A Mobile Authoring Tool for AR Content Generation Using Images as Annotations

• Main Author: Rodrigo, Ma. Mercedes T.
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2014
• Subjects: augmented reality; authoring tool; mobile application; Computer Sciences
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/discs-faculty-pubs/8; https://archium.ateneo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=discs-faculty-pubs
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that allows the superimposition of virtual objects onto the real world environment. Various fields, such as education, medicine, and architecture, have started adapting AR technology. However, developing AR applications, along with their contents, requires a specific skillset, which limits the number of AR-based applications that can be developed. Various authoring tools are available for desktop systems to ease the development of AR applications and content, yet only few attempts have been made to develop these kinds of tools for mobile systems. This paper describes a mobile application that allows users to author content for AR viewing using 2D images. Furthermore, the tool allows users to produce and to edit AR content on the spot. After the application was developed, a usability test was conducted with eight teachers in order to assess the difficulty of using the application. The user testing showed that the application developed was generally easy to use, and that further addition of features can improve the application.