SDKs in XR Development, A Quick Guide
In an ever-evolving world of technological advancement, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) have revolutionized the way we interact with digital content. These technologies create immersive experiences and open up a universe of opportunities in industries like gaming, healthcare, education, and more.
To leverage these technologies efficiently, Software Development Kits (SDKs) come into play, simplifying the task for developers and expediting the process of creation. This blog will delve into understanding what SDKs are, their types, use cases, best SDKs for VR/AR/MR development, and even the steps to create your own.
An Overview of SDK
An SDK, or Software Development Kit, is a set of tools, guidelines, and programs used by developers to create applications for specific platforms. In simple terms, it is a pre-coded build that facilitates the development process by eliminating the need to code everything from scratch.
For example, if you’re developing an app that requires image tracking or plane detection, these complex functionalities come pre-built in an SDK, thereby saving time, reducing redundancy, and ensuring a robust development framework.
Types of SDKs Used in VR/AR/MR Development
The realm of Extended Reality (XR), encompassing VR, AR, and MR, has a wide array of SDKs tailored to meet different requirements. Here’s a look at some of the types of SDKs used:
Platform SDKs:
These SDKs are built for specific platforms or operating systems. Examples include Google’s ARCore SDK for Android AR development and Apple’s ARKit SDK for iOS AR development. These SDKs contain the necessary libraries and APIs required to build AR applications for their respective platforms.
Hardware SDKs:
Hardware SDKs are tailored to specific hardware components. For instance, Oculus SDK for Oculus VR devices allows developers to build applications that take full advantage of the hardware capabilities of Oculus headsets. This could include functionalities like tracking head movements, managing 3D audio and video inputs, or handling the device controllers.
Game Engine SDKs:
These SDKs are integrated into game engines to simplify the development of VR/AR/MR applications. Unity SDK and Unreal Engine SDK are popular examples. These SDKs provide a range of tools, including those for creating 3D environments, scripting gameplay, simulating physics, and incorporating AI.
Industrial applications of SDKs in XR
SDKs have a broad spectrum of use cases in XR development. These include:
Gaming:
Gaming is perhaps the most popular use case for VR/AR/MR technologies. SDKs here enable the creation of immersive and interactive game worlds, allowing for more engaging gameplay. For instance, an AR SDK might be used to develop a game where players interact with virtual objects in their real-world environment.
Education and Training:
XR technologies, enabled by SDKs, can make education and training more immersive and effective. For instance, an AR application could bring historical events to life, or a VR application could simulate a dangerous situation for emergency response training.
Healthcare:
In healthcare, VR and AR can be used for purposes like surgical training, patient therapy, and educating about complex medical conditions. SDKs provide the necessary tools to create these applications, making these advanced healthcare services possible.
Real Estate and Architecture:
Architects and real estate agents can use VR and AR to provide virtual property tours, or even enable potential buyers to visualize different design or furnishing options. These experiences can be created using the appropriate SDKs.
A Quick Analysis of Popular SDKs
There are multiple SDKs being developed every day here’s a list of common SDKs used and a quick analysis of it’s pros and cons.
Unity’s XR Interaction Toolkit
Unity’s XR Interaction Toolkit enables swift and hassle-free creation of XR applications with minimum effort. As part of Unity’s XR Plugin Architecture, it comes equipped with components that facilitate easy XR interactions. The Toolkit uses Unity’s Input System for processing input events.
The toolkit supports XR development, including AR, VR, and MR, and can easily be implemented. It supports OpenXR, offers both room scale and stationary experiences, and is highly scalable. Despite its versatility, it can be challenging for developers to add custom features. Additionally, some developers may find a lack of UI or multi-hand interaction samples a drawback.
Mixed Reality Toolkit (MRTK)
The MRTK is a cross-platform toolkit developed by Microsoft. It accelerates MR application development in Unity by providing a suite of features and components. However, its use diverges heavily from standard Unity conventions, which can cause confusion.
While the MRTK supports a wide array of devices and receives robust support from Microsoft, using this SDK can be confusing due to its differences from Unity conventions. Proper configuration is crucial, and missing out on any setting can lead to frustration. Also, the toolkit’s commitment to supporting evolving XR standards means only partial support for certain platforms, which can be frustrating for developers seeking to create multi-platform applications.
VRTK
VRTK offers an array of reusable interactions and UI classes/components for creating various VR interactions. Despite providing a balance of UI and physical interactions and an active Discord community, the toolkit might be challenging for creating new interactions not covered in the examples. Also, with the rise of new technologies and standards like hand tracking and OpenXR, VRTK is slowly becoming outdated.
Oculus Integration SDK
The Oculus Integration SDK stands out for offering cutting-edge features and tools. However, it confines your applications to the Oculus platform, and certain advanced features are specific to Oculus hardware. Moreover, the release of new tools and division of examples into pre and post-Interaction SDK releases can lead to confusion among new developers.
XRTK.io
XRTK.io, a fork of Microsoft’s MRTK, offers a comprehensive cross-platform solution for AR/XR/VR development. Despite its lightweight architecture and flexibility, it has relatively fewer sample scenes and slower development and support from core contributors. Additionally, while its efficient architecture is a plus, it may be difficult for beginners to grasp.
How to Create Your Own SDKs for VR/AR/MR Development?
Creating your own SDK requires advanced knowledge in coding and a strong understanding of the platform or hardware you’re building for. Here’s a simplified process:
- Identify the Functionality: Understand the functionality your SDK aims to provide. It could be image tracking, gesture recognition, or any other feature.
- Design the API: Your SDK should have a well-defined and intuitive Application Programming Interface (API) to interact with the applications.
- Code and Document: Write the underlying code for the identified functionality and ensure that the SDK is well-documented for other developers to use.
- Test and Iterate: Rigorously test the SDK in multiple scenarios and continue refining it based on the feedback.
Conclusion
SDKs serve as the backbone for developers venturing into the fascinating world of VR, AR, and MR development. They offer a streamlined, efficient, and cost-effective way to bring ideas to life in the digital world. As we continue to witness rapid advancements in this realm, the role of SDKs will become even more critical, redefining the future of immersive experiences.
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