PTC said that it is releasing a new version of the Vuforia AR development platform. The company claims that Vuforia is the world’s most widely used platform for AR development. With support for leading phones, tablets and eyewear, the firm claims that Vuforia has powered more than 475 million installs of AR apps from the App Store and Google Play.
Vuforia 7 will introduce Model Targets, a new feature for attaching content to objects that have not been recognizable using existing computer vision technology. Model Targets recognize objects by shape, in contrast to existing methods that rely on detailed visual designs typically found on print media, product packaging and many consumer goods. With Model Targets, content can be attached to objects such as automobiles, appliances, and industrial equipment and machinery. PTC believes that Model Targets will enable a new class of AR content that can replace traditional user manuals and technical service instructions. (A video showing Model Targets can be seen on YouTube)
Vuforia 7 will also introduce a new capability for placing content on horizontal surfaces, a feature that PTC has been strongly requested. Vuforia Ground Plane enables content to be placed on the ground, floor or tabletop, whether indoors or outdoors and taking advantage of depth sensing cameras.
Vuforia 7 will also introduce Vuforia Fusion, a new capability intended to provide the best possible AR experience on a wide range of devices. Fusion is said to solve the problem of fragmentation in AR-enabling technologies, including cameras, sensors, chipsets, and software frameworks such as ARKit and ARCore. It senses the capabilities of the underlying device and fuses them with Vuforia features, allowing developers to rely on a single Vuforia API for an optimal AR experience. Vuforia Fusion will bring advanced Vuforia features to ARCore and ARKit-enabled devices, in addition to over 100 Android and iOS device models.
