What Clients Need to Know about AR App Development

Posted on: 9 July 2020

Augmented reality, commonly referred to as AR, is one of the hot topics in modern app development. Before you pay for augmented reality app development services, it's a good idea to understand what AR is and what you'll be getting.

1. What Is an AR App?

Augmented reality is a cousin of virtual reality (VR). With VR, though, the entire idea is to render a full scene that someone can interact with using a headset. AR is a bit more nuanced, focusing on overlaying digital assets with a real-world scene. Generally, app development involves creating programs that will work with mobile phones and don't require headsets.

2. Applications

Companies employ AR to handle a wide range of tasks. On the practical end, AR is used for things like practicing surgeries and presenting interior design ideas. Marketers use AR apps to sell products. Entertainment is also a popular sector in AR, as many phone app games use AR to heighten the playing experience by superimposing the game onto the player's real environment. 

3. How It Works

When augmented reality app development companies create a program, they have access to a suite of tools designed to take advantage of the sensors and cameras in smartphones. This allows the app to map its environment so it can place a virtual object into the version of the scene displayed on the phone. For example, there are apps that map the user's face and identify which glasses, makeup, or jewelry best suits them. As the user moves around, the app continues to track them and keep the virtual products in the right spot.

4. Multiple Platforms

One of the biggest challenges that augmented reality app development services providers face is producing programs for multiple platforms. Fortunately, developers can use DevKits for the two most commonly used platforms: Google Android and Apple iOS. However, each platform has its quirks, and every app that serves both platforms has to be tweaked.

This problem gets much bigger the further out into the AR world you roam. If you want to develop an app for specific AR products like glasses or lenses, you can expect the development process to become much more intense. Similarly, many AR apps require servers to provide backends. A lot of mobile apps are already tied to online stores, and that at least means most customers will already be familiar with the client-user app model.

If you're ready to create a new AR app, consider contacting companies like CDS Visual.

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