Adobe glides into Augmented Reality with Adobe Aero

Adobe has entered the augmented reality space with Adobe Aero, a new AR authoring tool, and multi-platform system. This system will provide means to both developers and creatives to build simple AR scenes and experiences leveraging Apple’s ARKit.

Adobe sees Aero as the first step to outfit creative professionals with the tools they need to create immersive experiences that will transform the world.

Announced as an early preview at Apple’s WWDC 2018, Adobe Aero will provide a means for designers to create immersive AR experiences from familiar creative tools such as Photoshop CC and Dimension CC.

Adobe also plans to add usdz support to Adobe Creative Cloud apps and services in collaboration with Apple and Pixar. USDZ is described by its co-creator Pixar as a "zero-compression, unencrypted zip archive" of the USD (Universal Scene Description) format used for creating AR experiences. .usdz is now supported by Apple, Adobe, Pixar, and many others.

Creative Cloud’s support of the usdz format will help speed up the development of new AR content and allow users to seamlessly move from one application to another. This immersive content can then be brought into Xcode for further refinement and development.

Adobe Aero will also feature deep integration with Sensei, Adobe’s machine learning platform, to take care of the technical complexity so designers can focus on creative work alone.

Adobe also plans to include the glTF file format, currently supported by Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Adobe, and other industry leaders.

AR projects created with Adobe Aero will be displayed at The Festival of the Impossible, a 3-day large-scale immersive art exhibition celebrating artwork by 15 talented artists.

“This is just the beginning of our journey to extend digital experiences beyond the screen and I couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead,” says Adobe CTO Abhay Parasnis. “We’ll have much more to share at the Adobe MAX Creativity Conference later this fall.”

Developers and designers may request early access for Aero with a new form provided by Adobe.