I’m very proud of my completion of the augmented reality fuse box challenge project. This was a very exciting course in which I learned how to program A/R image target recognition applications without an external third party engine. Using only Unity built-in functionality I was able to define an image target and spawn a 3D object onto that target through the user’s camera.
This project was also my introduction to “Visual Scripting”, an exciting new feature that I had not discovered until now. You use the same C# programming methods and functions but lay them out in a visual graph instead of writing them in an IDE. This allows you to have amazing control over debugging and adjusting the code. You can see the values that are flowing through your script, and adjust the parameters on the fly.
Using visual scripting I was able to create and assign dynamic variables to work with game objects that have not been spawned yet. Through this technique I was able to program the user interface buttons to control a Fuse box that is placed into the real world through the phone’s camera when the camera recognizes the image object image target.
I used Adobe Photoshop to create the image Target graphic. To get bonus points for my completed project I went above and beyond the standard completion specifications and added special effects including sparking lights and sounds to my fuse box. I also learned how to make call out panels that can be used in XR applications.
I created some really great scripts for allowing a user to press the button and have an object rotate. There are two styles it can rotate upon each button press or it can have a continual rotation such as being on a turntable. There are also scripts for moving the object around in the 3D space.
Feel free to check it out for yourself. Here is the image target and a link to the APK
https://meta.dwdenney.com/AR_fusebox.apk
