Belgian software company Graphine Software and VFX leader Weta Digital have announced the launch of AR Horse, a mobile augmented reality (AR) application that allows you to put a lifelike horse anywhere, simply by using your ARCore compatible smartphone. AR Horse stands as a showcase piece for a partnership that aims to significantly improve the visual quality of AR videogames and experiences, featuring more than 50 4K textures in a single app.
Graphine is a world-renowned authority on texture streaming technology for videogames and virtual reality (VR), and have now developed the AR application AR Horse in collaboration with Weta Digital, creator of visual effects for films such as Lord of The Rings and War for the Planet of the Apes. In the application, assets that were created for special effects in movies – a huge black horse, in this particular case – are displayed crisply, life-sized, right in front of the user.
“Visual fidelity is one of the most important elements of a believable mixed reality application. As a company, supporting mobile hardware is something we have been aiming to do for quite a while. AR Horse proved to be the perfect opportunity to introduce our story to a wide audience,” says CEO Aljosha Demeulemeester.
The technology within AR Horse is now available for mobile developers on ARCore compatible hardware using the Unity Technologies real-time development platform. The technology developed by Graphine opens the door to accessible, near-photorealistic applications that will be used for training, virtual stores, promotional films and experiences, games or advertising.
“As far as we are aware, there is no other application out there that can display a large virtual object in such detail. You can only fully come to grips with this ‘new reality’ by getting really close to the horse in the app,” Demeulemeester adds proudly, reflecting the fact that a new benchmark in terms of visual fidelity is set for AR.
AR Horse offers a glance into state-of-the-art AR and is available now as a free download via Google Play. More information about the technology behind the visual quality of AR Horse can be found on Graphine Software’s official website and VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest movements in AR development.