Feature Overview

→Return to Getting Started

General overview

The Unifeye Software Development Kit® (SDK) lets software developers implement their own custom Augmented Reality applications by utilizing the full capabilities of the Unifeye technology platform. Based on a modular framework concept the Unifeye SDK® can be upgraded with a broad variety of AR related technologies which are constantly being added out of metaio's elaborate R&D work. With Unifeye SDK® developing your own augmented reality will be available out of the box.

Modular and extensible augmented reality framework

It is possible to create a tailored module configuration to suit your requirements. As a developer you will also be able to extend the framework directly with external Software and Hardware APIs.

Professional developer interface to the Unifeye technology platform

You can choose from different programming layers by either using the comfortable high-level (black-box) API or having individual component access to rendering, capturing, tracking on a low-level basis.

The Unifeye SDK interface is provided as an ActiveX/COM interface which can be easily integrated into most programming and development environments like:

• Managed (Microsoft .Net) programming languages like C#, Visual Basic .Net, Managed C++
• Native C++
• HTML/!JavaScript/VBScript

Ready-to-use capabilities

The SDK ships with various application templates, authoring and configuration tools as well as an elaborate documentation for developers. The following tools are provided:

• The general Unifeye GUI for building/configuring AR scenarios
• The Unifeye Workflow Engine for building custom made, flexible AR scenarios using visual programming and an extensive and custom extendable library of predefined actions
• Camera calibration tools:
  • Sextant/Standard camera calibration
  • Extended Sextant/Extended camera calibration (for high precision scenarios)
• Tracking system configuration tools:
  • Marker generator
  • Planar markerless configuration tool
  • 3D markerless configuration tool
• General calibration tools:
  • HandEye calibration for the relative calibration of two tracking systems (e.g. for referencing an IR target on a camera (IR tracking) to the internal camera coordinate system)
  • Optical See-Through Calibration for see-through Head-Mounted-Displays (HMDs)
• The Transformation Calculator to convert transformations (rotation/translation) between different mathematical representations

Modern framework architecture

The modern Unifeye SDK framework is well founded, multithreaded and extensible with support for latest 32 and 64-bit systems.

Most comprehensive variety of tracking, capturing and rendering technologies on the market

The following tracking systems are available:

• High precision marker tracking
• 2D texture/image tracking
• 3D object tracking
• 3D extensible tracking
• Face tracking
• Infrared tracking:
  • support for systems from ART
  • metaio IR tracking system
• support for Hardware tracking systems like
  • PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras using the Sony VISCA protocol
  • mechanical tracking arms from FARO and Cimcore
• Plug-in concept for custom/external tracking systems and sensors (compass, GPS, IR, mechanical,...)

The following image sources are available/supported:

• Standard video camera/capture card support (using DirectShow)
• Native Allied Vision Technologies cameras (http://www.alliedvisiontec.com/) support
• High-Definition camera support

Regarding rendering a powerful VRML rendering engine for standard PC systems (stand-alone) and a high-end rendering engine based on OSG for high-quality design requirements is available.

→Return to Getting Started

-- SupportMetaio - 2010-07-12