Software Packages

This page introduces the AR software packages used for each platform.

This is a Work in Progress Article

Unity and Vuforia

Unity

Unity is a cross-platform game engine, compatible with Windows, Linux and OSX.

Unity is available with three licensing packages. Unless your application is going to be monetised, we generally recommend to use the Personal (Free) Plan, available for download here:

Download UnityUnity Store

Pro	Plus	Personal
$125 USD per month	$25 USD per month	Free
"For professionals and studios"	"For Hobbyists"	Only available if your revenue or funding does not exceed $100 000 USD per year.
Priority access to new features, support, cloud storage and 20% assets	Cloud storage, limited customer support access	No additional training, support or services.

Vuforia Augmented Reality Engine

The Vuforia Engine is a market-leading mixed-reality engine used to make AR apps. The Vuforia engine is essentially the brain of these applications, which utilise Object or Target recognition which allow you to create custom experiences for mixed reality.

A camera recognises and tracks a target in the physical world. This triggers the display of digital content.

Figure 0.0 - Vuforia and Object Recognition (Source: Vuforia Library)

Overview

Unity and Vuforia
Most Suited To	Content / App Creation / Development Best Used for Extended AR Applications
Use Environment	Requires a machine with Unity
Hardware Platforms	HoloLens, Android, iOS

Category	Rating
Ease of Learning	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Flexibility	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Recommended Knowledge	Unity, C#

pageUnity and Vuforia

pageCreating a Simple AR App

Fologram for Rhino

Fologram is a plug-in for Rhino3D and Grasshopper developed in Melbourne. It is most suited to quickly displaying Rhino information in a physical environment - grasshopper can be used to create interactive applications.

Fologram for Rhino
Most Suited To	Content / App Creation / Development Best Used for Extended AR Applications
Use Environment	Requires a machine with Rhino
Hardware Platforms	Microsoft HoloLens, Mobile (iOS and Android)

Category	Rating
Ease of Learning	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Flexibility	★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Recommended Knowledge	Rhino 3D, Grasshopper

pageFologram