FLARToolkit

July 8th, 2009
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What is FLARToolKit ?

FLARToolKit is AS3 version of ARToolKit. But it is not ported from the original C version but ported from Java version which is called NyARToolKit. (NyARToolKit seems to executes much faster than the original C version after the great effort of nyatla)

FLARToolkit will detect the marker from input image and calculate the camera position in the three dimension space. Something like Helper library are planned to add but further processing like synthesize the 3D Graphics needs to implemented by yourself.

FYI, Papervision3D 2.0 (Greate White) is used for this sample. (Using Sandy in early stage of porting FLARToolKit, so you may use other library easily)

Source code

Here -> http://www.libspark.org/browser/as3/FLARToolKit

What to do next?

Well, to do more cool and fun things it is necessary to improve the speed because it is very slow than Java version. In Flash Player 10 (Astro), the 3D drawing will implement as native and I think we can improve the calculation speed by using the Pixel Bender as something like GPGPU.

The license

FLARToolkit is free to use for non-commercial applications. It is based on the ARToolKit library under the GPL license and so the source code for any FLARToolKit applications that are made needs to be made available to the Spark Project.

If you are interested in developing a commercial application using FLARToolKit then you should contact ARToolWorks (info@artoolworks.com) for a commercial license. In this case you will not have to make your source code available.

Blink 182 – AR concert

July 8th, 2009
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Another yet rewarding ARvertising use of Augmented reality on packaging. In this case, the Doritos bag is used as a ticket to see the concert Blink 182 is giving (just for you, on your desktop!)

Try it your self here (with a Doritos late night bag in your hand): http://www.doritoslatenight.com/

Guitar solo on my desktop?

July 8th, 2009
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Nice example for possible uses of the alpha channel in FLV.

ARFortune: dice game

July 5th, 2009
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A simple AR example using physics. Dice game using jiglib (for physics) + FLARToolkit + PV3D.

Try it here: http://www.arvertising.com/AR-Game-Dice.shtml

SVNs & sources

July 5th, 2009
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Some of the most important SVNs and sources you should have

FLARToolkit

FLARToolKit (AS3 AR engine): http://www.libspark.org/svn/as3/FLARToolKit/
FLARManager
(FLARToolkit SDK): http://transmote.com/codeshare/FLARManager
Artisan
(FLARToolkit SDK): http://artisanmanager.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/
Papervision 3D (render engine): http://papervision3d.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/
Jiglibflash (AS3 physics library): http://jiglibflash.googlecode.com/svn/trunk

iPhone:

iPhone ARkit (open source) : http://iphonearkit.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/

FLARManager v0.6

July 4th, 2009
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You can see a nice video tutorial from gotoandLearn here.

FLARManager is a lightweight framework that makes building FLARToolkit augmented reality applications easier. it is compatible with a variety of 3D engines, and provides a more robust event-based system for managing marker addition, update, and removal. it supports detection and management of multiple patterns, and multiple markers of a given pattern.

Where can I get it?

FLARManager can be downloaded via SVN at http://transmote.com/codeshare/FLARManager. Released versions are available in the /deploy folder, and current development lives in the /dev folder. (note, i don’t make any guarantee the code in /dev will work, or even compile!

Note: FLARManager is built to compile to Flash Player 10.

What are the licensing options?

FLARManager is available for download and use under two licenses:

* GPL License: FLARManager can be used for free under the GNU General Public License, v3. Source code of applications using FLARManager under the GPL must be provided free of charge on request.

* Commercial License: Source code of FLARManager applications can be protected with a commercial license, offered exclusively by ARToolworks. Applications using the commercial license do not have to provide source code, but must pay a licensing fee. Contact ARToolworks at sales@artoolworks.com for more information.

How do I use it?

You can find full documentation here, and tutorials and other info here. if you just want to get started quickly, read on…FLARManager is developed using Flex Builder, and a FLARManager project is included along with the source (that’s what the /.settings folder and .project and .actionScriptProperties files are). to get going with FLARManager in Flex Builder, go to File>Import>Flex Project…, set the ‘Project folder’ to the folder to which you downloaded/unzipped the source, uncheck ‘Use default location’, and hit Finish. you should be good to go.

To use FLARManager in other environments, just be sure you’re compiling one of the four (currently) example files as an Application/Main/Document class. this applies to Flex Builder as well, though it’s taken care of for you in the included Flex Builder project.

The four examples are:

FLARManagerTest_2D.as: a simple example that draws 2D outlines around detected markers.

FLARManagerTest_2D_NoVideo.as: runs marker detection on a source loaded from a file (e.g. .swf / .jpg) instead of a camera. Good for testing when it’s dark out, or when you’re cameraless.

FLARManagerTest_PV3D.as: The standard FLARToolkit + Papervision3D example, with lil’ cubes strewn around wherever you leave a marker.

FLARManagerTest_Flash3D.as: Draws a 3D outline around detected markers using Flash Player 10’s native 3D capabilities.

Upgrades

Adaptive thresholding

Markers are now detectable in varying and low illumination — great for web apps, where developers have no control over the end user’s lighting.

Support for Alternativa3D, Away3D, and Sandy3D

FLARManager now supports the above three frameworks, along with the existing support for Papervision3D and Flash Player 10 3D.

Tutorials and examples

The Inside FLARManager section in the nav bar above provides access to documentation and tutorials about FLARManager, as well as links to FLARToolkit-related content. simple tutorials are now available for basic 2D, 3D, and collada applications.

Optimization

Some changes under the hood, accompanied by extensive testing and profiling, allow FLARManager to run faster and more efficiently than before. Additonally, a number of features are now exposed to the developer to tweak performance on an application-by-application basis. Stay tuned for a detailed writeup on this.

FLARProxy update

FLARProxy allows developers to simulate marker detection with a mouse and keyboard. The functionality has not changed in this version, but it can now be activated via the external config file.

Coder’s Dashboards

July 4th, 2009
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