Augmented Reality Rising—Unity Supports iOS 11 and Apple ARKit

Unity Technologies, the creators of the world’s most popular creation engine for computer game design and creative 3D software packages, has announced the support of Apple iOS 11 and provides a best-in-class experience for Apple ARKit development.

ARKit for Augmented Reality

iOS 11 and ARKit are going to be watershed moments in the history of augmented reality (AR) as Apple’s hundreds of millions of users will be able to upgrade to iOS 11 for free taking advantage of new technologies such as AR. Unity worked to ensure the latest features of iOS 11 and ARKit were supported, setting the stage for developers to advance their applications with AR features.

ARKit is now available to hundreds of millions of iPhone and iPad users. With ARKit, Unity developers can easily create AR experiences for iPhone and iPad, as well as add AR to existing apps available on the App Store.

The World Is A Better Place With More Creators In It

“At Unity, we believe the world is a better place with more creators in it, and the launch of iOS 11 and ARKit means, even more, people will have the ability to create and enjoy engaging, accessible AR experiences,” said Ralph Hauwert, Director of Development for Platforms at Unity. “Supporting the latest and greatest tech ensures we can give our creators the confidence and tools to build and scale, while easily publishing across nearly any platform.”

01 – IKEA Place is a new iOS 11 app for iPhone and iPad that utilizes Unity and Apple’s ARKit augmented reality technology. This tech will transform commerce and retail experiences. Watch the film at the bottom of this story.

Unity developers have been building immersive AR experiences through the Unity ARKit plugin since June 2017. A sample of apps made with Unity that utilize ARKit include:

•   Pokemon Go by Niantic — now enhanced with ARKit, to bring Pokemon from their wildly popular mobile game, into the real world.
•   IKEA Place — superimposes furniture into a room, allowing the user to visualize what a new purchase may look like.
•   Walking Dead: Our World by Next Games — allows you to fight walkers wherever and whenever you feel like it with all your favorite characters from AMC’s The Walking Dead.
•   MLB At Bat AR by MLB Advanced Media — spectators at a baseball game can point an iPhone at the live action and see player stats on the screen above the actual players.
•   Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade by Pixel Toys  — a new AR mode will allow players to watch Space Marine combat play out right in their living room.
•   GNOG by KO_OP — a playful puzzle game about exploring monstrous virtual toys.
•   CurioPets — a multiplayer AR pet simulator mobile game that launched today for the iPhone and iPad.
•   Amon by Lykke Studios — was just announced and is a story about Amon, the God of Air, on his quest to connect a world of puzzling optical illusions.
•   Mammoth Mini Golf by Ezone.com — brings a wacky caveman-themed world of mini golf wherever you are.
•   ARQUA! by Cabbibo — an augmented reality aquarium creation tool.

To learn more about how to get started with Apple ARKit plugin for Unity, please read the Unity iOS 11 and ARKit blog post. Unity also plans to feature ARKit demo content at their upcoming developer conference Unite Austin on October 3-5, 2017.

Check Out IKEA Place AR App Below

https://youtu.be/-xxOvsyNseY