Google turns the world into an AR stage with Geospatial Creator

Picture: Google

Create interactive, world-anchored AR experiences in minutes? Google’s Geospatial Creator is supposed to make it possible.

Google has unveiled its new AR platform, Geospatial Creator. It’s a tool that allows immersive content to be visualized, created, and published directly from Unity or Adobe Aero in minutes.

Here’s how Geospatial Creator works

In a view similar to Google Earth or Google Street View, developers and creators can use Geospatial Creator to create their 3D maps and enrich them with augmented reality elements. For example, they can insert buildings, landscapes, objects, and figures into the maps and enhance them with animations, sounds, and interaction options.

Existing maps from Google Maps can also be personalized with custom content. The maps are then integrated and shared via Unity and Adobe Aero.

To visualize the content placed with the Geospatial Creator, users need a smartphone or tablet that supports ARCore. This lets them view and interact with content via the integrated camera.

Google didn’t limit these capabilities to one platform. The experiences are available on all supported Android and iOS devices. The content is spatially anchored, so it stays in the same position in space even if viewers move or change perspective.

What is possible with Geospatial Creator?

Geospatial Creator is not yet publicly available. Select users and partners have early access to create the project previews of what will be possible with Geospatial Creator.

Space Invader celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. In honor of the arcade classic, Taito used Geospatial Creator to develop the AR version of Space Invaders: World Defense. It takes the gameplay of the original and combines AR with 3D gameplay.

Singapore used the new tool to create a guided tour of the city’s landmarks. The city mascot, Merli, shows and explains the individual stops on the tour, and scenes from the past give tourists an understanding of the city’s history.

You can see a preview in the video, and the full tour will be released in the summer of 2023.

Google Arts & Culture has partnered with Global Street Art and three world-renowned artists to digitally augment physical murals in London, Mexico City, and Los Angeles with augmented reality.

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