You're starting a new project. What's the best augmented reality software to use?

Before deciding on a technology, you need to first decide on the intended goals. Who is using it? Where are they using it? Why are they using it? If you are looking to create something casual and simple, consider using META spark AR tool, or snap lens studio. Both are easy to use, and your audience can instantly access your experience within a social app they already have. If you are looking to create a somewhat sophisticated marketing Experience, consider Niantic’s 8th Wall. Visitors to the experience do not need to download anything and can instantly experience your AR content in a browser. If you need to create something more robust like a utility or full on game, you will need to program it in Unity on Unreal to deploy on Phones.

Reading this first topic, I found myself somewhat mixed. In my opinion, it's crucial to determine whether the project will work on a web browser or on an iOS/Android device, and then assess one's skill level in augmented reality and that's it. There's no longer any need to look for the "right tool", as they all offer almost the same possibilities with a different degree of difficulty. You should also consider software that combines all these tools into one. For example, opting for Unity gives access to AR Foundation, ARCore and ARKit, enabling developers to target multiple operating systems - namely PC, Android and iOS devices all at once.

For a new augmented reality project, some of the best software options include: 1. Unity: Offers robust AR development tools with a wide range of features and compatibility. 2. ARKit (for iOS) and ARCore (for Android): Provide native development kits for creating AR experiences on mobile devices. 3. Vuforia: Known for its easy-to-use AR development platform with features like image recognition and tracking. 4. ZapWorks: Offers a user-friendly interface for creating AR content without coding. 5. Adobe Aero: Enables designers to create immersive AR experiences using familiar Adobe tools.

Determine your main users, (especially age and tech-use ability), determine the average hardware the would use, set a range, and then aim your app for the lowest specs, so you can assure your app to reach most of people. After that, choose how the media will be presented, and based on that to choose the type of AR experience (plane detection, face detection, marker based, object base, location based). Finally choose the main functionality and posible secondary functionalities and some support ones.

It's important to note that just because a software proposes AR, that doesn't mean it's the best at it. For example, although Unreal Engine offers AR capabilities, it is far less effective than Unity. The other tools can be used on their own or with Unity, which is a great way to try out everything in one place. On the other hand, let's not forget that Aframe or webXR exist for augmented reality in web browsers, without the need for a gas factory like Unity or Unreal. The only thing to do is to test and get an idea. They all have their good points, none of them are perfect, but you can achieve a lot with these tools.

One very important point: always check the documentation and the latest update of a tool before trying it out. It's a pity to waste time developing an application because you've learned to use an obsolete or abandoned tool. So: 1) check the latest update, 2) make sure the developers are still working on the tool, 3) check if there is a good documentation, 4) check if the hardware you want is compatible. Then you can start.