What is augmented reality? A beginner’s guide

What should I learn to become an AR developer?

It’s an exciting time to enter the field of AR. Refinements in technology are constantly improving the quality of AR experiences, and new industries are beginning to seek out AR solutions.

So what should you learn to become an AR app developer? The specific answer depends on what kinds of projects you’d like to work on. That being said, here are some core skills that would benefit any AR developer.

AR developers require strong programming skills. Whether starting from scratch or transitioning from another field, focusing on languages commonly used in AR development makes sense.

The most common languages vary by platform and include:

JavaScript is another helpful language, particularly if you plan to create web apps.

AR SDKs

As an AR app developer, you don’t necessarily need to know all the ins and outs of computer vision algorithms (unless you plan to get involved in R&D). An AR Software Development Kit (SDK) can handle this task and many others—no need to reinvent the wheel.

AR SDKs are full-featured toolkits for creating AR experiences. The job of the AR SDK is to fuse digital content with the real world. To that end, AR SDKs contain libraries that handle complex tasks like tracking, object recognition, light estimation, content rendering, etc.

Both Apple (iOS) and Google (Android) offer AR SDKs specific to their mobile platforms. Apple’s SDK is called ARKit, while Google’s is called ARCore. Other well-known AR SDKs include Wikitude and Vuforia.

3D modeling and game engines

At some point, you’ll need to create the actual digital content you’ll be placing in your AR apps (e.g., the Pokémon!). This requires 3D modeling skills.

3D modeling is a vast field in itself, and there are many tools to choose from. Most professional AR developers work with popular game engines such as Unity (which uses the C# programming language) and Unreal Engine (which uses C++).

UI/UX skills

AR apps succeed or fail based on their ability to engage users and deliver enjoyable experiences. You need to be able to put yourself in the user’s shoes for your app to have the intended effect. Therefore, a UX or UI design background is a valuable asset for any AR developer.

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