Feedback 3/3/2021: Please update MARS info as sticky (too many stumbling blocks to getting started)

Hi,
These are the unexplained issues I'm facing:
- Does MARS work with Unity 2020.2.1f1 or should we be on Unity 2019?
- I ask, because on a fresh install of 2020.2.1f1, I cant have Mars Simulation window and Mars Device window open at the same time. What I'm seeing is, one replaces the other, whether docked or free floating.

- What is the process to actually build for Android? I open the project in Unity Windows/DX and try to go to test building with MARS-->BuildSettingCheck and it throws up the error as in the pic


Help on these as a sticky would be great, including the tip that you might need to first hit play then close Unity editor, on first install of MARS, otherwise you might get an authorization/no subscription error.

 

My normal workflow is to
Open a new unity project and immediately switch to Android *before* importing assets etc.

When I followed the above routine and imported MARS, and samples and went to Mars-->Build Settings Check I got this error:


So I assumed that MARS does it's own switching of the Unity Editor to the relevant platform (for me android).
But again, when I manually switched platforms to Android and went to Mars---> Build settings check, I get the same above message/warning.

What does it mean?
**edit** I've since found out it's just a warning, as listed here (scroll down to AR foundation Compatibility section) https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.mars-ar-foundation-providers@1.0/manual/index.html

Hope it helps other newbies

 

Strange this is, if I tried to open the Simulation view window and Device view window from the menu bar it would not work- they'd just replace each other. But once either the device or simulator window was opened, then from that same window if you rightclicked on its title bar and selected Mars-->Deviceview/SimulatorView, it would spawn out a new window. - Must be one of the weird Unity glitches.

However, a new bug(?) seems to occur for me. If I have the "Main Camera" object selected under the Mars Session (in Hierarchy panel) then if I move the mouse over the simulation or device views - Unity throws up these errors:

 

Thank you, Seth_Persigehl, much appreciate you explaining these steps and confirming some of the issues. I've since been able to work out the problems thus far. All said and done, yes, this is a powerful and well thought out authoring system for AR and I'm going to spend the next two months invested in learning more (given my handicap is actual coding)
Regards to the team at MARS.

 

@Seth_Persigehl_Unity Could you confirm if indeed MARS works with ArFoundation's AR Camera manager and AR Occlusion Manager?

I've added these scripts to the Main Camera (MARS Session-->MainCamera) and there seems to be no effect on final build on Samsung S8 phone. Same goes for when trying to use Light Estimation in the AR Camera Manager script.

For comparison, Google's image search (for instance, searching for tiger etc... and then using the AR feature does both, have good occlusion as well as light estimation to darken/brighten the model depending on real world lighting conditions.

**edit** I've got Occlusion working now, but still no luck with Light Estimation

 

I've just googled it and I think there are some scripts on Github for it? Will check it out when I'm back at the machine. Thank you for the tips.

These are options that should be within MARS , I feel to make it easier for intended authors (Reflect, Creative Designers using AR...) I've been slowly reading and coming across suggestions of using ARfoundation scripts and to enable some of these missing features in MARS authored AR content [ contact shadows, Occlusion, Light estimation, reflections etc.]

 

Works now. I followed the suggestions from this thread. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. https://forum.unity.com/threads/lig...s-are-different-to-normal-gameobjects.923447/

My next task is to 'attack' the popping in and out of objects on ground planes, as well as the simple cube in the Table template deciding to sit on the floor in the real world (albeit in real world evening room lighting - testing on a samsung s8)
However, AR models in Google's 3D model viewer are pretty rock solid even in very dim lighting and get "grounded" to the floor almost instantly