How was this done... AR on the web?

Ok, I've looked around the forums and try to figure out how to re-create the same effect.
Obviously, I know AR can be done on the web with unity3d. You can see so here:
Release the Kraken

I've been looking around, and found a fantastic post that has UnityAR which uses .dll files. I've read in the Unity docs that the .dll plugins cannot be used on the web for security issues.

Does anyone know how this effect was achieved and point me in the right direction of accessing the webcam on the web and accessing a AR library.

Thanks,

James

 

I've been wondering the same thing about how they did that little AR thing.

What I do know is how they made Clash a horrendous movie. Just PM me if you want a guide on "How to Make a Really Bad Movie That Will Sell Millions."

 

Check the post about it on their blog.

So not a solution you and I can use :?

 

This is just one theory. You could make it with Flash and AS3 with this http://www.libspark.org/wiki/saqoosha/FLARToolKit/en and make it talk with the Unity. Requires helluva lot of work, but should be possible to do.

 

I'm guessing FLARTK would still need Flash's security systems to access the camera, and it worked even though I had disallowed mic/camera access in Flash (in fact, I didn't get any prompts before it started accessing my hardware, which I find a little discomforting). I'm inclined to believe the dev blog, but I'm not sure what they mean by "custom [...] webplayer," since I didn't have to download a separate executable.

 

They are using the ARToolkit with a custom built player. The player is located on the UT website which means UT made the player for them. I do not see why you and I can not use it as well?

http://webplayer.unity3d.com/download_webplayer_boffswana_3/webplayer-i386.dmg
http://webplayer.unity3d.com/download_webplayer_boffswana_3/UnityWebPlayer.exe
http://webplayer.unity3d.com/download_webplayer_boffswana_3/webplayer-ppc.dmg

 

I guess I jumped ahead of myself in enthusiasm...

Even if we can use the player, we still need to get the API documentation and updated unityengine-debug.dll so that we can compile scripts that include ARTK.

Perhaps someone from UT can shine some light on the matter?

 

Any updates on this topic? I see that Boffswana is using Unity for web based AR applications. Other Unity solutions seem to require a plugin which if I'm not mistaken (I'm a Unity newbie) will not work with unity projects created for web usage. Boffswana also doesn't appear to be using Flash as part of the process either as their sites don't ask for access to the web cam.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Glen

 

If Unity made the custom webplayer, that means that Unity's developers have this tech under their belt.
Then its not a big stretch of the imagination to have this included in the upcoming Unity 3.0.
I'd say all AR fans need to get lobbying for this feature to be included.
When the standard webplayer can use video, implementing the C# version of ARToolkit under Unity is just a matter of hammering it out.

 

Does not meant that it license wise is allowed for them.
UT also did the work on Fusion Fall yet stuff tickles back slowly or not at all (asset bundles are a consequence of that work, but so is also the not publically sold but available addon license for unity asset cache usage on 2.6+)

 

Come on, I just saw that game and its performance on my laptop.

This webcam tool just rocks, so I really hope it'll make it in 3.x

 

It's a custom feature offered to and available for Boffswana only at this time. General use and availability of those features is just not something we can offer right now but we're obviously hoping to do so in the future.

Feel free to lobby, but we already get the point about this sort of functionality (it's not difficult to understand why this would be great functionality to have!). But also keep in mind that just because you see it in a custom player today for Boffswana does not guarantee we can or will include it in the 3.0 release. At times features like this get accelerated and supported in unique ways by 3rd parties, and with that comes public exposure to the features (like y'all seeing the blog post and content it describes today, or as in the case of FusionFall like dreamora cited) while public access and use takes a bit longer to arrive. Such is this case now, so hang in there as we too want to see this sort of capability in the general public player at some point.

 

So close, yet so far...
Keeping fingers crossed for a speedy trickle-down.

 

i've unpacked the webplayer and i see the following dll's inside

UnityWebPlayer\mono\2.x.x-boffswana\mono-1-vc.dll
UnityWebPlayer\mono\2.x.x-boffswana\Data\lib\mscorlib.dll
UnityWebPlayer\mono\2.x.x-boffswana\Data\lib\UnityDomainLoad

UnityWebPlayer\player\2.x.x-boffswana\
UnityWebPlayer\player\2.x.x-boffswana\wrap_oal.dll
UnityWebPlayer\player\2.x.x-boffswana\webplayer_win.dll
UnityWebPlayer\player\2.x.x-boffswana\Data\unity default resources
UnityWebPlayer\player\2.x.x-boffswana\Data\lib\UnityScript.Lang.dll
UnityWebPlayer\player\2.x.x-boffswana\Data\lib\UnityEngine.dll
UnityWebPlayer\player\2.x.x-boffswana\Data\lib\Boo.Lang.dll


some things i found

wrap_oal.dll <-- "wrapper" OpenAL library

http://unity3d.com/files/mono/monochanges.html

some spare info about mono-1-vc.dll

it seems to be the mono visual c runtime

anyway unity default resources seems to be pretty interesting

sorry if i posted old news but i'm a newbie

btw is a pro feature make a custom installer?

 

For your own desktop (Mac or Win) games and content you can and likely should create your own installing routine, but that's not a built-in feature found in Unity (you must handle that externally). As to the web player, we are the only people allowed to distribute Unity Web Player installers, you are not allowed to create nor distribute your own custom web player installers. The existence and availability of a custom web player, like that in use by Boffswana, is based on agreements they have with us.

 

I managed to find a way of getting the webcam image from Flash to Unity through sockets in the web-browser, very early stages though, still testing functionality so would appreciate feedback, a link to my blog post and demo of it hopefully working for you below:-

http://www.fusedworks.com/blog/development/688

 

Congratulations man
I tried the javascript and sockets route myself, but got stumped on the flash policy stuff.
Hopefully your development will progress smoothly.
Looking forward very much to your planned release.

Now stop reading forums and get back to coding

Ciao, Patrick

 

Very cool Jon, well done!

 

What's AR?

 

Augmented Reality

 

Thankyou for the feedback, most appreciative, as for the policy stuff, I can share this part of the code which should hopefully help others, although I am looking into making this more efficient and into a class. This should make sense to those in the know about threads and listeners:-

In Flash send webcam data using localhost, I used port 8080, in Unity use TCP listener localhost same port, in your thread in the while listening loop,

Code (csharp):

1.  
2. mySocket = tcp_Listener.AcceptTcpClient();
3. TcpClient(Host,Port);
4. stream = mySocket.GetStream();
5. bytesReceived = 0;
6. receivedBytes =0;
7. if (setpolicy) {
8.    byte[] flashpolicy  = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes("<cross-domain-policy><allow-access-from domain=\"*\" to-ports=\"*\"/></cross-domain-policy>");
9.  while(shouldRun) {
10.    byte[] bytes = new byte[mySocket.ReceiveBufferSize];
11.    receivedBytes = 0;
12.    receivedBytes = stream.Read (bytes, 0, (int)mySocket.ReceiveBufferSize);
13.    if (receivedBytes>2) {
14.       stream.Write(flashpolicy, 0, flashpolicy.Length);
15.       setpolicy=false;
16.       break;
17.    }
18.    if(receivedBytes == 0) {
19.       break;
20.    }
21.  }
22. } else{
23.  
24. // Read your image bytes and process into texture
25.  
26. }
27.  

essentially flash's first communication to unity will be a string asking for a policy "<policy-file-request/>", it first asks on port 843 then the port you've tried to open, if you reply with the string above, it starts to send your data across otherwise blocks flash from communicating.

Hope this helps, Jon.

p.s. thanks HiggyB I will wear you comment round the office as a badge of honour.

 

HI , I am new to AR and working on it.Currently ,I am using vuforia .It is supporting for ios and android .But I would like to know which one is useful for webbuild

 

Neither, vuforia, like any other actual plugin is not supported in webplayer, indeed several AR solutions such as Vuforia don't even support standalone builds either.

From memory read through the thread as it discusses methods of using non-plugin versions of Artoolkit to accomplish AR with marker cards.