Onvert – AR, your way.
The global AR platform for on-line campaign management
In 2010, we started to experiment with Augmented Reality (AR) concepts as part of our exploration of technologies, but it was only when we looked at the combination of AR, QR (Quick Response) Codes and parallax 3D that we began to form the model of onvert.As designers, we wanted to make AR as accessible, powerful and inspiring as possible – to make it an extension of creativity rather than a boundary.
How it Works
Onvert is a combination of a custom web portal and a freely distributed app.
It allows designers to overlay virtual content (with or without sound) on any trigger image of choice.
Anyone can create a 3D virtual projection with up to 30 seconds of accompanying sound. The content is compressed on upload to optimise downloads to a phone over a 3G connection, allowing it to be as fast as loading an average web page.
The QR codes can be read by any standard QR reader and, conversely, the onvert viewer can interpret standard QR codes to guide users to the client website. Only the onvert app, however, can project the designer’s 3D content.
Metaio Partnership
We assessed several options to achieve the high level of functionality required of the system, but it became obvious that the Metaio Mobile SDK was the only real solution for us.
We were able to co-ordinate the development of the app to fit in with the new release in January 2012, to positive feedback.
“Partnering with Metaio is part of the dedication and refocusing of our services to embrace the opportunities of AR and its ability to provide clients with new and exciting commercial possibilities.”
Intellectual Property
Along with our own intellectual property protection, onvert’s creation brought forward legal considerations about content moderation.
We created a procedure for dealing with complaints or issues of third party intellectual property use.
onvert.com
Onvert’s potential to grow swiftly prompted us to engage with distributed data hosting in the cloud, allowing us to scale hosting to best accommodate for spikes in demand. To account for future development by Harmony or third parties, onvert has its own API.
The website’s user interface has been revised following extensive user testing with designers and non-designers, and makes use of the latest CSS3, HTML5 and webGL methods.
To date, there are over 80,000 live campaigns on the system and the subscribers have doubled in the past 12 months.
Future Development
We are now working on expanding our platform, which will include enhanced content and increased object recognition, making the most of the latest SDK to expand the user experience even further.
Version 2 of the onvert system includes new items to present to an application user, statistics and increased interactivity.
Version 3 is in development for release at the end of 2015.
