The YOUAR Cloud SDK

Enabling the AR Cloud for the Real World

George Blikas
Nov 5 · 5 min read

Welcome to part 1 of 3 on our introduction to the YOUAR Cloud SDK. In this, and coming blog posts, we will cover what the YOUAR Cloud SDK enables, why it is important, and who can use it.

Understanding the AR Cloud was the first step in our development of the YOUAR Cloud SDK and what it enables. If you aren’t familiar with the AR Cloud, or want to learn more about the history of the AR Cloud and YOUAR, take a look. In summary, the AR Cloud is a shared network of real-world descriptors that gives content context through augmented reality devices. This relationship between 3D physical indicators that software can track to and “remember”, along with back-end delivery and an adaptive anchor network , is ultimately what the YOUAR Cloud SDK provides to develop and maintain the AR Cloud.

There are four aspects of the YOUAR Cloud SDK which make up the “back-bone” of the AR Cloud, fundamental features that developers and consumers need . They are: access to low-level anchor data, persistence frameworks, multi-anchor networks, and cross-platform support. All are necessary for a viable AR Cloud.

Low-level anchor data access

The single-most important facet to developers and consumers is data. Direct low-level access to the anchor data allows developers to control the data, or opt-in to use our point cloud database microservice. Below are some examples on how to access and modify the underlying data necessary for tracking.

Accessing the data is easy (C#):

// access the data as a 
// first class member of the object itself.
byte[] anchorData = anchor.Data;

Populating the data is equally as easy (C#):

// populate and load the given 
// data for re-localization
// id is some string provided by an underlying
// system, or brand new.
Anchor anchor = Anchor.Get(id);
anchor.Data = File.ReadAllBytes(path);

As shown in the example code snippets, above, the byte array is a public member. This means that no data ever has to go to the cloud, if you do not want it to. This level of control is not currently supported by any other platform and is a unique feature of YOUAR, enabling both security and longevity of AR Cloud development.

The YOUAR Cloud SDK enables a secure AR Cloud in two main ways:

  • Locally hosted anchor data:
    From a security standpoint, developers and users can be guaranteed that their data only exists on trusted devices and servers, and will never be shared with a third-party. This means that no Big Brother will be able to have access to your data for malicious mining purposes.
  • On device storage:
    Low-level anchor access and control means that marked-as-private anchor data can be kept on the device. This is great if network access poses a vulnerability, or if there is no connection to the internet which would cause validation or operational issues.

Decreasing longevity of code bases and their depreciating value in the fast-moving technology world are some of the other issues faced by developers in augmented reality. To enable long-term use of the anchor data (and ultimately application LTS), app developers must guarantee the lifetime of the underlying byte array used in the anchor re-localization. Thanks to low-level anchor data access, this is possible. By extension, the YOUAR Cloud SDK developers are no longer bound to the rocky terrain of big businesses. APIs like , , , or to build AR experiences put developers at the mercy of those organizations. Their privacy policies and by-the-hour life-cycles of anchor data means that experiences are only good for as long as those companies say they are. No one wants to build application software on a moving landscape.

Persistence Framework

The second element necessary to enable the AR Cloud is that the anchors it provides persist. Our persistence framework means that the anchors you are using accurately represent real-world 3D offsets, making your augmented reality experiences remain in the location they are designed to, with no expiration or time-out. The YOUAR Cloud SDK delivers on persistence, enabling AR Cloud developers and consumers to build a network of shared 3D understanding. Just like the web needs content hosted by many organizations and enthusiasts, the AR Cloud needs a networked understanding of the world around us.

Multi-anchor Networks

Once we add single-location persistence to the AR Cloud, our next step is to enable users to traverse the huge set of persistent experiences efficiently. To address this problem, we developed a sub-system technology we call multi-anchor networks. They allow users to physically move from one anchor to another, ensuring that content behind them is unloaded, and content ahead of them loads in its place. Our system makes the HUGE quantities of data needed for augmented reality far more feasible to (down)load and work with.

Cross-Platform Support

Last — but not least — the AR Cloud needs to provide a framework in which every type of device can localize, regardless of host ecosystem. The YOUAR Cloud SDK has cross-platform support, giving users the ability to share the same anchor and global positioning information, regardless of platform. Whether you are on Android, iOS, MagicLeap or Hololens, you can share the same AR Cloud. Further, since the YOUAR Cloud SDK is platform agnostic, you can use it with other systems, like 6D.ai or Torch — more on this in coming articles, stay tuned!


To be continued…

With these four fundamental features, YOUAR provides developers with cutting-edge tools to maintain your applications and user experiences the way you want. Our cross-platform support expands the software available for developers, enriching consumer experiences, and our persistence framework combined with our adaptive anchor networks drive the real-world-meets-augmented-device relationship. These are the features that make-the AR Cloud useful in the real world.

YOUAR

YOUAR Augmented Reality Tools

George Blikas

Written by

YOUAR

YOUAR

YOUAR Augmented Reality Tools

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