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Unity launches the AR authoring solution Unity Mars
Tuesday, June 9, 2020 | Written by Jim Thacker
Unity Technologies launched Unity Mars, a new platform for building augmented and mixed reality applications based on the Unity game engine.
Intended as a more user-friendly environment for developing and testing AR experiences than the native Unity Editor, it is available as an additional paid subscription for Unity itself.
A WYSIWYG authoring and testing environment based on Unity's AR Foundation framework
Unity already has a pretty well-established augmented reality toolset: with the AR Foundation framework, users can create content for iOS and Android phones, as well as Magic Leap and Microsoft HoloLens hardware.
On the Unity Mars product page, the platform is placed as an authoring level via AR Foundation itself and offers a workflow-friendly environment for creating AR content.
In addition to an interface specially developed for AR and a visual WYSIWYG workflow, it supports fuzzy authoring so that users can set the expected minimum and maximum limits for real objects.
According to Unity, using a tolerance range instead of exact dimensions helps solve the “infinite number of variables” problem where apps fail in environments that don't meet their expectations.
Other benefits proposed by Unity include the option to test AR experiences in the Unity Mars simulation view against a set of pre-built indoor and outdoor environments, reducing the need for physical testing.
Unity also plans to release a number of companion apps for mobile devices that allow users to collect data and author content outside of the Unity editor itself.
Price and system requirements
Unity Mars is only compatible with Unity 2019.3+ on a rental basis.
Unlike many Unity add-ons, it is available to every Unity user, including those with free personal subscriptions, but only by completing an additional annual subscription that is billed at either $ 50 / month or $ 600 / year.
Unity itself is available for Windows 7+, macOS 10.12.6+ and CentOS 7 as well as Ubuntu 16.04 / 18.04 Linux. Paid Plus and Pro plans cost $ 40 / month and $ 150 / month for a monthly paid annual subscription.
For more information on the Unity Mars AR authoring solution, visit the Unity product website
Read the Unity Mars online FAQ
Tags: Android, App Development, App Test, AR, AR Foundation, Augmented Reality, Authoring, Recommended Articles, Fuzzy Authoring, Game Development, Game Engine, HoloLens, iOS, Magic Leap, Mixed Reality, Price, Simulation View, System Requirements, Testing, Unity, Unity Mars, Unity Technologies, XR
