Welcome to AR Development 

Configure your AR development environment

Deploy your project to iOS or Android

Welcome to AR Development Quiz

Welcome to AR Development

test

Get ready for AR development: explore the field, hear from experts, install essential software, set up a Unity project, and deploy a test project to your mobile device.

Research future AR use cases to prepare for developing new kinds of applications

Evaluate platform capabilities and limitations in order to determine whether or not a given feature will work.

Absolute Beginner AR Design

Absolute Beginner AR Development

In these tutorials, you'll get ready for AR development. First, you'll learn about the field of AR and hear from established creators in the AR industry. Next, you'll download all required software to get started and configure a Unity project for AR development. Finally, you'll deploy a test project to your mobile device to make sure everything is working as it should.

Get started with AR

Mobile AR Development

Mobile AR Development - Unity Learn

Ready to create AR experiences? In this learning pathway, you’ll develop AR apps compatible with iOS and Android devices!

Develop AR experiences that use trackable targets in the environment

Create basic application interactions with Visual Scripting

Absolute Beginner Visual Scripting

Welcome to AR Development! In this learning Pathway, you'll create Augmented Reality (AR) applications that are compatible with iOS and Android devices. You’ll use Visual Scripting and Unity’s AR tools to develop a wide variety of engaging AR experiences. This pathway assumes a basic knowledge of Unity.

Set up a face tracking project

Add a face texture

Add accessories to your filter

Add animations to your filter

Add particle effects to your filter

Add post-processing to your filter

Submission: Ice cream company filter

Learn how to create a custom face filter app with fun textures, 3D models, particles, and effects. In the challenge, design a themed filter for an ice cream company.

In this mission you'll create your own custom face filter app that includes a wide variety of digital content. The face filter will include interesting textures, animated 3D models, dynamic particles, and post-processing effects. You'll also complete a challenge where you design a custom filter for an ice cream shop.

Create a basic face filter

Build a new scene with glasses

Set up the UI

Create a visual script to detect a button press

Turn on the glasses with buttons

Update your graph to switch between glasses

Configure one color button

Complete the color switching functionality

Save and load the glasses

Submission: Ocean-themed face filter

Create with AR: Face Filters Quiz

Expand on what you’ve learned with filters that add interactive elements. You’ll create an app for customizing and trying on glasses, then an ocean-themed face filter.

Now that you’ve created a basic face filter, you’re ready to develop your skills and work on a filter that involves interactivity. In this project, you will create your own interactive app that allows a user to select, customize, and visualize different pairs of glasses on their face.You will also complete a challenge where you design an interactive underwater scuba filter for an aquarium.

Create an interactive face filter

Create a new project for marker-based AR

Spawn an object on an AR Marker

Add a UI with rotation buttons

Add world space UI to your marker-based app

Add spatial audio to your marker-based app

Submission: Bring art to life with AR

Learn to create marker-based AR apps, which make digital models appear over marker images in the real world. In the challenge, you’ll breathe life into a 2D work of art.

Beginner Mobile Optimization

 app is an application that can recognize images (called markers) in the real world and then make content appear in the app. You may have seen applications that use this kind of technology to make AR content for movie posters, product labels, card games, and even business cards.

In this project, you’ll make a marker-based app with a user interface that lets the user control a 3D model, text, and audio.

Create a marker-based AR app

Set up a scene with plane detection

Detect the user’s touch

Detect when the user touches a plane

Instantiate the portal on a plane

Test the frame rate of the portal world

Limit the visibility of the portal world

Submission: AR friend

Create with AR: markers and planes Quiz

Make an app that detects flat surfaces and allows the user to spawn a portal on their floor or wall. Then complete a challenge to create an interactive character app.

In this project, you’ll create an AR app that makes use of plane detection technology. iOS and Android devices have the ability to detect flat surfaces — or planes — in your physical environment. This includes horizontal planes like the floor or a table, and vertical planes like the walls. 

You will create an app where the user will be able to tap on a plane in order to place a portal onto it. This portal will be a window into a virtual 3D environment that the user can peer into and explore. 

You will also complete a challenge where you design an app that allows the user to place a character on a table and interact with it.

Create a plane detection AR app

UFO project overview

Explore the Unity project

Begin the AR port

Selecting an orientation for your AR game

Enable the play area

Develop the AR UFO movement

Develop the AR UFO abduction action

Other AR considerations

Design your own AR app

In this Mission, you’ll port an existing desktop game to mobile and redesign it to be a fully functioning (and fun!) AR experience.

In this learning experience, you’ll port an existing desktop game to mobile and redesign it to be a fully functioning (and fun!) AR experience. You’ll conduct research, create a design document, modify visual scripts, and regularly playtest your app. At the conclusion of this project, you’ll also design and create your own fully realized AR application.

AR experience design

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Overview

Enable the ARKit XR plug-in [iOS]

Give your app a unique identifier [iOS]

Configure build settings [iOS]

Build and run in XCode [iOS] 

Familiarize yourself with XCode [iOS]

Resolve XCode errors [iOS]

Run the app on your device [iOS]

Configure signing preferences in Unity [iOS]

Rebuild a new version of your app [iOS]

Configure the Game view aspect ratio [iOS]

Enable the ARCore XR plug-in [Android]

Configure build settings [Android]

Enable USB Debugging on your device [Android]

Run the app on your device [Android]

Rebuild a new version of your app [Android]

Configure the Game view aspect ratio [Android]

More things to try

Next steps

Zu-UnityLearn

3.5.mp4

spinningCubeMission0.mp4

rectangle-floating (2).mp4

0.3.8_Spinning-cube-test RESIZE.mp4

0.3.10MediumMoreToTry.mp4

Testing your AR applications on your mobile device is much more exciting and informative than doing so in the Unity Editor. 

In this tutorial, you’ll deploy your AR project to your iOS or Android device. By the end, you’ll be able to see a spinning cube displayed in your surrounding environment through your device’s camera.

Games

Build AR projects to mobile devices

In this tutorial, you’ll deploy your AR project to your iOS or Android device. By the end, you’ll be able to see a spinning cube displayed in your surrounding environment through your device’s camera. Not only will this be cool, but it will also ensure that your software and project are set up correctly for AR development.

The processes for building and deploying apps to iOS and Android are very different. Because of that, this tutorial is split into two sections: the first half is dedicated to iOS and the second half is dedicated to Android. To avoid confusion, each step will be also labeled with either [iOS] or [Android].

To deploy for iOS, continue on to the next step. To deploy for Android, jump to the Android section and continue from there. 

The project is already generally set up for AR. Now you have to configure it to be compatible with iOS, specifically, by installing ARKit, Apple’s AR framework. The equivalent package for Android devices is ARCore.

ARKit is the API that provides access to the cameras, sensors, and other hardware that make AR experiences possible on iOS devices. 

Follow these instructions to install ARKit in your project:

1.  From the main menu, select Edit > Project Settings, then select XR Plug-in Management from the left panel.

2.  Select the iOS tab from the XR-Plugin Management panel.

3.  From the list of Plug-in Providers, make sure that ARKit is enabled.

Project Settings window open with XR plug in management settings selected and iOS tab outlined. ARKit Plug-in provider is enabled.

In order to deploy a project to an iOS device, the app needs a unique identifier. For iOS projects, it is called a Bundle Identifier – and no two projects can have the same one. This identifier is a combination of a company name and a product name. Most of you will not actually have a real company name at this point, but you will still need to assign one to your project in order to successfully build your app.

To assign a unique bundle identifier, complete the following steps: 

1.  From the Unity Editor main menu, go to Edit > Project Settings.

2.  In the navigation sidebar on the left side of the Project Settings window, select Player.

3.  Change the Company Name property to a custom name of your choice.

Important: Your identifier cannot include any spaces or special characters. You can only use upper and lower case letters. If you include any special characters, your app will not build.

4.  If you want, change the Product Name to a custom name of your choice. This is not necessary if you have already entered a unique company name.

5.  Scroll down in the Player Settings panel and locate the Identification section. Notice that the Bundle Identifier field is automatically generated with com.CompanyName.ProductName. 

6.  Make sure that your unique Bundle Identifier does not include any spaces or special characters before moving on.

Project settings window with Player settings selected. Company Name and Product name properties are highlighted.

Project settings window with Player settings selected and Bundle Identifier property highlighted.

Before building your project, there are just a few last-minute steps to take care of. Follow these instructions to configure your build settings: 

1.  From the main menu, select File > Build Settings.

2.  Select Add Open Scenes to make sure the currently-open scene will be included.

3.  From the Platform panel, select iOS, then select Switch Platform. This process may take a few moments. 

Build settings with iOS Platform selected. Add Open Scenes and  Switch Platform buttons are highlighted.

In the previous tutorial, you were asked to download XCode, Apple’s custom integrated development environment (IDE). If you haven’t done that yet, or the download is still in progress, you will have to wait until it’s finished in order to continue. 

When you select Build and Run to deploy a project from Unity to an iOS device, it initiates the following three-step process: 

A new XCode project (a .xcodeproj file and all supporting files) is created.

XCode automatically opens that new project.

XCode automatically runs that project on a connected target device.

However, the first time you attempt this process, a number of issues will arise and prevent step three above from completing. You’ll go through this process now and resolve all of these expected issues along the way:

1.  Open a Finder window and go to your Applications folder, then double-click XCode to open it. The XCode welcome window should appear.

2.  Connect your target iOS device to your computer with a cable and unlock the device screen.

3.  From the Build Settings menu in Unity, select Build and Run. The Finder will open within the project’s top-level folder.

4.  Create a new folder called “Builds” to hold all builds from this project, create a new folder within that called “AR Template” to hold this particular build, then select Choose.

5.  When the build process completes, XCode will automatically open on a mostly empty screen, with an error icon in the corner.

XCode application window with highlight arrow pointing at an error icon.

If this is your first time using XCode, it can be a bit overwhelming. You’ll take a minute now to explore the interface and get comfortable with it. If you’re already familiar with XCode, you can skip this step. 

To explore your project in XCode, complete the following steps:

1.  At the top of the navigator area in the left sidebar, select Unity-iPhone; this is the name of the automatically-generated XCode project from Unity.

2.  Notice that the editor area in the center and inspector area in the right sidebar are now full of options and information.

3.  Browse through the tabs at the top of the editor area (General, Signing & Capabilities, etc.) and scroll through the options available in each tab. 

Most of the settings in this project are highly technical and will be unfamiliar — you don't need to worry about them in detail. However, as you browse the project, try to identify the cause of the errors. Look out for familiar terms you recognize, such as the settings for orientation, iOS versions, or app icons.

As you explored XCode, you probably noticed that its interface is pretty similar to Unity’s. It may help you feel more comfortable in XCode to consider the following parallels: 

The left panel is the navigator area, where you can select files to edit – just like Unity’s Hierarchy.

The large space in the center is the editor area, where you do most of your work – just like Unity’s Scene view. 

The right panel is the inspector area, where you can edit the properties of an individual file – just like Unity’s Inspector! 

If you’re interested, you can learn more about the interface from the XCode official documentation.

Xcode window open with Unity-iPhone project selected in the sidebar. The settings tabs along the top of the window are highlighted.

Now that you’re a bit more comfortable with XCode, you are ready to resolve those expected errors. 

The errors in this project don’t have anything to do with the functionality of the app – all the problems relate to signing. Signing your app is kind of like signing your signature at the bottom of a document: it tells XCode that you created the app and take responsibility for it. Without all the appropriate signing information, there will be errors and XCode will refuse to deploy the app to your device.  

To review and address the problem, complete the following steps:

1.  Select the Signing & Capabilities tab in the editor area.

2.  Check the four fields in the Signing & Capabilities tab. These fields must be set up properly to resolve the errors and run your app:

Team: The individual or company responsible for the app.

Bundle Identifier: The unique identifier for the project.

Provisioning Profile: Something you install on a device that allows it to be used for testing apps.

Signing Certificate: Permission Apple grants you to develop apps for its devices.

If that’s overwhelming, it’s OK — we’ll guide you through this. 

3.  Enable the Automatically manage signing checkbox and then select Enable Automatic when prompted. This allows XCode to configure things automatically for you.

4.  You now need to assign a Team. The error itself reads, “Signing for "Unity-iPhone" requires a development team.” Select Add Account next to the Team field. A new Accounts window will appear and prompt you to sign in with your Apple ID and password. Doing this will sign you in to XCode with your Apple ID. You can close this Accounts window after you sign in.


5.  From the new Team dropdown that is currently set to None, select Your Name (Personal Team). 

6.  Make sure that the errors have cleared from the Signing & Capabilities tab.

XCode window with Automatically manage signing enabled. There is a pop-up window confirming whether the user would like to Enable Automatic signing.

Accounts menu in XCode settings showing Apple ID settings. 

Xcode with Signing and Capabilities window selected and no errors showing.

With all signing errors resolved, you’re ready to deploy and test the app on your device. To do this, complete the following steps:

1.  Make sure your device is plugged in with its screen unlocked.

2.  From the top toolbar, set the run destination to your connected iOS device.

3.  Select the play button at the top of XCode to run the project (or press Cmd+R).

4.  Monitor the progress of the build in the toolbar and wait for the app to run on your device.

5.  If you are prompted to give codesign access to your Apple Development certificate, enter your computer’s password and select Always Allow.

6.  As the app builds, many warnings will appear in the left navigator area of XCode. These are only relevant when you are trying to submit your app to the App Store (they relate to the app icon, localization, and other distribution settings). You can ignore these warnings for now.

7.  Your mobile device may display a message warning that the app cannot be opened (as it was not created by a trusted developer). On your device, go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management. Select the Apple Development: [your Apple ID] app in the Developer App section, and then select Trust. 

Note:  If you are connected to a secure network with strict security settings, your device may have trouble connecting to Apple’s servers in order to validate and trust your developer certificate. You may need to connect to a different network or use mobile data to complete this step.


8.  Re-run the device through XCode. When the app opens on your device, pick up your device and point the camera toward your environment.

The spinning cube will generate directly in front of wherever the camera is pointed the moment the app runs, so consider this before you point your device. The cube won’t stay perfectly in place, but it should stay in approximately the same area of your room.

9.  When you are finished testing the app, select stop in XCode to fully close the app. Alternatively, you can also swipe up from the bottom of your device, hold, then let go. Then swipe up on the app to fully close it. 

Important: Make sure that you stop or close the app rather than just minimizing it. If you only minimize the app, keeping it running in the background, changes you make in Unity may not build to the device.  

Congratulations! You have successfully deployed an AR project to your iOS device. 

XCode Toolbar with the run destination set to iPhone.

XCode window with the building progress highlighted, currently showing 152 out of 319 items completed.

Confirmation window confirming whether or not the user will allow codesign to access an Apple Development certificate in keychain.

VPN & Device Management settings on the iPhone. The Developer App is shown as “Not Trusted”.

You will build your apps through XCode many times during development, so this process should be as efficient as possible. However, if you rebuild your app right now, you’ll need to take the same steps as you did above to resolve those signing errors. 

Helpfully, you can pre-configure your signing preferences in Unity so that those errors never appear in XCode. 

Note: During this process, you may be asked to input your computer password in a Keychain Access dialogue window a number of times. This is expected behavior.

To configure your signing preferences in Unity, complete the following steps:

1.  On your computer, use Spotlight Search to open the Keychain Access app. 

2.  In the left sidebar, select the login filter, then in the tabs along the top, select My Certificates. This should reveal the Apple Development certificate that was automatically generated by XCode


3.  Double-click the certificate to open it and locate the Organizational Unit property, then select and copy the ID associated with it. You’ll need to paste this value later.

Deploy your project to iOS or Android

1. Overview

2. Enable the ARKit XR plug-in [iOS]

3. Give your app a unique identifier [iOS]

4. Configure build settings [iOS]

5. Build and run in XCode [iOS]

6. Familiarize yourself with XCode [iOS]

7. Resolve XCode errors [iOS]

8. Run the app on your device [iOS]

9. Configure signing preferences in Unity [iOS]

10. Rebuild a new version of your app [iOS]

11. Configure the Game view aspect ratio [iOS]

12. Enable the ARCore XR plug-in [Android]

13. Configure build settings [Android]

14. Enable USB Debugging on your device [Android]

15. Run the app on your device [Android]

16. Rebuild a new version of your app [Android]

17. Configure the Game view aspect ratio [Android]

18. More things to try

19. Next steps

Complete this tutorial