Sunday, 19 April 2026

AR -- Pictarize

PICTARIZE is really simple for making AR.  This program uses an image as a "TARGET" -- and then projects an AUGMENTED REALITY image on top of that image:



I did that in this project -- when I used my bird-airplane print at QUELAB as a "target" image --  and projected an AUGMENTED REALITY airplane in 3D on top of that image.  

After going to this LINK one only has to hoover his smart phone over the print (like scanning a QR Code) to get the 3D airplane to show up over the print exactly:


I used this image from my PRINT below as a "TARGET" -- and uploaded this GLB file as the AR "content." 

After going to the AR site
hoover your smart phone over this bird-airplane target image
to see a 3D plane over it in Augmented Reality


with the "target" image below
the 3D airplane in AR


Then after clicking "PUBLISH" in the upper right hand corner (and then "build" on the next page), I can "preview" the Augmented Reality in my smart phone or tablet:



Hit "Preview" and this screen then pops up. The URL and QR code on the left take you to the scanning page -- then one can test that AR with the "target" images on the right by hoovering their smart phones over them:

Link to experience and test the Augmented Reality 


MULTIPLE TARGETS

NOTE: One can add MULTIPLE TARGETS in the build, with multiple corresponding AR objects -- but they have to hit the "wrench icon" and choose "Multiple" in the Project Settings (before saving, publishing and building) for multiple AR experiences to work:

Click the "WRENCH" icon
to choose multiple AR targets and experiences


"wrench icon">Multiple
for sensing different targets and different AR experiences



PICTARIZE is free to try out, but costs $25 a month to "release" (which I imagine means "host").


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I found PICTARIZE on the MindAR.org website.

CORINA ESPINOSA was using MindAR to make several AR experiences from several "target" images -- after going to only one website -- at the 2025 CURRENTS NEW MEDIA exhibition in Santa Fe:


Apparently she used both A-Frame and MindAR to create this AR exhibition.  I tried to do the same but failed last year.




My goal is still to use AUGMENTED REALITY -- with "TARGETS" --  to place my fake sculptures in specific places in the Albuquerque Museum Sculpture Garden -- as I did with AI  mock-up below, next to Allan Houser's real sculpture:




 
NOTE: Midjourney would not animate my sculpture garden above, probably censoring it for sculptural nudity


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OTHER


The UNM ARTSLAB has a tutorial about making AR inside of UNITY: