Augmented Reality solutions provider Metaio, is expanding its suite of software to include AR content-authoring technology that is intended to be accessible to the average user.

The software should allow those without a background in developing to create and deploy AR experiences with no coding necessary, providing a simple and efficient drag-and-drop interface.

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Thomas Alt, co-founder and CEO of metaio, said: “Augmented Reality production used to be restricted to developers and programmers. The metaio Creator will change that be enabling even beginners to effortlessly create and launch AR experiences.”

According to metaio, Creator can be used to quickly deploy custom, cloud-based AR content to Android and iOS devices without using a hard-coding environment. Based on metaio’s advanced software suite, it is intended to allow users to integrate 3D animations seamlessly into live-video streams into pictures of the user’s real environment.

Here are the basic steps required:

• install Creator Mobile on your phone
• print a piece of paper with a “marker” on it from a file provided
• place the marker near the object you want to use as an AR “trigger”
• aim the phone at the marker and object, and within a minute a special “3D tracking map” file will be created on the phone
• setup a developer account on the junaio website
• email the file from your phone to the junaio site
• log onto the site and then create you AR experience using existing video, the 3D tracking map, and Creator

Finally, when all this is done, the AR experience is available through Junaio, the AR browser. Future versions will enable the AR experience to be deployed in metaio mobile SDK and PC SDK.

Although the entire process is quite a bit more complicated than the company’s marketing material would have you believe, it looks like it should be well within the capabilities of many designers or website builders, or anyone with some skill in graphics and video.

Head of US marketing for the company, Trak Lord, said: “The most important thing for metaio is to cultivate development and content creation for the entire community. Programmers, users, designers, artists – everyone should be able to live in the Augmented City.”

To get more information and to download a free demo, visit the metaio site.

Read this MobiAD article about a shopping application built with Metaio: Ebay Shoppers Use Augmented Reality To Find Local Deals

02.06.2012    Tags: augmented-reality