Last year PTC bought augmented reality (AR) platform Vuforia from Qualcomm for a reported $65 million USD. Today the company has announced the launch of the newest version, Vuforia 6.
Vuforia 6 introduces the VuMark, a customizable visual code enabling AR experiences to be attached to any product or object. The engine also supports Universal Windows Platform (UWP), thus allowing Unity developers to extend existing Vuforia projects to Microsoft HoloLens and tablets such as Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book
With the addition of VuMark – which can manually be added using a decal or automatically printed during the manufacturing process – its intended to visually indicate to a user that an AR experience is available, such as step-by-step instructions for assembly, use, repair, or inspection.
Using the VuMark Designer enables Adobe Illustrator users to create VuMarks from existing graphics and brand assets such as logos, so that they can create designs that are visually appealing, whilst capable of encoding data, such as a serial number or URL.
“Connecting the physical and digital worlds, as well as the content and content creation tools to support the transition, is the critical next step for the enterprise workplace,” said Dan Shey, managing director and vice president, ABI Research. “Launching augmented reality (AR) experiences, and ensuring the proper experience aligned with a specific model, release cycle and/or asset ID will increase efficiency and decrease error in industrial settings. Integrating the VuMark with Vuforia Studio Enterprise puts PTC and its portfolio assets at the center of this convergence, while enabling customers to control their branding.”
“We just crossed two major milestones on our mission to democratize AR,” said Jay Wright, president and general manager, Vuforia. “First, with VuMark we have paved the way for product manufacturers and marketers to add AR experiences to any product. And with support for Windows 10 and HoloLens, we’re creating new opportunities for developers to address the growing need for enterprise solutions. This is an extremely exciting time for developers to get started with AR.”
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