Top 7 Tools to Build Augmented Reality Mobile Apps

• By Dev Chaudhary
• 02-09-2022
• Mobile Apps

As per the reports, the AR app development market is estimated to reach $200 billion by the end of 2025. The pandemic era created an urgency to accelerate digital transformation across multiple business industries. From the healthcare to the ecommerce sector, AR application growth estimations are rising with 2x speed. 

While the augmented app development era is changing every passing day, entrepreneurs within the sector are launching Startup and hence require the right tools. If you also fall into the same situation and wonder about the best tools to develop augmented reality mobile apps, this article would be useful. 

What Are Augmented Reality Mobile Apps?

A software program known as an Augmented Reality App blends digital visual content into the user's actual environment. In various sectors, including healthcare, gas & oil, tourism, and marketing, augmented Reality (AR) software is utilized for teaching, professional, and consumer applications.

Today, there are different types of AR applications available in the market. Each of them serves different business purposes.

Different Types of Augmented Reality Mobile Apps

Have you decided to develop augmented reality mobile apps? Before you proceed, discover the different types of augmented reality applications available in the market. 

1. Location-based AR Apps

These are the applications that use location-based AR functions without markers. They employ a GPS, an accelerometer, or a digital compass to determine the user's location. After that, they superimpose augmented reality things on top of actual physical locations. One of the well-known location-based Augmented Reality mobile applications is Pokemon Go.

2. Marker-based AR Apps

Marker-based applications are based on image recognition. To display AR content, black and white markers are used as triggers. To recognize the augmented component, point the camera to a marker's position, and once the device identifies the marker, the app overlays digital data. 

These are two major augmented reality mobile applications you can develop for a better business profit. Now, let's move to the tools that come in handy and can help you develop augmented reality mobile applications. 

List of 7 Best Tools to Build Augmented Reality App 

If you are already looking for the appropriate AR app development tools but can't find them, we can help. Here is the list of the top AR tools you'll find handy. 

1. Vuforia

Vuforia SDK for augmented app development was introduced by one of the renowned Qualcomm; an AR app development company initially focused on studying and developing wireless communication technologies and SoC electrical microchips. 

Development solutions created using Vuforia are backed by – 

iOS
Android
Unity Editor
Universal Windows Platform

2. ARKit

ARKit is a collection of profiling tools initially unveiled in WWDC 2017. The tool presents AR technologies in a fundamentally fresh way. The technology can sense surrounding dimensions and consider lighting conditions to merge virtual items with real life as seamlessly as possible. 

Additionally, the tool works with Arkit Unity which has a special functionality eliminating the need for additional directional markers like iBeacons. 

Some of the key features of ARKit incorporate – 

Facial tracking
Space & 3D objects recognition
2D image detection and tracking
Lighting estimation to create realistic virtual objects 

3. MaxST

It is another powerful AR app development tool gaining today's market attention and helping businesses develop a successful AR-based application. The tool comprises five major components: Instant tracker, visual SLAM, image tracker, QR/barcode scanner, and object tracker. 

MaxST, an augment app development tool, is compatible with platforms like - 

iOS
Android
Windows
Mac OS

4. Wikitude

Another great AR app development tool, i.e., Wikitude, was launched in 2008 by an Australian organization. The SDK is constantly improving and has amazing features & built-in capabilities which can be accessed as a whole. The platform is accessible and helps AR app developers craft customized solutions and render objects using third-party tools. 

So, if you choose Wikitude to develop your mobile app, you can – 

Employ location-based services
Develop apps for smart glasses
Store data in the cloud 
Import and render 3D objects with SLAM technology
 
5. ARCore

In essence, ARCore is Google's answer to ARKit from Apple. Google doesn't mind encouraging the creation of AR apps for both Android and iOS, in contrast to Apple. Motion tracking, environmental detection, and illumination recognition are three of ARCore's fundamental technologies for "embedding" virtual content into actual situations. 

A 3D model made using ARCore may respond to variations in lighting levels and even produce shades.

Using ARCore SDK enable businesses to - 

Estimate the lighting to adjust it to the virtual objects
Place virtual objects in a particular spot & share them with other users
Create 3D objects with Tilt Brush & Blocks VR building tools
Track the phone's motion and its position 

6. EasyAR

Most developers sadly undervalue EasyAR, an Asian platform for building AR apps. The solution doesn't have a built-in object manager like many other solutions. Instead, things are recognized by constructing newly defined 3D models from scratch. Runtime generation of targets is used. When using EasyAR, you will need to write more code than when using most other tools and format projects in Unity slightly differently. Hence, it will result in the development of flexible AR app development solutions. 

Using the EasyAR App development tools enables developers to – 

Employ Smart Glass
Recognize images
Identify 3D objects
Record the screen

7. ARToolKit

A collection of open-source libraries called ARToolKit are used to create AR applications. The key to ARToolKit's functionality is that it processes graphic data from the mobile camera in runtime mode while being directed by initially recognized square object markers. 

While choosing ARToolKit augmented app development solutions, businesses can – 

Track camera position and orientation
Support all types of square marker templates
Process 2D and 3D images
Support OpenGL specification with GLUT libraries

Summing Up!!!

Augmented reality technology is becoming a trend in today’s time, and as a result, AR app developers put in their best efforts to master this technology and launch their AR apps. Now, app developers may choose from various augmented reality toolkits to build both location-based and marker-based apps. 

Also, this article has made it simple for developer teams to compare features like picture and 3D recognition, Unity and SLAM compatibility, etc., to choose the ideal toolkit for their next project. So, refer to these toolkits and develop the best augmented reality mobile apps. If you find difficulty, consult the experts as they will help you with app development.