Best tools for building an augmented reality experience.

When you try yourself as an augmented reality developer, choosing the right software development kit (SDK) is crucial. From a great variety of platforms for creating augmented reality, we have chosen three most highly recommended – Vuforia, Kudan AR, and Wikitude. Let’s explore their capabilities.

Vuforia

Vuforia is one of the most famous SDKs of today for AR development. So far it has powered 35000 apps.

• Supports platforms: Android, UWP, Unity Editor and iOS.
• Pricing: Free and commercial licences. The free version has limitations in cloud recognition and puts vuforia watermark on the end product.
• Programming languages: Provides API in C++, Java, Objective-C++ and .Net through an extension to the Unity game engine.
• Features available:
  • real object, text, environments and image recognition
  • target tracking
  • mapping additional items with OpenGL
  • scanning objects for recognition
  • virtual buttons
• Capabilities: Includes support of virtual reality devices and a test app with comments showing Vuforia capabilities.
• Limitations: Lacks a complete framework manual. Instructions and short tips are given randomly, but they can’t replace the required documentation.
• Use cases: Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Augmented Reality is an AR app that showcases the engine and its features in four augmented reality scenes. This is an example of a successful AR-aided product promotion. The app lets customers explore this new engine at a distance, as if they were actually nearby.

Kudan AR

Kudan AR is another popular SDK for augmented reality.

• Supports platforms: Android, iOS, Unity.
• Pricing: Free and commercial licences.
• Programming languages: C and C++.
• Features available:
  • image recognition
  • mapping additional elements on the base of user location and recognized images
  • markerless tracking (instead of fiducial markers, it relies on the use of natural features like edges, corners, or textures)
  • mapping additional elements via separate component over OpenGL
• Capabilities: Due to the unlimited number of recognizing images, it requires less storage space in a device.
• Limitations:
  • insufficient development documentation
  • no direct access to OpenGL
• Use cases: A retail AR app Sayduck allows users to see how the furniture they want to buy will look at their homes. The app visualizes a chosen item of furniture in 3D and places the furniture wherever you want in a user’s interior.

Wikitude

One more augmented reality SDK on our list is Wikitude.

• Supports platforms: Android, iOS, Smart Glasses, Epson moverio, Vuzix M-100, ODG R-7, PhoneGap, Titanium, Xamarin and Unity.
• Pricing: Free and commercial licences.
• Programming languages: Java and C++.
• Features available:
  • 3D tracking technology (SLAM)
  • image recognition and tracking
  • geo-location AR for apps
  • improved extended tracking (Wikitude SDK 6)
  • advanced camera options (Wikitude SDK 6)
  • positioning (Wikitude SDK 6)
• Capabilities: Free version is fully powered.
• Limitations: Free version comes with a watermark.
• Use cases: An example of a Wikitude-based app is a display mounted inside Rinspeed’s concept car. The concept of this app is quite interesting. A camera scans people walking past the car and the display shows what they are wearing and where they bought it from. This is how AR brings e-commerce to the next level.