Tabletop AR
The tabletop AR example makes it possible to overlay 3D maps and location data onto the AR camera feed using Unity’s AR Interface and location services. This article outlines the setup and purpose of each major part of the Tabletop AR example.
Getting started
To open the example, navigate to MapboxAR > Examples > Scenes > TabletopAR and double-click to open. You’ll see an AR prerequisites warning.
Some layers that aren’t included by default in a Unity project and are needed to run this scene. Select ARTabletopKit in the Hierarchy view. Add the following layers by clicking Layer and selecting Add Layer
Specify the following layers:
- ARGameObject
- Map
- Path
- Both
The ARTabletopKit contains:
- AR Root: The UnityInterface Prefab for building cross-platform AR apps.
- MapHolder: Places the map on the plane and contains MapRoot as a child object. MapRoot contains the Abstract Map script and is where you can change the map settings as shown below.
- FocusSquare: Finds the plane on which to place the map.
Editing the scene
Click on MapRoot and find the Latitude Longitude settings in the GENERAL settings of the Abstract Map script. Click Search and enter the coordinates of anywhere in the world. For this example, we used New York City.
Running in the editor
Once you set up your project layers, play the scene. You should see the map in the Scene and Game views:
Running on a device
First, check that your device supports ARKit or ARCore. Build settings differ for iOS and Android. Check your Player Settings before you build:
- iOS: ARKit supports the METAL graphics API only. Select Metal or Auto Graphics API.
- iOS: Be sure to include a Camera Usage Description and Location Usage Description
- Android: Use OPENGL ES or Auto Graphics API.
After you build to your device, find a flat surface such as a table top and align your camera. Your map will be visualized once the AR plane is detected. Below is a screenshot of New York City.