Finally, after much anticipation iOS 12 has been announced at the WWDC 2018. With it come a host of new improvements, changes and features. iOS 12 will later be launched for Apple’s touch devices, such as iPhone, iPad and iPod. Senior VP of software engineering at Apple Inc., Craig Federighi, said on stage “With iOS 12, we’re doubling down on performance,”. This statement also seems true for the Augmented Reality (AR) aspect of iOS 12, as AR is one of the highlights in this new OS. Here are some of the AR features revealed at the conference.
iOS 12 ARKit 2.0
Apple’s ARKit toolbox gets a second version, allowing developers to the ability to create multi-user experiences in AR environments. The ARKit 2.0 is defined by improvements and progress in face tracking, realistic rendering, and 3D object detection. The user oriented core features focus on delivering and creating shared and location specific persistent experiences. The new ARKit 2.0 allows iOS 12 to have more dynamic AR apps and interaction than ever before. This allows for a whole host of new opportunities and possibilities, as user is no longer bound to just their own device and the AR experience is not limited to it. An example is Lego’s app. It will now allow as much as four people into one AR experience at once. Expect to see AR interaction in apps like Messages, Safari, News and Files, as it will deliver better graphics and animations.
iOS 12 AR App: Measure App
The Measure App does what its name says: it measures real life objects using the camera of the iPhone. And it does so with very high accuracy. This to is only possible due to the new ARKit 2.0. Measuring tapes are no longer needed, as the app allows a user to take the measurements of any real object automatically. it even works with 3 dimensional objects.
3D Graphics in iOS 12 AR
The new ARKit 2.0 will also allow app developers to create apps that can place 3D figures and objects into the real world in real time. Things like toys, shapes, characters even, can now be placed in the image that users see on screen. For this to be achieved by developers, Apple partnered up with Pixar to develop a new file format called USDZ.