PTC Vuforia Studio

U bent hier:

Author and publish scalable AR experiences that transform manufacturing, service and training processes without the need for extensive programming or costly custom designers.


About

Vuforia Studio is an application from PTC. It allows users to create augmented reality applications without programming knowledge. 

Website: https://www.ptc.com/en/products/augmented-reality/vuforia-studio#

Requirements

Development

  • Vuforia Studio License (30 day trial available)
  • Install application (use is browserbased)
  • 3D CAD files (preferrably PTC Creo files (.pvz))
  • Creo Illustrate*
    *(Creo Illustrate is a different program within PTC; it is required to create animations which can be imported into Vuforia Studio ; as Vuforia studio does not offer this – it could potentionally be done using javascript; but this is not intended)

Supported Hardware

End user

  • Vuforia View application (free)
  • Vuforia ThingMark (a unique image/sticker comparable to a qr-code)

(the user only requires one of these; however applications are made specifically for either a smartphone; Microsoft Hololens or RealWear)

Pricing

Prices are decided upon contact with Vuforia.

Special Features

Vuforia Studio has all Vuforia Engine features implemented aswell as ARKit / ARCore. Next to that it has the ability to connect to your IoT data through PTC ThingWorx (Requires specific licenses).

The implementation of these technologies allows your applications to have following features:

  • Model Based Tracking
  • Realtime IoT data visualisation
  • Animation/workflow integration from Ilustrate (if using the PTC Ecosystem this might save you time)

Development Process

PTC offers an e-course (Fundamentals of AR Development with Vuforia Studio) where it explains how to use Vuforia Studio for beginners. (the course is free and takes 10 hours; may be shorter depending on your speed)

The software can be downloaded through the download portal on the PTC Website. (requires license)

Once the software is installed you can login with your username and password. This will open a browser where you can start developing applications.

The easiest way to create an AR instruction application is to create a sequence/animation in PTC Creo Illustrate. This can be directly imported in Vuforia Studio. You can then add a way to detect your work environment either through object recognition or a vuforia Thingmark. 

To interact with your guide you can add interactions or voice commands to either move your object or proceed through different steps. (Voice commands are unique to Hololens; for other devices you can make a user interface with buttons) 

End User Experience

When you have the Vuforia View application installed, you can simply start scanning your Vuforia Thingmark which will load the application from the server. If the developer has enabled it, you can also store the application for offline use. You can proceed through steps using the user interface buttons or voice commands (Hololens).

Conclusion

Vuforia Studio is a powerful tool for people within the PTC ecosystem. It allows you to create guides in a very quick and simple way (without any extra work if you already create instruction guides in Creo Illustrate). Although the use of Vuforia Studio does not require any programming knowledge it is advised to follow some guides as not everything in the editor is as clear and straightforward. 

The use of model-based tracking is a huge advantage in comparison to other applications as your tracking is easy to set up and accurate, and doesn’t require you to manually adjust your environment.