Adobe Aero

Adobe Aero is a visual, fairly intuitive way of creating AR experiences that can be experienced on iOS and developed using macOS or Windows (both in beta).  It allows creators to place, scale, and rotate existing or stock 2D or 3D objects directly into virtual space as well as programming basic action sets for user interactivity.  

While it is an easy way to create interactive AR experiences, users have to have an iPhone or iPad to experience them and the desktop creation apps are still fairly buggy.

COST:

  • Free (no Creative Cloud subscription required)


AltspaceVR

AltspaceVR is a social VR platform created by Microsoft that is capable of running on most common VR headsets as well as without a headset using the desktop application on either MacOS or Windows. Users are represented as 3D avatars from the waist up and worlds can be customized either starting with base assets or from scratch by importing a scene from Unity.

COST: Free


Gather

Gather is a virtual event & meeting platform that aims to create experiences that feel more dynamic and personal than zoom or other similar platforms. The rooms are based off of a square grid map and while the graphics are customizable the stock assets are pixel art based and create the feeling of being in a retro video game. Users are able to move their avatar around using the arrow keys and can interact with various objects and other users. It is based off of a proximity chat system so that users are only able to see and hear the audio and video streams when they are near each other or in a space that’s been designated as communal such as a table. Gather spaces can be as complicated or simple as the host desires and pricing scales with user count.

COST:

  • Free up to 25 concurrent users

  • 25 users and over options:

    • $2 USD / user / 2h

    • $3 USD / user / day

    • $7 USD / user / month


Hubs

Hubs is a 3D virtual meeting and collaboration space created by Mozilla. It runs directly in the browser and users are able to join either in VR or not. It is listed as being able to run on a wide swath of devices but will probably need to have its graphics settings lowered for users on older machines. Environments can be either loaded from the library of existing spaces or can be created completely custom using Spoke. Hubs can either exist on Mozilla’s servers or can be deployed using services such as AWS. Hubs has a high degree of customization in terms of interactive elements, world space, and available avatars

COST:

  • Free up to 25 concurrent users

  • For more than 25 concurrent users, custom deployment on Hubs Cloud is necessary


Spark AR

Created by Facebook, Spark AR is an AR development software that is meant to make the development and deployment of AR apps as easy as possible. It comes with various templates and assets libraries and is capable of using many different forms of data as triggers (such as motions, sounds, facial expressions, etc.).

Effects are created using a visual coding language and can be customized further using javascript.

AR effects can only be published on Instagram or Facebook and both users and developers need accounts on said platforms.

COST: Free


TouchDesigner

TouchDesigner is a node-based visual programming language available for Windows and macOS.  It creates real-time interactive content and can be used in performance, installations and to create other pieces of media.  TouchDesigner really shines when paired with some form of real-time data that can be used to drive visuals and it is capable of rendering in both 2D and 3D.  As a creative coding tool, TouchDesigner has almost infinite possibilities and the cap of what can be programmed is usually based on what hardware is running it and the skill of the programmer.  

TouchDesigner is able to take input from almost any digital source and can output to pretty much anything that can be controlled digitally.  This makes it an excellent choice when working with any form of sensor.  

TouchDesigner can stream to any RTMP destination which allows to it connect to services such as Vimeo, Twitch, or Youtube Live

Using nodes, which in TouchDesigner are referred to as ‘operators’, users are able to create complex networks which generate or manipulate content.  What makes it so flexible and open however is also what can make it difficult for new users.  Without some instruction or the time to explore users can get lost in the myriad of possible nodes and unlike Isadora, TouchDesigner has no built-in cueing system. 

There are several nodes that come with specific hardware recommendations, if you run into trouble it’s always worth checking the wiki

COST:

  • Free for Non-Commercial license

  • Educational license: $300USD

  • Commercial license: $600USD

  • Pro license: $2200 USD

Projects that used TouchDesigner:

 


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