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Learn to Be an Augmented Reality Developer

For a few years now, virtual reality has been the hottest buzzword in tech. Media voices ranging from YouTube streamers to Conan O’Brien to Fox News can’t stop talking about the magic of VR.

Augmented reality hasn’t gotten as much hype, at least in the public eye. The truth, though, is that AR is expected to be an even bigger market. Visionaries like Apple CEO Tim Cook and analysts like the data experts at Digi-Capital agree that AR is the real world-changer.

That’s the expectation, but the reality will only come with talent and dedication. We’re on the verge of a technological revolution, and the only missing ingredient is people to lead the way. That goes both for content creation and perfecting the platform. What’s clear is that the time is now to learn to be an augmented reality developer.

We’re going to need a lot of them soon.

Where to Begin

If you’re already entrenched in the software development industry, especially in VR, then becoming an augmented reality developer is an easy lateral move. Your existing skills in coding, 3D art, and the other disciplines of modern software creation all apply to AR. Your experience working as part of a team is especially helpful.

Starting from scratch, though, can be daunting. If you have little or no experience but want to build a career as an augmented reality developer, here are some places to begin.

Coding

If you don’t know any programming languages, learn. It takes a logical, mathematical mind, but it’s not as hard as you might imagine. C# and JavaScript are among the most useful languages you can learn, especially entering augmented reality development. Online institutions like Khan Academy and Udemy can help a great deal.

Game Engines

If you’re interested in creating games, then aptitude in one of the commonly used game engines is the next step. Unity3D and Unreal Engine are both great choices.

Mobile Development

Most, though not all, augmented reality applications are built for mobile devices. Skills in developing for both iOS and Android (especially with the advent of Google Tango) are incredibly important.

AR Specific Disciplines

The core of augmented reality is the ability to seamlessly combine and integrate 3D objects into the real world. Unity as well as other platforms offer the tools to do this. As you study, keep your “eye on the prize” and remember that AR is your goal.

Don’t Be Shy

If you take one thing away from this article, it’s this. Ask experts for help. Ask your friends for feedback. The only way you’ll really improve is by putting yourself out there.

The Top Augmented Reality Developers

Spending all that time learning the skills to be an augmented reality developer doesn’t add up to much if you can’t find a job.

Luckily, AR really is a booming field. There are a large number of companies committing resources to the technology the technology.

The proof is in the pudding when it comes to investment. UploadVR reports that 8 out of the top 10 companies in tech have placed serious funds into exploring virtual and augmented reality. Here are some of the biggest names in the space.

Industry Leaders

Microsoft is a leader in development and mass adoption of augmented reality. Their HoloLens AR platform is slowly but surely making headway in the corporate world. As the creator of Windows, Microsoft is used to blazing trails for developers.

That’s why they’ve published a free SDK for HoloLens, as well as the “Holographic Academy”, a series of tutorials in augmented reality development.

Google, after an initial stumble with Google Glass, has reentered the augmented reality ring with Tango, a new mobile-based platform. The company has always been very open to outside developers working with their platforms, and they have released an extensive set of documentation about how Tango works and how to implement it.

Magic Leap is known as “the world’s most secretive startup”. Despite publicly releasing almost no concrete information about their augmented reality platform, they have raised billions of dollars of funding from venture capitalists.

Software Development Teams

Wikitude has created a hardware-agnostic augmented reality SDK that has been used for travel guides, Internet of Things control, games, and countless other applications. They boast that the technology has been used in over 20,000 apps with more than 100,000 registered developers.

AppReal-VR is a development house for hire that has worked in a staggering array of industries. They’re something of a skunkworks, specializing in cutting-edge technologies. Lately, that includes augmented reality, and the firm has found success developing both from scratch, and using platforms like Wikitude and Vuforia.

Conclusion

The tech industry has committed to bringing augmented reality to the world. Billions of dollars are being spent both to perfect the technology and to produce the content to make it worthwhile.

This is an exciting time, full of opportunity. Learning to be an augmented reality developer will open many doors now, and countless more soon. If you’ve been considering a career in software development, AR represents a chance to be at the forefront of something truly amazing.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jennie Campbell .