Quick Summary: Augmented Reality is a concept that helps enhance reality by inserting virtual information that, seems very much real. Nowadays, with the insight of augmented reality applications, it has become indispensable for various industries like business industry, retail, gaming, healthcare, etc. It is considered to be very easy to design and build augmented reality apps using Flutter especially when you use Flutter AR (Augmented Reality) library which supports a lot of augmented reality functionalities such as AR tracking, image recognition, etc. Till now there are no major mature tools available for building Augmented Reality apps until Google released Flutter earlier last year.

Introduction to AR Apps with Flutter

When it comes to creating Flutter augmented reality app development, it’s important to note that Flutter is a widely recognized software development kit created by Google. It’s designed for building cross-platform applications that can run on various operating systems, including Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Linux, and Google Fuchsia. The StackOverflow Development Survey of 2022 ranked Flutter as the sixth most popular programming language, with 12.64% of the development community’s votes. Its future prospects are promising, as more and more organizations are harnessing its cross-platform capabilities for their projects.

Augmented reality is basically an advanced version of virtual reality, combining digital and 3D images into a live real-world environment. Furthermore, it is a blending of the physical with the digital world in which virtual elements are overlaid in the real world; the elements are classified as virtual objects.

Why Choose Flutter for Building AR Applications?

Seamless Integration with Multiple Platforms: Flutter App development is gaining in popularity among new and experienced mobile app developers. The Flutter plugin bridges the gap between ARKit iOS and ARCore Android. It enables building Augmented Reality features in a native app that is waiting to be discovered by more than 2Bn smartphone users. Flutter makes it simple to create mobile apps for both iOS and Android platforms. Traditional dependencies on C++ libraries are replaced by Dart, an object-oriented programming language developed by Google.

Widgets Architecture: Flutter provides a widget-based architecture that allows you to build sophisticated, high-performance widgets in record time. With Flutter, you can create beautiful and engaging mobile apps for iOS and Android from a single codebase. These are the reasons why I think you should use this framework for your next projects.

High Performance and Real-Time Rendering: Skia is a graphics library for 2D graphics operations in web browsers. It uses the Skia rendering engine, renowned for its performance-centric approach that includes real-time rendering and virtual object tracking that ensures smooth animation and responsive interaction for upscaling the overall experience.

Hot Reloading: To quickly test the behavior of a mixed reality (AR/VR) app, run it with just a portion of the code without recompiling or restarting the app. Every code change is then persisted and instantly takes effect. This feature is also known as live reload or hot reload, and it is currently supported by Flutter only.

Cross-Platform Compatibility: Flutter is a hot topic in the App Development world these days. Its popularity is mainly due to its cross-platform functionality. A Flutter App can be developed using a single code and run on any platform, whether it is iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, or others. It reduces the time and effort and offers more time to create better Augmented Reality functionality and fine-tune the User Experience.

Use Cases of AR Applications Built with Flutter

eCommerce and Retail: Augmented reality is undoubtedly one of the fastest-growing tech trends in the retail market. Augmented reality helps retailers, e-commerce stores, and brands engage their customers with a digital overlay of information, brands, products, and services. Most importantly– AR enhances the shopping experience by allowing interactive and realistic previews to try on clothing, accessories, or test makeup virtually and more.

Interior Design and Home Decor: Augmented reality apps have taken the world by storm and have opened up new possibilities for customers. The technology gives a vivid grasp of what furniture and accessories in a room will look like before purchasing items or placing them. It also allows you to visualize how they could work to maximize your space and creatively use the available area so that you can see if it’s worth buying a piece of accessory or if it just won’t fit. Its popularity is key, as many customers find this incredibly helpful.

Education and Training: When it comes to education, there is always room for improvement. One of the most effective ways to do this is to incorporate Augmented Reality into the classroom. What is it exactly? Augmented reality involves bringing virtual objects, simulations, and interactive elements into the real-world environment. It enables students to visualize complex concepts, perform virtual experiments, and engage in interactive exercises, enhancing their understanding and retention of the subject matter.  Arcona AR Ecosystem will provide the necessary tools and an easy-to-use platform to create augmented experiences by uploading content onto a blockchain-based infrastructure.

Gaming and Entertainment: Mixed Reality games can be played on any device with a screen, such as a desktop PC or laptop, mobile phone, or VR headset. The Mixed Reality platform means that the same game can be played on any hardware – and every user in the connected game can see the same content at once. This is different from games played through apps where players have to share experiences with each other; with Mixed Reality games, everyone who is playing within a single Mixed Reality space will see and experience the same virtual world – making it an incredibly social environment for friends and family to enjoy together.

Tourism and Cultural Heritage: The tourism industry has been increasingly leveraging augmented reality (AR) technology in recent years to provide both tourists and travelers with innovative experiences that stimulate visitors’ imaginations and enrich their explorations of cultural sites and historical traditions.

Companies Excelling in AR Applications with Flutter

As we know, the traditional user experience has been slowly giving way to an advanced and immersive user experience. It is worthwhile to look into the different technologies that can help companies enhance their immersive potential for better user experience. Flutter is one such technology that has huge potential and can help many brands achieve a unique user experience.

-Google

-Alibaba

-IKEA

-The New York Times

-Snapchat

Conclusion  

Flutter is one of the fastest-growing mobile app development frameworks, bringing native-like app performance to iOS and Android apps. One of the most exciting uses of Flutter is in Augmented Reality (AR) applications. Indeed, powerful features like its Hot Reload, Firebase integration, and Google backing open the incredible possibilities for making interactive AR experiences a reality on both your mobile device and on the web with Flutter. In this article, we have discussed how you can get started using augmented reality with Flutter to create a mobile experience at a variety of levels ranging from detecting objects to free hand geolocation scans for sending efficient location information back to your end user. Developing an AR app is no small feat. It requires a solid team and the latest industry tools to create a successful app that meets customer demands and your business needs. At Brain Inventory, we have an experienced team of Flutter developers who are well-versed in the latest AR tech and have access to cutting-edge developer tools. Their knowledge and expertise can help you create a great AR experience for both your brand and customers by using this technology to enhance their experience.