Workshop: Let's build an augmented reality web app!
Details
Augmented reality (AR) apps add a virtual layer on top of the real world. This allows you to catch Pokémon in your backyard, but it also has serious potential for hacking your environment: You can use AR to share information where it is most useful, create fantastic experiences that merge the real and the virtual, or simply label your storage cabinets in the nerdiest way possible. Once you know how to augment the real world, the options are endless—and it is a lot easier than you think!
In this workshop we will learn how to place virtual objects and annotations in the real world, so that they can be seen using a smartphone as a 'magic window'. We will learn how to animate things, how to add interactivity, and how to get data into AR. Finally, there will be a mini-hackathon where you use your new skills to build the AR web app of your (humble) dreams.
We will build everything with open source web technology. All you need is a computer with a browser. The app will be hosted online and will run in any modern browser. The user will need only a smartphone to use it—no installation required.
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In this workshop you will …
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Learn how to use the A-Frame JavaScript framework to create 3D scenes for browser-based VR and AR, how to add and style text, simple 3D shapes, and pre-created 3D models, and how to add animation and interactivity.
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Get a basic understanding of how to bind data to A-Frame objects in order to create data-driven AR experiences.
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Learn how to turn an A-frame scene into an AR app, how to use AR markers to anchor AR objects in the real world, and how to use QR codes to make accessing your app seamless.
At the end of the workshop you will have a functioning AR app that will be hosted on the internet.
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This course is for anyone who wants to take their first steps with creating augmented reality experiences. It will be beginner-friendly. Most of the code we write will be relatively simple HTML and JavaScript. You do not need experience with HTML or JavaScript, but some programming experience is highly recommended.
Please bring a laptop and a smartphone or a tablet with a charging cable.
The workshop will take around 4 hours. If you want to stay afterwards and start realising your very own AR app idea you are very welcome!