Requirements

The customer wanted Elinext programmers to develop an application that would promote the new Ariel with Micro Boosters in an innovative way through an Augmented Reality based entertaining game. Its mission is to enable higher levels of engagement and interactivity with the targeted audience, create impulse and increase the reach.

Challenges

The list of encountered challenges includes:

• T-shirt marker-less implementation and special programming, calibration, and testing;
• Concept creation: art direction, development of graphical user interface based on the brand guidelines;
• 3D production based on the scenario provided by the client and the provided materials: modeling, texturing, lighting, and 3D animations;
• Integration of 3D animations in the Augmented Reality engine.

Solution

To solve the first task, Elinext Alliance’s developer had to investigate lots of different applications and plugins for Unity3D that work with Augmented Reality. He found one free plugin by Vuforia. This plugin was successfully used in mobile development. Game graphics and 3D models were created by our designer. The developer integrated 3D animation in the Unity3D game engine.

Results

The outcome of the project is a game for the iPad. The application contains some steps. To start the game, the application runs on the iPad placed within the pod.

• Step 1: The user gets a physically customized printed T-shirt with Ariel logo that he can manipulate using a back handle fixed on the shirt to point it towards the iPad cam.
• Step 2: The user starts playing by trying to avoid the stains being thrown virtually at the T-shirt on the screen also integrated into the pod.
• Step 3: Once the T-shirt is dirty, the user starts collecting as many micro boosters as he can and scores during a determined time.
• Step 4: According to the marked score, the sun rises into the screen; the intensity of the sun and the glow of the white T-shirt is determined by the number of the collected micro boosters.
• Step 5: Once the game ends, a key message appears informing the user to take a pose for an automatic snapshot that is later on published on Ariel’s Facebook wall.

Note: The application restarts automatically after the game ending or within 30 seconds in case the system is not in use.