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What is Augmented Reality?

Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data (virtual reality), where computer graphics objects are blended into real footage in real time. Presently, most AR research is focused on the use of live video imagery which is digitally processed and “augmented” by the addition of computer-generated graphics.

Watch the Total Immersions Augmented Reality Demo

Reproducing Augmented Reality in Flash

What’s exciting from a Flash perspective, is that Augmented Reality can be reproduced through the use of an ActionScript library called the FLARToolKit in conjunction with Papervision3D. The principles of AR are currently being used in some very cool Flash sites as a way to get users to interact with Web sites all via a Web cam.

We featured a really cool Flash file last week in our post on the FITC Flash Award Nominees which actually utilizes Augmented Reality. The site is GE Ecomagination.

Augmented Reality Flash Tutorial

Lee Brimelow from theflashblog.com posted a video tutorial this week regarding setting up and using FLARToolKit in order to recreate your very own Augmented Reality experience using Flash. The FLARToolKit is an AS3 version of ARToolKit and can detect the marker from an input image and calculate the camera position in a three dimension space. Using a Web cam and a print out, you can recreate 3D objects and 3D worlds right before your eyes. As the tutorial explains, the 3D scene (in this case, created via Papervision3D) gets mapped to the pattern printed on the sheet of paper.

More Information

For further reading and to get your hands dirty with some Augmented Reality experimentation of your own, here are some great places to read more info:

• Official FLARToolKit
• Getting started with FLARToolKit
• Desktop Fireworks
• Non-Flash Augmented Reality examples