Last year, Apple took its first major steps into the augmented reality industry with the introduction of the ARKit development platform for AR apps on iOS devices. The first generation of the platform offered impressive features, such as positional tracking and environment understanding. Now, less than a year later, Apple introduced the second generation of the ARKit development platform at its annual WWDC developer conference. Apple’s ARKit 2 offers improved features and new functionality that the original version lacked, such as improved face tracking and object detection. ARKit 2 also enables shared AR experiences between multiple users and persistent experiences that remain anchored to environmental objects, so you can come back to them again and again. Apple didn’t go into details about the improved facial tracking during the reveal, but the announcement implies that ARKit 2 includes improved facial detection algorithms. Apple also briefly mentioned that ARKit 2 features more realistic rendering techniques, which should help virtual items blend in with the real world a bit better. Apple also revamped its object detection technology with ARKit 2. The original ARKit release featured landscape perception technology that could map flat surfaces such as walls and tables. ARKit 2 offers full 3D object detection, not just flat surface detection. Apple demonstrated a Lego AR application that was built with ARKit 2 on stage at WWDC using an iPad. The demonstration highlighted several features from ARKit 2, including the improved rendering, persistent tracking, and multiplayer capability. The Lego AR app tracked the position of the physical set and built virtual Lego sets around it to create a Lego town. The app also added animated Lego minifigs, which in effect transformed a physical Lego toy into a Lego video game. The game-slash-experience supports up to four players for cooperative play. Apple even demonstrated that ARKit could reveal the interior of a physical set and apply animations to make it come alive within the virtual scene. Meet The New AR File Format Along with the announcement of the new and improved ARKit 2, Apple introduced a new file format for AR scenes called usdz, which is based on the Universal Scene Description file format. Usdz files are isolated 3D objects that can be used in VR or AR experiences. Apple said that native iOS 12 apps such as Safari, Messages, Mail, News, and Notes will natively support the new usdz format. Adobe revealed that the company’s Creative Cloud suite would also support usdz files.<doc-sep>James Martin/CNET WWDC 2021 Apple is getting more serious about augmented reality. The company on Monday announced a new version of ARKit, Apple's set of tools that let developers create augmented reality apps for iPhones and iPads. The updated version will have multi-user functions, so more than one person can see the same AR experience at the same time. For the uninitiated, augmented reality, or AR, overlays digital graphics over things you'd normally see in the real world -- like the flower crown you'd see in a Snapchat filter or the wild pokemon running around in Pokemon Go. Apple made the announcement during its annual Worldwide Developer Conference in San Jose, California. "AR is transformational technology," Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, said on stage at WWDC. "We're on a relentless pace of advancement." Other improvements for ARKit 2 include 3D object detention and better face tracking. Apple showed off the software's new abilities with a demo from Lego that lets people build together. "Now with ARKit 2, we get to expand those creative possibilities like never before and take things beyond the physical," said Martin Sanders, director of innovation for Lego. Apple said it's also partnering with Adobe on a new file format for AR, called USDZ. Adobe's Creative Cloud services will support the new format. Last year brought the first public efforts by Apple in augmented and virtual reality when the company first unveiled ARKit. It also said it was working with Valve to bring the Steam VR platform to its desktop Macs. Previously, VR rigs didn't work with Apple computers. Apple isn't the only tech giant investing heavily in AR. Google has its own version of ARKit, called ARCore, that gives developers the tools to create AR apps for Android phones. Facebook has its own platform that lets developers make AR apps for the social network, called Camera. VR and AR, while nascent markets today, are expected to explode over the next several years. Consumers are expected to buy 22 million VR and AR headsets and glasses this year, according to a report from CCS Insight. In 2022, the number should soar fivefold to 120 million units, the analyst firm said, noting the market could be worth nearly $10 billion at that point. Apple CEO Tim Cook has nothing but praise for augmented reality, saying it's a technology that's potentially as important as the iPhone. He has been more quiet about virtual reality. Once touted as the next hot tech trend, VR has failed to resonate with consumers despite heavy investment from companies like Facebook's Oculus, Google and Samsung. Apple has been working on a high-power headset capable of running both AR and VR technology, CNET reported in April. Plans so far call for an 8K display for each eye -- higher resolution than today's best TVs -- that would be untethered from a computer or smartphone. Instead, Apple's headset would connect to a dedicated box using a high-speed, short-range wireless technology. Now playing: Watch this: Apple's ARKit 2 goes multiplayer on iOS 12 WWDC 2018: Everything Apple just announced iOS 12: Siri shortcuts, group FaceTime and 'Memoji' Animoji of you<doc-sep>Apple announced at WWDC today the next generation of ARKit, which introduces a new multiperson mode for AR games and another mode that allows for virtual objects to be placed in an area and remain in place. ARKit 2.0 also comes with improved face tracking, 3D object detection, and realistic rendering. The multiperson mode will allow two or more people to share data to see the same object or play the same game within a virtual environment. Reuters previously reported that the multiperson mode was designed to work phone-to-phone instead of sending data to the cloud, in part because of privacy concerns. These new features supposedly give a taste of what’s in store for Apple’s AR headset, coming as soon as 2020. Onstage, Lego showed how the new ARKit could be used to combine physical and digital worlds. In the demo, an existing Lego structure was scanned with an iPad, unlocking a digital overlay that allowed for dropping in characters, additional buildings, and objects like cars. Bubbles also appeared over characters and objects, indicating they could be tapped on to further gameplay and go on missions with up to four friends. Apple also said that it has teamed up with Pixar to create a new AR format, called USDZ. The new format is a zero compression, unencrypted zip archive supported across iOS, so objects in AR can be shared and experienced in Safari, Mail, or anything else that’s part of the Apple ecosystem. Adobe also announced it will have native USDZ support in Creative Cloud. This means anywhere you see an icon that designates something can be viewed in AR, whether it’s in News, or even when shopping for items in Safari, you can tap on it to interact with the object, zoom in, or perhaps even see what it would look like in your own home. As part of the new AR update, Apple also introduced a new app called Measure, which allows for taking the dimensions of objects, measuring lines across surfaces, and detecting rectangles. When in the Measure app, simply hold it above an object, tap, and drag along a line to take a measurement. Check out our Apple WWDC storystream for the latest updates!<doc-sep>
Craig Federighi today announced ARKit 2 at WWDC 2018, which will give developers access to improved face tracking, realistic rendering, 3D object detection, persistent experiences, and shared experiences. The company gave a demo of two users sharing a virtual environment using ARKit 2, playing on a table with wooden toys and trying to knock down the other player's objects. Apple says that ARKit 2 is a more powerful platform than the original ARKit, since it can allow multiple users to play a game or collaborate on projects together. There is also support for a "spectator mode" so that friends and family can see AR gameplay from another iOS device without participating. With "persistent AR," you'll be able to leave virtual objects in the real world and come back to them later. For example, you can start a puzzle on a table and come back to it another day and discover it in the same state that you left it. ARKit 2 also extends support for image detection and tracking, making it possible to detect 3D objects like toys or sculptures, and adds the ability to automatically apply reflections of the real world onto AR objects. This makes the AR experience an even more realistic mix of the virtual and real world. One of the notable demos at WWDC this year saw Apple bring Martin Sanders, Director of Innovation at LEGO, on stage to demonstrate a new LEGO AR iOS app that will integrate with ARKit 2 features and connect to physical LEGO sets. An entire LEGO city was shown off in the demo, allowing users to build objects, place characters, go on quests, open sets to see inside, and play with friends in the same world. Up to four friends can play in the same set on four different iOS devices, and notably all of the virtual aspects of the LEGO AR app will be connected to physical LEGO sets. "We can save our entire world back into our physical set, and pick up where we left off later," Sanders said. In other augmented reality news, Apple has created its own measuring app called "Measure," which can provide the dimensions of objects automatically. The company also collaborated with Pixar to create a new open file format called usdz, which enables AR experiences in many apps, like Messages and Mail. All of these advanced ARKit 2 features will be available when iOS 12 launches this fall.