Sunday 4 April 2021

Quick and Ugly -- Augmented Reality

This is a quick, if ugly, way to create a 3D Augmented Reality experience:


John created this video of
the ugly Augmented Reality figure
using the Aero app on his iPhone


Click or scan the QR/AR code below to open the Adobe Aero app (on appropriate devices), and directly summon the Augmented Reality figure as seen in the video above.  Now if the user gets within one meter of the figure, that figure should also dance:

Ugly.real (1.22 MB)



The UGLY PROCESS

1)  Draw a figure in MONSTER MASH, a free program online. 

  • First draw the torso first as a closed shape (click the HELP button, far upper right, for more instructions).
  • Then draw the appendages -- like the head, arms and legs -- as open peninsula shapes, that are open on the side where they connect.  This way they will all fuse into a single figure object (rather than a collection of multiple forms).
  • Draw the figure in a "T-shape."

Draw a "T-Shaped" human figure


2)  Export the "T" figure as an OBJ file

Export as an OBJ file


3*)  Import the OBJ file to Mixamo, drag-and-drop
  • Mixamo is a free online program by Adobe that will animate 3D files. Sign up required.
Mixamo accepts OBJ files


4)  Follow the Mixamo instructions to rig and animate the T-shape figure with the "clip-art" motion of your choice, and then click "Send to Aero."

and your figure will get stored on the "Creative Cloud" --
 to be accessed by the Adobe Aero app


*****

Adobe Aero is a free "Augmented Reality" program that works on iPhones with the Aero app (there is a Beta version for Androids).   See the YouTube tutorial below on how to use the app:





MIXED REALITY


Below is a "Mixed Reality" video made in Paint 3D with the same ugly figure, animated.  Paint 3D is a free art program that comes with Windows 10:

"Mixed Reality"
created in Paint 3D


With a little more care and finesse, one can probably easily make nice Augmented Reality figures also, using free 3D programs like SculptGL, Paint 3D or Blender.  The point of this blog post however, was to demonstrate how easy it is to create 3D Augmented Reality right now, whereas it was a painful process just a few years ago.

Disclaimer:  I do not have an iPhone, therefore I am not able to use or elaborate much on the final Adobe Aero app experience.


AFTER THOUGHTS

  • DEEPER:  YouTube tutorial about how to create an Augmented Reality experience for Adobe Aero using the desktop software
 Rumors

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