How to build your first world-scale AR experience (without coding)
You’ve heard about Stardust visual positioning technology and want to test it yourself? This step-by-step tutorial helps you to build your first spatial computing experience, so don’t be scared, jump into the future (even if you’re not a geek!)
Testing prerequisites
MUST HAVE. First create an account here, then download the apps on iOS or Android. Remember your email address (user name) and password, as it will be required for the app.
To be noted, as with any AR app, recent phones are better than old ones. For iPhone users, you’ll need iOS 11 or later on an iPhone 6S or any more recent device. For Android users, Android 8.1 is required and the complete list of supported devices can be found here. Experts are estimated that 2 billion devices can run augmented reality experiences as of early 2021.
NICE TO HAVE. The app is used for mapping, updating, relocating and optionally to add content in space or navigate. To manage your maps, edit your 3D content or create new 3D objects, we recommend using a computer and open the editor with the latest version of Chrome, Safari or Firefox as the editor runs on WebGL. As we’ll see later, you can access every part of the platform from your dashboard at https://stardust.neogoma.com/.
REMINDERS. Stardust SDK is currently under Alpha (0.5 constellation update), meaning we expect occasional interruptions and issues, especially linked to latency. Our servers are located in Singapore, so if you’re testing from anywhere else and experiencing high latency, just contact and we’ll see if we can exceptionally allocate new servers closer to your testing location. A normal relocation request takes approximately 3–4 seconds.
What’s on the APP
After clicking on “Create new map”:
① Strat / pause mapping button. Once you click on that button, you’ll see the taken number starting to go up. If you pause, make sure to start again at the same location
② Add 3D content to your space. The content will always appear 50 cm in front of the camera
③ Add targets (destinations or points of interest for visual navigation)
④ Select the content you want to add in your space
⑤ ONLY WHEN taken and sent numbers match, click on Generate button to launch the map training
⑥ Back to home page
After clicking on “Relocate/Update”:
① Relocation button. The most important function of the app! Successful / failed relocation will be indicated and the scene will be displayed at the last successful relocation
② Destinations / points of interest drop list containing every target created while mapping or from the editor, displayed by creation time chronological order
③ After selecting a target, destination button will launch the visual path on the floor (and screen side hints if necessary)
④ Map update button! It will launch a second mapping on the top of your first one
⑤ Back to home page
Step-by-step instructions
1. Assuming you’ve registered an account (at stardust.neogoma.com) and downloaded the app, you should be able to log in and see the “home” page
2. Click the button “create map”. You can either name the map or we’ll automatically assign a name. To start mapping, click the start icon on the bottom right. If you’re familiar with ARkit/ARcore, you might be tempted to map moving around, but our approach is fundamentally different (computer vision). Please refer to this documentation for mapping instructions.
Good mapping is key. Walk at a normal speed, try to keep your phone stable and cover every angle, twice if possible. Check here or there for examples.
3. Place objects while mapping with the +cube button. You can select different objects from the public list (or add new ones from the CMS, but that’s for later). Place objects at precise locations that will help you to evaluate the accuracy of the relocation.
4. Optional but cool: while mapping, create a destination and/or a point of interest (also called targets) with the point of interest button. As with 3D content (previous step), targets can be created later from the editor, but if you’re in a hurry go that this way.
5. When you’re done mapping, wait for sent and taken numbers to match, then press generate.
WARNING: if your sent and taken don’t match, the algorithms will ignore your map and training won’t start. Meaning you won’t be able to use that map to relocate.
6. Our Machine Learning algorithm will process the map, which might take a couple of minutes or up to an hour for very large maps. You will receive a mail when you will be able to relocate on your map, meanwhile you can already edit the objects in the online editor. The editor allows anyone to remotely add content, create new navigation destinations, etc... Quick learning curve, this article should help you to learn the basics.
7. When the map is ready, on the app main page, click relocate/update, select your map and let the magic happen! You can test the accuracy several times from different locations (see if the content is accurately placed), but make sure you’re in a space that has been mapped.
8. Updates. This is an important step. THE MORE YOU UPDATE YOUR MAP, THE MORE ACCURATE AND RELIABLE THE RELOCATION BECOMES. After relocating successfully, you can update your initial map to feed the model with more data. Simply click on the top right icon to update your initial map. For better accuracy, we suggest mapping a place at least 3 times. We support cross-platform (both iOS and Android), so you can update a single map with different devices.
9. Navigation. If you’ve created targets (POI or destinations), select your destination from the list and launch the visual navigation by clicking on the position icon. Visual hints might appear on the sides of your screen, indicating that you need to turn around. Otherwise, a virtual path should be overlaid on the floor, guiding you to your destination.
Following those steps, our CEO built a simple demo in less than 2h, taking into account the editing and testing time (for example occlusion set up, video recording, etc).
The result in a video
That’s enough for a start, isn’t it?
We’ve limited content and features on purpose, as the learning curve from 2D to spatial computing might feel overwhelming. If everyone with a phone can start testing Stardust SDK, deploying it into your existing products or creating use-cases adapted to your industry requires customized work. You can count on us, as well as on our local partners in many countries to assist you in setting up world-scale AR.
If we can help to augment your physical world or help your business in any way, get in touch at contact@neogoma.com.
Thanks, Neogoma team
