This page concerns the Vuforia Engine API version 9.8 and earlier. It has been deprecated and will no longer be actively updated.
Vuforia Engine's support for digital eyewear enables the creation of AR experiences for optical see-through devices such as the Microsoft HoloLens.
Digital eyewear apps can be developed for UWP, Lumin OS or Android using Unity (C#) or natively using Java and C++. Sample Projects demonstrating how to develop applications for HoloLens and MagicLeap are available in the Unity asset store.
Vuforia Engine supports the following digital eyewear devices:
| Optical See-Through | Microsoft HoloLens 1/2 Magic Leap 1 |
|---|---|
| Video See-Through | Vuzix M300/M400 RealWear HMT-1 |
Working with Digital Eyewear
The workflow for developing digital eyewear apps using the Vuforia Engine Unity extension, or Java and C++ APIs, is very similar to that used to develop mobile apps. Vuforia Engine will automatically determine if is running on a HoloLens or Magic Leap device in a Unity app. No Vuforia specific configuration step is required.
Please see the following articles for more information:
Developing Vuforia Engine Apps for HoloLens
Developing Vuforia Engine Apps for Magic Leap
Developing for the Vuzix or RealWear devices is straightforward as well. Since they are monocular video-see-through devices, they are supported with the full set of core feature samples and do not require any special setup.
Designing targets for Digital Eyewear apps
There are two important considerations when designing targets for digital eyewear apps:
- Target size. Compared to mobile apps, targets are typically farther from the device camera. This is because mobile app users extend the device away from their bodies. For this reason, slightly larger targets are often required to ensure reliable detection and tracking. We recommend a minimum target size of approximately 150 mm2/6 inch2.
- Target scale. The unit scale for optical see-through digital eyewear apps is set to millimeters. In the Target Manager, define your Image Target and Multi Target widths and Cylinder Target lengths in millimeters. This will scale your content as expected when it is rendered. Enter the target's true width or length in millimeters in the Add Target dialog.
Digital Eyewear samples
The Vuforia following samples are available either in the Unity Asset Store or from the Vuforia Developer Portal:
| Unity | The HoloLens sample shows how to attach an AR experience to an image, model target or VuMark. |
|---|---|
| The MagicLeap sample shows how to attach an AR experience to an image, model target or VuMark. | |
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The Vuzix M300 is supported with the full set of samples in the Core Features section with the exemption of GroundPlane, Area Targets and Model Targets. The Vuzix M400 is supported with the full set of samples in the Core Features section with the exemption of GroundPlane and Area Targets. |
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| Android |
The Vuzix M300 is supported with the full set of samples in the Core Features section with the exemption of GroundPlane, Area Targets and Model Targets. The Vuzix M400 is supported with the full set of samples in the Core Features section with the exemption of GroundPlane and Area Targets. The RealWear HMT-1 is supported with the full set of samples in the Core Features section with the exemption of GroundPlane, Area Targets and Model Targets. |