Augmented Reality concepts and AR vs VR | Future of AR (2018)

Augmented reality is a technology that allows virtual objects to be placed in the real world in real-time, enhancing our information about the world around us. Imagine looking outside and seeing today’s weather forecast appear before you on the window itself. AR will layer detailed information over what we see around us while still allowing us to navigate through the real environment.

Virtual Reality#VR seeks to recreate reality in an immersive environment. To accomplish this, users are often separated from the real world by headsets (often referred to as HMDs). HMDs completely block out the user’s surroundings, isolating them from the outside world.

Hardware

 AR device is the Microsoft HoloLens. Looking like a sleek
pair of futuristic sunglasses, and with built-in stereoscopic 3D View and three-dimensional
sound, the HoloLens is designed to allow users to bring Windows 10 apps into
their world by rendering 2D and 3D holograms in the user’s environment.

HoloLens could turn a blank wall into a resizable
monitor; fill a wall/desk with Microsoft Word, email, and other apps; and even
create a cute little 3D puppy that sat on the floor wagging its
computer-generated tail.  

The Meta 2 operates much like the
HoloLens, enabling users to manipulate 3D objects with their hands as if they
were actually holding them. HoloLens
does this with an internal sensor array whereas the Meta 2 is tethered and allows user
manipulation using external, mounted depth sensors.

The technical process behind AR

Creating an
Augmented Reality experience is a multi-stage process

·       
Includes the development of the 3D models

·       
Image tracking and

·       
Depth sensing.

Using AR you can see 3D models as an overlay to the world
in front of you. There are two ways to approach creating your first AR
experience: create your own 3D content or start with already built models from
a 3D library.

3D artists use one of several software programs to
create 3D models; the most popular of these include SketchUp,
Revit, Cinema 4D, Maya, 3DS Max, and Blender.

3D starts with rough sketch of 2D to what the final
3D model will look like. The image will typically go through an approval
process that refines the idea.   Once they have been approved, the modelling
begins.

·        
Simple Box /shape will take small time

·        
a 3D character that moves and talks requires additional
stages of work, as the bones and facial muscles of the character must be
equipped for realistic animation

·        
When the 3D model is completed, it must be rendered in order to be compatible with
an augmented reality experience

·        
The top AR software solutions can accept a variety of file
types, including Collada, Wavefront,
and STL, as well as 2D image formats and other 3D software integrations

But the bigger the
file (determined by the polygon count), the more rendering is necessary before
deploying in AR.

Polygons are the
virtual straight lines that collectively consist of a 3D model.

·        
AR needs Engine to integrate
3D models, and this Engine software can be implemented through an augmented
reality SDK.

·        
This AR SDK includes a
rendering engine for the 3D model, as well as tracking detection and depth sensing to position it in
the ‘real world’.  

Motion Tracking

Motion tracking gives you real-time information about the
3D motion of a device. Motion sensors will allow your smartphone to understand position
and location relative to your environment.

Depth Perception

Depth sensors can detect how far or close objects are in
relation to your device

·        
An AR SDK learns and tracks the environment in real-time,
creating and updating its view of the environment many times per second.

·        
The most common ways to get this tricky achievement are
Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) tracking, Depth tracking, and
Pattern tracking.

·        
SLAM tracking uses complex
algorithms attached with sensor data to build a 3D map of an environment and
calculate its position within that environment.    SLAM performs well outdoors because it relies
on algorithms and successive camera frames to generate a consistent map.

·        
 

·        
Depth tracking also uses a variety
of sensors, many of which use infrared light to generate a map of the
environment. This sensor data is combined with other data from various sources
such as an accelerometer or GPS to update the computer’s vision of the world.
In cases where infrared light is used to measure distance and size within a
space, it is important to note that it is not suited for use outdoors, as
infrared works best indoors or in low-light conditions.

·        
Pattern tracking: here infrared lasers
are used to create a pattern of dots, which bounce back to the sensor to give
the device an idea of the curves of the surrounding area. It then keeps track
of distance and location in space by constantly recalculating the shape and
size of the pattern. If the pattern gets smaller, for instance, it knows the
object has moved farther away. Similarly, it tracks the space and distance
between the individual dots of the pattern to get a sense of an
object’s shape or to determine whether it is being moved or rotated.