This book begins with some introductory information and theory regarding Augmented Reality (AR). Unfortunately, we can't just jump right into programming without first properly tackling the fundamentals. Without knowing the fundamentals and theory behind how AR projects work, we would not be able to fully understand how the technology works or how to take advantage of some of the more abstract features of the technology. This doesn't mean that you wouldn't be able to use the technology, just that there are many underlying features that would be difficult to grasp at more advanced levels.
This book and its code files are set up with the experienced programmer in mind. There are optimization strategies employed and esoteric language constructs used that beginner programmers may not immediately understand. If you have not been studying programming for at least two years and have not used C# extensively during that period, I suggest having a reference manual or two at hand in order to clarify any programming terms or syntax usage that you are unfamiliar with. Some of the best sources for really diving into the C# language are the C# Language Specification (https://www.ecma-international.org/publications/files/ECMA-ST/Ecma-334.pdf) and Learning C# By Developing Games with Unity 2017 (https://www.packtpub.com/game-development/learning-c-7-developing-games-unity-2017-third-edition).
Please be aware that at least two projects in this book will require the use of Xcode and will require a macOS and iOS device to compile and run properly. If you do not have, at the bare minimum, a 2011 model or later macOS, you should skip implementing the examples in the chapters and sections that deal with ARKit entirely, as you will not be able to follow along with the book. Feel free to read the sections, though, as there is always something to learn, even if you can't follow the examples.
The version of Unity3D we will be using for this book is Unity 2017.2.0f3 (64-bit) for both Windows 10 and macOS. We will be using Windows 10 version 1703 build number 15063.726 to build for Android, and macOS High Sierra (version 10.13) for building for iOS, as these are the latest versions of both operating systems at the time of writing this book.
The core information we will go over is as follows:
- Which AR toolkits are available for usage
- How to get started with each toolkit
- What the pros and cons of each toolkit are
- Reasons for developing AR applications and games
