We are glad to announce that a new feature with AR technology is released.
For Seattlecloud it's a new Augmented Reality technology and we want to bring it live.
Augmented Reality is a page type that allows user to detect a surface and place 3D objects on it, after which user can take photos and videos with these items and share.
Now we'll provide details on how to add this page and how to use it.
Choose the feature and add it to your application.
In the opened editor there are no options as this is a Native Feature.
Now once added we can link it to a menu item and proceed to edit.
In Edit mode you'll have options to add items.
Model Section
In Model Items section click on + to add a new object.
Once added go to Model Properties.
Here you can specify the:
Name - name of the item you are adding
Thumbnail - image which will appear in the item picker of the device.
Model - here you need to add your item (.fbx or .obj formats are accepted).
Material - here you need to upload the metarial .mtl file for your .obj item. Most of the .obj files come with an .mtl file.
Textures - here you need to upload the texture .png file for your .obj item.
Models have to be stored in the auto created augmentedreality folder in your Resource Manager. The files can't be stored in the root folder or in any other folder than augmentedreality folder.
NOTE! Do not change the Material and Texture extension names nor the file names as these may make the objects not to work properly. Use only original content together for .obj files. It is a requirement to upload all details and textures if these come in the package. Most of the .obj files come with .mtl files only, no pngs added. Upload the content according to the original package. Make sure not to add .fbx and .obj with the same filename.
About Section
This is the section where you need to specify the details about the author of the added item.
You can add the Name, title Author and link to the website where you got it from.
NOTE! If you taken the items from a 3rd party, make sure to add about details related to original author in order to avoid Copyright infringement.
Once you have added all the objects and details you can proceed to submission.
How does this feature look and work in the live application?
In the live application, first you'll have to provide permissions to use the device storage in order to save photos and to use camera in order to take photos.
In the main menu you will see the actual Gallery and on bottom right the Camera Button.
Choose camera and you'll see the actual camera. First you'll need to move your device in order for the camera to detect the surface. Once done, you will see white dots on the surface the camera has detected. Note that white dots may not be seen on the surface, but still you can place the item in the surface your camera is focused on.
In this surface you'll be able to place the 3D objects listed at the bottom of the camera by tapping on Cube button. Now choose an area where you want to place the objects and move the white dots to it or focus the camera on that side. Now in the opened section select and image and tap on + if you want to add an item or - if you want to remove one. You can select an object and it will instantly appear on the surface.
You can add as many objects as you need. Once done you can select the Photo Camera and take a picture or the Film Camera button to take a video. Pictures will be saved in Gallery section of your feature.
The taken photos can be shared via social networks or email. That is almost it.
There are a few mentions though:
The new page type is available at the moment for Android only. This new Augmented Reality technology at the moment is supported not by all devices and not all users will be able to use this new feature. It is supported from Android 7.0, but still for some devices have more requirements and these need the Android 8.0 or higher with AR Core by Google. More details about the supported devices can be found here. Users will have to get the latest ARCore from Play Store in order to use this feature.
At the moment you need to request a build in order to verify the new feature. AR couldn't be tested using the Android Previewer.
More updates for Augmented Reality feature will come in the future updates, same as the iOS version.
