?
5.5.
Does ARKit work with the front camera?
6.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024
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Introduction to ARKit

Author SAURABH ANAND
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Introduction

ARKit is the platform developed by Apple to create Augmented Reality applications for iOS mobile devices, mainly iPad and iPhone, which permits developers to build AR experiences fast and smoothly thanks to the capture of environments via the processors, camera, and motion sensors of the iOS devices themselves. ARKit 5 has delivered some fantastic new features that do nothing but improve its various utilities in its latest version. 

With ARKit 5, facial approval is enhanced by adding the permission for the ultra-wide field of view with the iPad Pro cameras. Mask or make-up applications exponentially improve their capabilities with ARKit 5.

Source: https://149493502.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/ios-11-arkit-logo.jpg

Features of ARKit

Let’s look at some main features of ARKit.

  • Apple's ARKit is a toolkit or set of tools (framework and SDKs) that assist developers in creating augmented reality (AR) apps for the iOS platform, which includes iPhones six and up and iPad Pro models.
     
  • Points, AR world map, plane detection, light estimation, anchors, face tracking, motion recording, people occlusion, and collaborative sessions are some of ARKit's most notable features.
     
  • ARKit helps embed virtual objects into AR experiences or surfaces by supporting image identification and image tracking. The Pokemon Go gaming app is another prominent example of an augmented reality app that uses ARKit.
     
  • The Apple ecosystem makes development more accessible, a significant advantage of ARKit over other popular AR development tools. It also provides frequent updates and new features, allowing for even more exciting app creation possibilities.

ARKit5

Location Anchors are now available in ARKit 5 in London and other cities throughout the US, allowing you to develop AR experiences for specific locations like the London Eye, Times Square, and even your local neighborhood. Motion Tracking has been improved in ARKit 5, and Face Tracking is now supported in the iPad Pro's Ultra-Wide camera (5th generation). Using a new App Clip Code anchor, you may also attach virtual material from your App Clip or ARKit app to a printed or digital App Clip Code.

What makes ARKit5 special

With ARKit 5, there are many extra features that originate in the field of augmented reality, Some of them are listed below.

Expanded Face Tracking support

Face Tracking is now available on the front-facing camera of any smartphone with the A12 Bionic processor or later, including the iPhone SE, allowing even more people to enjoy AR experiences. The Ultra-Wide camera in the newest iPad Pro now supports face tracking (5th generation). To help front-facing camera experiences like Memoji and Snapchat, the TrueDepth camera can track up to three faces at once.

Location Anchors

Place augmented reality experiences in specified locations, such as cities and well-known monuments. Location Anchors allows you to set a latitude, longitude, and altitude for your AR projects. Users may move around virtual items from various angles, just as they would see actual objects via a camera lens.

Depth API

This API may leverage per-pixel depth information about the surrounding environment thanks to the LiDAR Scanner's sophisticated scene interpretation capabilities. When paired with the 3D model data created by Scene Geometry, this depth information makes virtual object occlusion even more realistic by allowing for immediate placement of virtual objects and seamless integration with their actual surroundings. It can drive new capabilities within your apps, like taking more precise measurements and applying effects to a user's environment.

People Occlusion

AR content moves realistically behind and in front of people in the real world, making AR experiences more immersive and allowing green screen effects in practically any setting. Without any code modifications, depth estimation increases on iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPad Pro in all ARKit-enabled applications.

Simultaneous front and back camera

Face and world tracking may be used concurrently on the front and rear cameras, opening new possibilities. Users can, for example, interact with AR material using only their faces in the back camera view.

Additional improvements

Detect up to 100 photos at once and receive an automated estimation of the object's physical size. Because things are better identified in complicated situations, 3D object detection is more reliable. Machine learning is now being used to detect aircraft in the environment even more quickly.

Since you get some idea of the ARKit, you can check this for practical experience in augmented realityWe will close the article now with faqs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ARKit use lidar?

A breakthrough LiDAR Scanner activates ARKit and RealityKit capabilities never possible before on Apple devices.

What language does ARKit use?

The primary language of development is C#. ARKit development in Unity is done with the Unity ARKit plugin that wraps the ARKit SDK in C# scripts for easy access to all ARKit functions.

Does ARKit work with SwiftUI?

This article will show you how to integrate ARKit into a SwiftUI app. With this simple app, you'll be able to tap on two points of the AR scene and calculate the distance between them. As expected, the code is obtainable on GitHub.

Is ARKit an SDK?

ARKit is an Apple SDK that enables the development of augmented reality (AR) experiences. It uses a device's camera to understand the environment and provide precise and accurate position information within a range of a few meters from the origin.

Does ARKit work with the front camera?

The ARKit API supports simultaneous world and face-tracking via the back and front cameras. Still, unfortunately, due to hardware limitations, the new iPad Pro 2020 cannot use this component (presumably because the LIDAR camera takes more power).

Conclusion

We hope that our blog improves your knowledge regarding ARKit.

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