*WARNING: * The ARTag library used for examples in the book will be unavailable after 12/21/2010 due to licensing restrictions.

Augmented Reality is the fusion of real and virtual reality, where computer graphics objects are blended into real footage in real-time. AR creates the illusion that virtual, computer-generated objects exist in the real world. All you need is a computer and a webcam. Learn new ways to interact with your computer. The possibilities are endless: data visualization, immersive environments, and, of course, gaming. This book will show you how, and teach you about game development at the same time. You can run the included demos, or use the ARTag API to customize your own AR applications.

For various technical reasons, the eBook version is a PDF: epub and mobi versions of this title will NOT be available.

Out of Print

This book is currently out of print.

About this Book

  • 328 pages
  • Published:
  • Release: P1.0 (2008-01-22)
  • ISBN: 978-1-93435-603-6

Augmented Reality is a natural way to explore 3D objects and data, as it brings virtual objects into the real world where we live, rather than forcing us to learn how to navigate inside the computer. With video-see-through technology, AR handheld devices such as tablet PC’s, PDA’s, or camera cell phones, (or in many cases just a webcam and our standard computer monitor), you hold the device up and “see through” the display to view both the real world and the superimposed virtual object. You can move around and see the virtual object, model, animation, or game from different views as the AR system performs alignment of the real and virtual cameras automatically.

This book will introduce you to Augmented Reality (AR), provide detailed explanations of how the technology works, and provide samples for you to try on your own. Code samples using the freely downloadable ARTag software SDK in C++ and C# are included; all you need is a computer, printer, and a webcam. *WARNING: * This library will be unavailable after 12/21/2010 due to licensing restrictions.

Create something new today!

Contents and Extracts

Full Table of Contents

  • About Augmented Reality
  • Getting AR Running
  • Computer Graphics Basics
  • Using OpenGL with Augmented Reality
  • Introduction to AR Programming
  • Writing Applications for ARTag
  • Model Loading and Rendering
  • Your Own AR Game
  • Enhancing Your AR Game
  • How Does ARTag Work?
  • Troubleshooting
  • Acknowledgments
  • Glossary

The SDK described in the book is available for download here.

About the Author

Stephen Cawood is a Canadian writer. He has received three patent awards for his work on web-based content management, and had the good fortune to speak at various technical conferences including Microsoft TechEd in New Zealand, Australia, and Stephen’s home country: South Africa. Stephen is the author of The Unauthorized Halo 2 Battle Guide: Advanced Combat Techniques (Thompson Course Technology), The Black Art of Halo Mods (Sams), and Halo 2 Hacks (O’Reilly and Associates).

Mark Fiala is a computer vision researcher who has worked both in the academic world in computer vision and in industry doing electrical engineering. Mark grew up as a robotics hobbyist and pursued computer vision to make “eyes for robots.” However, he later discovered other uses for computer vision. Mark studied electrical engineering and computer vision in Canada and took part in several startup companies in varied areas of telecom and panoramic imaging before working for four years in the Computational Video Group of Canada’s National Research Council. At the NRC, he applied computer vision to other areas including Augmented Reality

Comments and Reviews

  • John R. Vacca said:

    ...outstanding job of writing a book that provides all of the information that you will need to quickly start developing your own Augmented Reality (AR) applications. VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!