How to Download AR Foundation
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that enhances the real world with digital content, such as images, videos, sounds, or 3D models. AR can create immersive and interactive experiences that can be used for entertainment, education, business, and more.
But how can you create your own AR apps? One of the easiest and most powerful ways is to use Unity, a popular game engine and development platform that supports multiple platforms and devices. And within Unity, you can use AR Foundation, a framework that allows you to build cross-platform AR apps with a unified workflow.
download ar foundation
What is AR Foundation and why use it?
AR Foundation is an official Unity package that provides an interface for developing AR apps that can run on different devices, such as Android, iOS, Magic Leap, or HoloLens. It does not implement any AR features itself, but rather relies on separate plugin packages that provide platform-specific implementations.
The main advantage of using AR Foundation is that you can write your AR logic once and then deploy it to multiple platforms without making any additional changes. This saves you time and effort and ensures consistency across your app. You can also take advantage of features that are not yet available on some platforms by using hooks that are ready to go when they are enabled.
How to download ar foundation for unity
Download ar foundation samples from github
Download ar foundation 4.1 documentation
Download ar foundation package manager
Download ar foundation xr plugin
Download ar foundation face tracking
Download ar foundation image tracking
Download ar foundation environment probes
Download ar foundation meshing
Download ar foundation body tracking
Download ar foundation collaborative sessions
Download ar foundation human segmentation
Download ar foundation occlusion
Download ar foundation raycasting
Download ar foundation pass-through video
Download ar foundation session management
Download ar foundation for android devices
Download ar foundation for ios devices
Download ar foundation for magic leap devices
Download ar foundation for hololens devices
Download ar foundation for cross-platform development
Download ar foundation tutorial for beginners
Download ar foundation best practices guide
Download ar foundation examples and demos
Download ar foundation source code and scripts
Download ar foundation assets and prefabs
Download ar foundation shaders and materials
Download ar foundation editor tools and extensions
Download ar foundation testing and debugging tools
Download ar foundation performance optimization tips
Download ar foundation user interface and input system
Download ar foundation lighting and shadows system
Download ar foundation physics and collision system
Download ar foundation animation and sound system
Download ar foundation multiplayer and networking system
Download ar foundation integration with unity mars
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What are the benefits of AR Foundation?
Some of the benefits of using AR Foundation are:
It supports core features from different platforms, such as device tracking, plane detection, point clouds, anchors, light estimation, environment probes, face tracking, image tracking, object tracking, meshing, body tracking, collaborative participants, human segmentation, raycasting, pass-through video, session management, and occlusion.
It integrates with other Unity features and workflows, such as the Universal Render Pipeline (URP), the Entity Component System (ECS), or the XR Interaction Toolkit.
It enables you to create rich and diverse AR experiences with your existing Unity skills and assets.
It is compatible with Unity MARS (Mixed and Augmented Reality Studio), a tool that allows you to build intelligent AR apps that interact with the real world.
What are the requirements and supported platforms for AR Foundation?
To use AR Foundation in your project, you need:
A device that supports ARCore (for Android), ARKit (for iOS), Magic Leap (for Magic Leap), or Windows XR Plugin (for HoloLens).
A USB cable for connecting your device to your development machine.
Unity 2019.4.3f1 or later with Android Build Support or iOS Build Support.
The following table shows which parts of AR Foundation are relevant on specific platforms:
Feature
ARCore
ARKit
Magic Leap
HoloLens
Device tracking
Plane detection
Point clouds
Anchors
Light estimation
Environment probes
Face tracking
Image tracking
Object tracking
Meshing
Body tracking
Collaborative participants
Human segmentation
Raycasting
Pass-through video
Session management
Occlusion
How to install AR Foundation?
To install AR Foundation in your project, you need to follow these steps:
How to install the AR Foundation package from the Package Manager?
The AR Foundation package is available from the Unity Package Manager, which is a tool that allows you to manage and update the packages that you use in your project. To install the AR Foundation package, you need to:
Open your project in Unity and go to Window > Package Manager.
In the Package Manager window, select the Unity Registry tab and search for AR Foundation.
Select the AR Foundation package and click Install. The latest version of the package is 4.1.7 as of June 2023.
Wait for the installation to complete and close the Package Manager window.
How to install and enable platform-specific plugin packages?
The AR Foundation package does not include any platform-specific implementations of AR features. To enable those features, you need to install and enable additional plugin packages that provide support for each platform. The plugin packages are:
ARCore XR Plugin: for Android devices that support ARCore.
ARKit XR Plugin: for iOS devices that support ARKit.
Magic Leap XR Plugin: for Magic Leap devices.
Windows XR Plugin: for HoloLens devices.
To install and enable these plugin packages, you need to:
Open your project in Unity and go to Window > Package Manager.
In the Package Manager window, select the Unity Registry tab and search for the plugin package that corresponds to your target platform.
Select the plugin package and click Install. The latest versions of the plugin packages are 4.1.5 for ARCore XR Plugin, 4.1.7 for ARKit XR Plugin, 6.2.2 for Magic Leap XR Plugin, and 4.0.1 for Windows XR Plugin as of June 2023.
Wait for the installation to complete and close the Package Manager window.
Go to Edit > Project Settings > XR Plug-in Management and select your target platform from the left panel.
In the right panel, check the box next to the plugin package that you installed to enable it.
If you are targeting Android or iOS, you also need to configure some settings in the Player Settings window. Go to Edit > Project Settings > Player and select your target platform from the left panel.
In the right panel, under Other Settings, make sure that Multithreaded Rendering is enabled, Graphics APIs is set to OpenGLES3 or Vulkan (for Android) or Metal (for iOS), Minimum API Level is set to Android 7.0 (API Level 24) or higher (for Android) or iOS 11 or higher (for iOS), and Package Name or Bundle Identifier is set to a unique identifier for your app.
In the right panel, under XR Settings, make sure that Virtual Reality Supported is disabled.
In the right panel, under Resolution and Presentation, make sure that Default Orientation is set to Auto Rotation (for Android) or Landscape Left (for iOS).
If you are targeting Magic Leap, you also need to configure some settings in the Lumin Settings window. Go to Edit > Project Settings > Lumin and select Publishing Settings from the left panel.
In the right panel, under Certificate, click Create Development Certificate and follow the instructions to generate a certificate for your app.
In the right panel, under Capabilities, check the boxes next to Camera Capture, Computer Vision, Internet, Local Area Network, Microphone , and World Reconstruction.
If you are targeting HoloLens, you also need to configure some settings in the Windows Mixed Reality Settings window. Go to Edit > Project Settings > Windows Mixed Reality and select Project Settings from the left panel.
In the right panel, under Capabilities, check the boxes next to Internet Client, Internet Client Server, Microphone, Spatial Perception, and WebCam.
In the right panel, under Depth Buffer Sharing, select Depth Buffer Sharing Enabled.
How to configure an AR Session and add AR Foundation components to your scene?
An AR Session is a component that manages the lifecycle of your AR app, such as initializing, starting, pausing, resuming, and stopping the AR features. You need to add an AR Session component to your scene to enable AR Foundation functionality.
To add an AR Session component to your scene, you need to:
Open your project in Unity and go to Window > XR > AR Foundation > Create AR Session.
This will create a new GameObject named AR Session in your scene and add an AR Session component to it.
Select the AR Session GameObject and in the Inspector window, under AR Session, you can adjust some settings such as Match Frame Rate or Attempt Update.
In addition to the AR Session component, you also need to add other components that provide specific AR features, such as device tracking, plane detection, image tracking, etc. These components are usually added to a child GameObject of the AR Session GameObject or to a separate GameObject that references the AR Session GameObject.
To add these components to your scene, you need to:
Open your project in Unity and go to Window > XR > AR Foundation > Add AR Foundation Component To Scene.
This will open a window that lists all the available components that you can add to your scene.
Select the component that you want to add and click Add To Scene.
This will create a new GameObject with the name of the component in your scene and add the component to it.
Select the GameObject and in the Inspector window, under the component name, you can adjust some settings such as Plane Detection Mode or Reference Image Library.
How to use AR Foundation features?
AR Foundation provides a variety of features that you can use to create immersive and interactive AR experiences. Here are some examples of how to use some of these features:
How to use device tracking, plane detection, raycasting, and anchors?
Device tracking is the ability to track the position and orientation of your device relative to the real world. This allows you to move around and view the digital content from different angles and distances. To enable device tracking, you need to add an AR Camera Manager component to your main camera GameObject. This component will automatically update the camera's transform according to the device's pose.
Plane detection is the ability to detect horizontal or vertical surfaces in the real world. This allows you to place digital content on top of these surfaces or interact with them. To enable plane detection, you need to add an AR Plane Manager component to a child GameObject of your AR Session GameObject. This component will automatically create and update GameObjects for each detected plane in your scene. You can also add an AR Plane Visualizer component to these GameObjects if you want to see a mesh representation of the planes.
Raycasting is the ability to cast a ray from a point on your screen or device and intersect it with a detected plane or feature point. This allows you to determine where in the real world you are pointing at or touching. To perform a raycast, you need to use the Raycast method of the AR Raycast Manager component. This method takes a screen position or a ray as input and returns a list of AR Raycast Hits as output. Each hit contains information such as distance, pose, trackable type, and trackable identifier.
Anchors are persistent reference points that are attached to a detected plane or feature point. They allow you to keep digital content in place even if the device moves or loses tracking. To create an anchor, you need to use the Add Anchor method of the AR Anchor Manager component. This method takes a pose as input and returns an AR Anchor as output. You can then parent your digital content GameObjects to the AR Anchor GameObject to make them follow the anchor's pose.
How to use image tracking, face tracking, body tracking, and object tracking?
Image tracking is the ability to detect and track predefined 2D images in the real world. This allows you to create digital content that is associated with these images or trigger actions based on their presence or absence. To enable image tracking, you need to add an AR Tracked Image Manager component to a child GameObject of your AR Session GameObject. This component requires a reference image library, which is a collection of images that you want to track. You can create and edit a reference image library in the Project window by right-clicking and selecting Create > XR > Reference Image Library. You can then add images to the library and assign them names, sizes, and textures. The AR Tracked Image Manager component will automatically create and update GameObjects for each tracked image in your scene. You can also add an AR Tracked Image Visualizer component to these GameObjects if you want to see a quad representation of the images.
Face tracking is the ability to detect and track human faces in the real world. This allows you to create digital content that is attached to or interacts with these faces, such as masks, filters, or expressions. To enable face tracking, you need to add an AR Face Manager component to a child GameObject of your AR Session GameObject. This component will automatically create and update GameObjects for each tracked face in your scene. You can also add an AR Face Visualizer component to these GameObjects if you want to see a mesh representation of the faces.
Body tracking is the ability to detect and track human bodies in the real world. This allows you to create digital content that is aligned with or responds to these bodies, such as avatars, animations, or gestures. To enable body tracking, you need to add an AR Human Body Manager component to a child GameObject of your AR Session GameObject. This component will automatically create and update GameObjects for each tracked body in your scene. You can also add an AR Human Body Visualizer component to these GameObjects if you want to see a skeleton representation of the bodies.
Object tracking is the ability to detect and track predefined 3D objects in the real world. This allows you to create digital content that is related to these objects or trigger actions based on their location or movement. To enable object tracking, you need to add an AR Object Manager component to a child GameObject of your AR Session GameObject. This component requires a reference object library, which is a collection of objects that you want to track. You can create and edit a reference object library in the Project window by right-clicking and selecting Create > XR > Reference Object Library. You can then add objects to the library and assign them names, sizes, and scans. The scans are 3D models that represent the shape and appearance of the objects. You can create scans using tools such as Reality Composer or Xcode on iOS devices. The AR Object Manager component will automatically create and update GameObjects for each tracked object in your scene. You can also add an AR Object Visualizer component Services Simulator or the iOS Simulator from the Package Manager and enable them in the Project Settings > XR Plug-in Management > Android or iOS panel. Then you can use the simulator app on your computer to simulate device movements and interactions.
How can I optimize my AR app for performance?
AR apps are usually more demanding than regular apps in terms of performance, as they need to process a lot of data from the camera and sensors, render complex graphics, and handle user interactions. To optimize your AR app for performance, you can follow some best practices, such as:
Use the Universal Render Pipeline (URP) for rendering, as it is optimized for mobile devices and XR applications.
Use low-poly models, compressed textures, and baked lighting for your digital content, as they reduce the rendering load and memory usage.
Use occlusion culling, frustum culling, and LOD (level of detail) techniques to avoid rendering objects that are not visible or too far away.
Use object pooling, caching, and recycling to avoid creating and destroying objects at runtime, as they cause memory fragmentation and garbage collection.
Use coroutines, async/await, or multithreading to avoid blocking the main thread with long-running tasks.
Use the Unity Profiler and Frame Debugger tools to identify and fix any performance bottlenecks or issues in your app.
How can I monetize my AR app?
There are different ways to monetize your AR app, depending on your target audience, platform, and business model. Some of the common ways are:
Ads: You can display ads in your app using services such as Unity Ads or Google AdMob. You can choose between different types of ads, such as banner, interstitial, rewarded, or native. You can also use AR-specific ads that integrate with the real world or your digital content.
In-app purchases: You can offer premium features or content in your app that users can buy using real money. You can use services such as Unity IAP or Google Play Billing to handle the payment transactions. You can also use AR-specific features or content, such as filters, stickers, skins, or models.
Subscriptions: You can offer a subscription-based service in your app that users can pay for on a regular basis. You can use services such as Unity Revenue Service or Google Play Subscriptions to handle the subscription management. You can also offer AR-specific services, such as access to exclusive content, updates, or support.
Sponsorships: You can partner with brands or organizations that want to promote their products or services in your app. You can use services such as Unity Brand Solutions or Google Play Instant to create sponsored experiences that showcase their offerings. You can also use AR-specific experiences, such as product placement, interactive demos, or branded content.
How can I publish my AR app?
To publish your AR app, you need to build it for your target platform and then upload it to the corresponding distribution platform. For example:
If you are targeting Android devices, you need to build an APK file for your app using the Build Settings window in Unity. Then you need to upload it to the Google Play Console and follow the steps to publish it on the Google Play Store.
If you are targeting iOS devices, you need to build an Xcode project for your app using the Build Settings window in Unity. Then you need to open it in Xcode and sign it with your Apple Developer account credentials. Then you need to upload it to the App Store Connect and follow the steps to publish it on the App Store.
If you are targeting Magic Leap devices, you need to build an MPK file for your app using the Build Settings window in Unity. Then you need to upload it to the Magic Leap Developer Portal and follow the steps to publish it on the Magic Leap World.
If you are targeting HoloLens devices , you need to build a Visual Studio solution for your app using the Build Settings window in Unity. Then you need to open it in Visual Studio and sign it with your Microsoft Developer account credentials. Then you need to upload it to the Microsoft Partner Center and follow the steps to publish it on the Microsoft Store.
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