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Prepare to Create Augmented Reality Experiences
Before you start designing your first Vuforia Studio AR experience, there are a few things to know. First, learn how the technology works. Next, learn AR design and development basics. Finally, depending on your use case, you may need to obtain your CAD files and learn how to use ThingWorx and Creo Illustrate.
- Get Familiar with Vuforia Studio
- Define Your Augmented Reality Use Case
- Choose Augmented Reality Devices
01. Get technology overview
Vuforia Studio is made up of four components that work together to deliver AR experiences.
- Vuforia Studio: A web-based tool used to author and publish AR experiences.
- Vuforia View: An app used to access and view AR experiences. There are several ways for a user to find and launch an AR experience–scanning ThingMarks or QR codes, or from their Experience Library.
- Experience Service: A server used to store and deliver published AR experiences. Each experience service comes with a unique URL. This URL is required to publish AR experiences.
- ThingWorx: A development platform used to authenticate Vuforia users. All Vuforia Studio customers get access to ThingWorx. But if your organization purchased a license for ThingWorx, you will use it to incorporate IoT data into your Vuforia Studio AR experiences.
To start building AR experiences, you will need credentials to log in, and your organization’s Experience Service URL. Contact your administrator to learn more.
- Vuforia Studio Core Components and Concepts Help Center
02. Explore capabilities and constraints
Vuforia Studio empowers users to create immersive experiences by combining 2D and 3D assets, real-time product data, and augmented reality. There are numerous “out-of-the-box” widgets that developers can use to create experiences. These default widgets are simple to use. If your use case requires enhanced functionality, JavaScript can be used to alter the default widgets—these AR experiences will take more time and skill to develop.
For example, if your 3D model needs to have reflections, highlights, or a glowing color; a developer would use advanced techniques to alter a 3D model widget.
- Vuforia: Fundamentals Overview PTC University
03. Learn AR development basics
An important concept that AR developers must learn to successfully use Vuforia Studio is tracking. Tracking is the method that connects virtual experiences to objects in the physical world. Each AR experience has a tracking method. It determines how users find and open the experience, and how it functions in the real environment. Choose the tracking method that best suits your AR experience.
Common tracking methods include:
- Model target: A widget that is used to recognize a physical object by comparing it with its 3D representation, and display 3D augmentations.
- ThingMarks: Uniquely identifiable markers that are universally recognizable by Vuforia View. ThingMarks are like QR codes: when scanned, they display their associated AR experience. This is the only type of tracking that can associate a physical object to IoT data.
- Spatial target: A widget that allows you to place an AR experience on any flat surface, without using a ThingMark. Spatial targets are not “aware” of the space around them.
- Image target: A widget that allows you to anchor an AR experience based on the location of any flat image.
We recommend you choose which method your AR experience will use before you begin development.
- Vuforia: Fundamentals Overview PTC University
04. Learn Vuforia Studio framework
The framework for Vuforia Studio is similar to web design. Many concepts inherent in web development are applicable to AR experience development. For example, there are three layers to every AR experience:
- Structural: Widgets (as opposed to HTML) are the elements within the AR experience. For example, a button is a widget.
- Behavioral: Javascript determines what the widgets do. For example, the button advances to the next step of a sequence.
- Presentational: CSS dictates what the experience looks like. For example, the button has rounded edges and green text.
When authoring AR experiences, developers can often rely on web development principles.
- Vuforia: Basics of Augmented Reality (Trainingcentral.ptcu.com)
PTC login required - Vuforia: Fundamentals Overview PTC University
05. Obtain CAD files for your AR experience
If your AR use case requires 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) data, you must obtain and optimize the CAD files. If you’re unsure who to ask for this data, it will likely be a mechanical engineer or product owner in your organization.
Determine how you will ensure the CAD files remain up to date: if there is a change to the CAD model, you will need the new files(s) to maintain the AR experience it supports.
The CAD files must be optimized for use in Vuforia Studio.
06. Learn how to use ThingWorx (IoT use cases only)
This task is required for organizations that purchased a license to ThingWorx and are creating IoT-powered augmented reality experiences. If your organization is not using IoT data, this task is not necessary.
Vuforia Studio is a powerful platform for visualizing IoT (Internet of Things) data. If your AR use case incorporates real-time data from other systems, you will use ThingWorx to connect to those systems. Learn how to create entities in ThingWorx.
- ThingWorx Curriculum Guide PTC University
- Add ThingWorx Data Help Center
07. Learn how to use Creo Illustrate (sequences use cases only)
This task is recommended for organizations that purchased a license to Creo Illustrate and are creating animated sequences for their augmented reality experiences. If your organization has not purchased Creo Illustrate, this task is not necessary.
With Vuforia Studio, you can use existing CAD (Computer Aided Design) files to develop AR experiences. Creo Illustrate is a tool for creating 3D technical illustrations, 2D drawings, and interactive animated sequences. AR developers use Creo Illustrate to create animated “sequences.” Learn how to create and connect sequences to your Vuforia Studio AR experience.
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Install Vuforia Studio Software
Design the User Experience
Table of Contents
Overview: Develop Your First Vuforia Studio Experience
Use this guide as you plan, install, and learn to use Vuforia Studio. Follow step-by-step instructions and get resources to help you get the most out of the product and meet your business goals.
This information is useful for:
- Project Managers
- Project Stakeholders
- System Administrators
- Technical Staff
What is a Success Path?
A Success Path is an online guide to help you implement a specific PTC product at your organization. Each path provides step-by-step instructions and includes training and resources along the way. Use a Success Path to help your organization get the most out of a product and achieve your business goals.
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Get Familiar with Vuforia Studio
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Learn the basics
Vuforia Studio delivers augmented reality (AR) technology that enhances physical work spaces with digital information. Users can rapidly author AR experiences that can be viewed across a wide range of devices through the Vuforia View app.
Recommended Resources
02. Explore features and functionality
Vuforia Studio enables the rapid creation of impactful AR experiences from existing assets. For example, users can leverage existing 3D CAD and animated sequences, in addition to Internet of Things (IoT) data from ThingWorx, to build AR experiences.
Vuforia Studio enables users to:
- Provide in-context, step-by-step work instructions
- Overlay 3D digital content on real-world equipment to provide contextual knowledge
- Visualize real-time IoT data about operating conditions and equipment performance
- Increase productivity, accuracy, and safety for manufacturing and service technicians
Completed AR experiences are published to the Experience Service, which allows your users to access them on mobile phones, tablets, or eyewear devices through the Vuforia View app. AR experiences are available anywhere designated by the organization—from the factory to the field.
Recommended Resources
03. Review compatible devices
Vuforia Studio AR experiences can be created on any computer with a Chrome web browser. Published experiences can be consumed using the Vuforia View app on HoloLens, RealWear, or Vuzix eyewear devices; and mobile phones and tablets.
Recommended Resources
- Supported Devices for Vuforia View Help Center
Define Your Augmented Reality Use Case
The possibilities for augmented reality are vast: Selecting the best possible application for AR is crucial for achieving value. Follow these steps to select the right use case.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Identify your business challenges
Ensure your AR initiative is focused on the right use case by identifying and outlining the challenges your business is facing. Not all of the challenges you list will be applicable to AR. While creating this list, it’s important to also document the impact each one has on your business and what value it would add if it were addressed.
Prioritize your list of business challenges, keeping impact and business value top of mind.
Recommended Resources
02. Learn how other organizations use Vuforia Studio
To better understand how AR can address your business challenges, it can be useful to learn about other companies’ AR use cases—and what impact Vuforia Studio had on their business.
Recommended Resources
- Grind Master Generates Revenue Faster and More Efficiently with Augmented Reality
- Howden Employs Mixed Reality Solutions to Enhance Customer Experience
- Fujitsu Enhances Sales and Marketing with Augmented Reality
- PTC Case Studies
03. Map business challenges to AR solutions
Now that you have a prioritized list of business challenges, delve into the top three. Answer these questions:
- Pain Point: What is the business challenge you want to solve with AR? Where do you see opportunity?
- Requirements: What do you want to do? What is the action?
- Solution: How will AR solve your business challenge? This step will map your challenge to an AR solution.
- Value: What will this do for the business? How will the solution achieve business value?
After answering these questions, you should determine which business challenges will align to AR solutions.
Recommended Resources
04. Plan enterprise deployment
After you establish your augmented reality use case and execution plan, it’s important to plan the deployment of Vuforia Studio to your organization. You should consider where your data and applications currently live, where you will be deploying them to (on-premises or cloud), hardware coordination, security protocols, and any necessary training.
It's important that your AR initiative team align with your IT team throughout your use case development and enterprise deployment.
Recommended Resources
05. Decide deployment details
Your organization has numerous options for deploying Vuforia Studio. Examine your use case, and consider these questions:
- Do you require an on-premises installation? Vuforia Studio can be installed on premises (on your organization’s in-house servers) or via cloud (on a secure, PTC-hosted server). If your organization requires an on-premises installation, additional configuration is necessary. Contact your PTC sales representative to discuss the costs and considerations of an on-premises deployment.
- Will your AR experiences use Internet of Things (IoT) data? Vuforia Studio incorporates real-time IoT data that helps service, manufacturing, and other workers be more effective. If your use case requires IoT data, consider ThingWorx industrial IoT solutions.
- Will your AR experiences use numerous animated sequences? Vuforia Studio enables you to visualize objects moving in space: for example, showing the assembly or disassembly of a product. If your use case requires creating many animated sequences, you may consider licensing Creo Illustrate—a technical illustration tool.
Consult the appropriate stakeholders to decide how you will deploy Vuforia Studio. Depending on your needs, your AR initiative may benefit from additional PTC software. Contact your PTC sales representative to learn more.
Recommended Resources
06. Explore security considerations
Determine your organization’s security requirements and collaborate with the appropriate stakeholders to address them.
Your AR initiative stakeholders may have security questions, such as:
- How do we ensure CAD files are secured? Vuforia Studio offers safeguards to protect the intellectual property of your organization’s CAD data. AR experiences can be encrypted, and the supporting CAD secured. Furthermore, the CAD files supporting your AR experiences will be simplified and stripped of sensitive meta data.
- How do we control access to AR experiences? The author of each AR experience may designate whether the experience requires authentication or is “public.” If the AR experience requires authentication, the user must provide a user ID and password, assigned by an administrator to access it. If the AR experience is public, anyone with access to the Experience Service can access it.
- Where will AR experiences be stored? The Experience Service is an enterprise-class, secure, and scalable server used by both Vuforia Studio and Vuforia View.
Contact your PTC sales representative to learn more.
Recommended Resources
07. Finalize your use case
With all of the information collected, select the achievable use case that will provide the most impact to your organization. Once your use case is chosen, clearly define the desired outcome and start thinking about key metrics you’ll need to measure and prove value.
Anticipate Resource Needs
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Attain AR skillsets
Vuforia Studio is a powerful augmented reality platform. To take full advantage of its features and capabilities, PTC recommends your AR team members have the following skills:
- Software development: Proficient in HTML, CSS, and Javascript
- 3D modeling: Proficient in creating animations and using 3D assets, Creo Illustrate experience a plus
- User experience (UX) design: Experience with storyboarding, journey mapping, and user flows
- Visual design: Experience designing user interfaces
- Subject matter expertise: Knowledge about the processes your AR experiences will support
- IoT expertise: If your AR experience uses data from IoT (Internet of things) platforms like ThingWorx, make sure to include an IoT expert on your team
Determine whether your organization employs people with these skills.
02. Identify AR owners and partners
In addition to the contributors above, you must also determine who will be responsible for owning and cultivating augmented reality experiences.
In your organization, identify who is responsible for:
- Application ownership: Who will maintain and manage AR experiences? Depending on your use case, this may be the manufacturing or service technicians, IT group, or another team.
- Security: Who will confirm the software meets security standards?
- Infrastructure: Who will ensure your organization’s infrastructure is equipped to handle the software? If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio on-premises, you will need IT help to obtain server space.
- Hardware management: Who will purchase and maintain the devices needed to use the software?
- Compliance: Who will verify your AR experiences meet safety, regulatory and compliance standards? What will they need to know to approve your AR implementation?
- CAD files: Who will optimize and maintain the CAD files that your AR experience uses? How will you ensure your AR experiences remain up-to-date when CAD files change?
Explore whether your organization employs people or has existing processes for these duties.
03. Assemble your team
Stakeholder support and know-how will be a key asset throughout the implementation process.
Contact the appropriate contributors early in the process. Then verify they can contribute time and resources to your AR initiative.
In addition to the people who will build and champion AR experiences, you’ll also need end users to test AR in the real world. Identify a manageable group of workers who will test and provide feedback on rough draft AR experiences. These workers should represent your ideal end users. They will help you identify urgent fixes and opportunities for improvement before you introduce AR on a larger scale.
04. Estimate your costs
The cost of incorporating Vuforia Studio into your organization depends on your use case, scope, and internal resources.
Common costs may include:
- Server space: Are you operating Vuforia Studio on premises? If so, you must allocate or purchase server capacity. If you’re using Vuforia Studio via Cloud, no server resources are necessary.
- Devices: How will users view AR experiences? Do you already have those devices? You may need to purchase mobile phones, tablets, or eyewear devices.
- Talent: Does your organization employ the people needed to design, deploy, and manage AR experiences? If so, account for the costs of the time they spend on the initiative. If not, anticipate costs for outside resources.
- Additional software: Will your AR experiences require animations or incorporate Industrial Internet of Things data? If so, consider pairing Vuforia Studio with Creo Illustrate and/or ThingWorx. Contact your PTC sales representative to learn more.
05. Determine outside resources needed
PTC offers services to help organizations achieve success with Vuforia Studio. Customer Success Services can help you plan, implement, and measure your AR initiative. Consider using an outside resource to bridge skill gaps or speed up your implementation.
Create an Execution Plan
To unlock the value of augmented reality for your organization, it’s crucial to plan your adoption in both the short and long term. The people, processes, budget, and timeline you need to successfully implement Vuforia Studio will depend on your use case. The following tasks will help you anticipate those needs.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Learn best practices
Before deploying augmented reality, it’s important to establish goals and determine how to measure them. Engaging the right stakeholders, iterating quickly, and communicating effectively will lead to a successful AR initiative. Now's also the time to familiarize yourself with Vuforia Studio and identify how it will support your organization's use case.
Recommended Resources
02. Define initial project scope
Defining the scope of your AR initiative gives stakeholders a shared understanding of their role and the project objectives. For many organizations, the scope starts small. Over time, the project leaders will learn and iterate—extending the solution to solve bigger challenges. But in the early phases, it's best to avoid scope creep: Follow the plan and ensure the scope is manageable for your use case.
The project scope should include:
- Goals and measurement
- Deliverables and dates
- Constraints
- Acceptance criteria
- Roles and responsibilities
- How much time employees are expected to contribute
- Other factors, depending on your organization and use case
03. Select users to pilot the software
Before you deploy augmented reality to all the workers who will use it, select a few participants to test the solution. These initial users need not be experienced with AR. But they should be enthusiastic about embracing new technology and willing to dedicate time to testing AR in their day-to-day jobs.
Contact your pilot participants early in the project and provide first access to training.
04. Plan feedback mechanism
As you implement AR, the workers who are getting started with Vuforia Studio and Vuforia View will have questions and feedback. Establish and communicate the best channels for Vuforia users to connect with you, then plan how you will take action. Answer questions, solicit ideas, and address challenges by:
- Hosting a regular meeting or open house and inviting stakeholders
- Setting up a dedicated phone number or email address that you check consistently
- Creating a survey or questionnaire
- Observing workers using AR and noting where they encounter difficulty
Pivot as necessary, based on what you learn. Remember: successful AR leaders will learn and respond, which leads to a better solution.
05. Explore AR design fundamentals
To successfully implement AR, you must create experiences that are useful and usable. In addition to getting feedback from real users, you should follow a user-centered design process. The key stakeholders in your AR initiative should have a high-level understanding of the ideal design process.
Generally, there are five steps to create a meaningful AR experience:
- Brainstorm the concept: Start by answering questions to frame the experience. Who is the target user? Why will this AR experience be useful? What is the user’s environment?
- Storyboard and design: Determine the user experience framework, select your device(s), identify your data sources, and imagine the user interface. Next, create a storyboard that specifies how the user will navigate the experience.
- Gather data: Will your use case require CAD (Computer Aided Design) files or IoT (Internet of Things) data? If so, it must be obtained and optimized.
- Build the experience: Use Vuforia Studio to create the AR experience.
- Style the application: Determine the presentation of the user interface—how the AR experience looks and feels.
Typically, Vuforia Studio users can create a proof-of-concept AR experience in two weeks. But creating a robust working prototype can take longer: roughly two months.
06. Determine your training needs
The designers, developers, and subject matter experts who build AR experiences will need training to get started. Depending on the scale and timeline of your project, your training needs may evolve.
PTC offers two ways to train your team members:
1. Independent training
Access documentation that explains how to use Vuforia Studio.
- Vuforia: Basics of Augmented Reality is a free online course that examines introductory concepts of AR. Participants will learn the basics about AR use cases, Vuforia Studio and its capabilities, and the AR design process.
- The PTC Learning Connector offers quick tutorials that demonstrate how to use Vuforia Studio to design, develop, and deploy AR experiences.
- The Help Center covers key topics about how to access and start using Vuforia Studio and Vuforia View. Follow the tutorials for step-by-step guidance.
- Vuforia Studio Community offers advice and tips from fellow Vuforia users. Anyone can explore and view posts in the Community, but you'll need to create a PTC account if you would like to post a topic or respond to others. This account is separate from your Vuforia Studio account.
2. PTC instructor-led training
PTC offers instructor-led product training classes that you can take virtually or in-person. These hands-on learning experiences are led by PTC experts. Participants will learn AR development strategies and create their own AR experiences using Vuforia Studio.
Available courses:
Recommended Resources
- Vuforia: Basics of Augmented Reality (Trainingcentral.ptcu.com)
PTC login required - Learning Connector
- Vuforia Studio Tutorials and FAQs Help Center
- Vuforia Studio Community PTC Communities
- Vuforia Curriculum Guide PTC University
07. Document your execution plan
Now that you’ve established how and why your organization will leverage Vuforia Studio, you must document who will be involved and when key milestones should occur. Get approval from all important stakeholders and share the plan widely. Your execution plan should hold contributors accountable for moving the AR initiative forward.
Recommended Resources
Build Excitement and Address Concerns
Augmented reality technology like Vuforia Studio helps organizations improve efficiency, build better products, and increase safety. A crucial step in introducing AR is to inform and educate people about this change. Take proactive steps to engage contributors and ease the transition.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Establish mechanism for listening to concerns
While it’s important to communicate, it’s also imperative to listen: If stakeholder communication is only coming from one direction, you risk overlooking valuable feedback or missing opportunities to address concerns.Establish channels for listening to concerns and feedback across your organization.
To help facilitate and elicit feedback, try one or more of the following methods:
- An open forum or team website: Provide a forum where stakeholders can ask questions and make comments. AR initiative leaders can help answer common questions.
- Group email: Some employees may be hesitant to post on a public forum. To engage them, consider creating a dedicated email inbox.
- Anonymous survey: Send anonymous surveys throughout the process to gather honest feedback without the fear of repercussions.
Be sure frontline workers, managers, new trainees, AR participants, and other stakeholders know how to express concerns and ask questions.
02. Evangelize AR across your organization
Advocate for augmented reality across your organization, from high-level executives, down to frontline workers. If possible, get support from leadership and ask them to help you spread the news. Consider sharing updates with executive leaders, managers, trainees, and other employees as appropriate.
Whenever you communicate about Vuforia Studio, clearly articulate why you’re implementing AR.
Know how to explain:
- Why your organization is making this change
- How it will affect both the business and the users of the new technology
- Your end goal and timeline
Prevent inaccurate assumptions by clearly communicating the value this new technology will bring to your organization.
03. Create a communication plan
Document how, when, and to whom you will communicate throughout your Vuforia Studio rollout. The scale and depth of communication may grow over time: For example, your company-wide announcement about AR will be more effective if you have success stories to share. In that case, start by communicating to key stakeholders and your early-stage users.
Guidelines for creating a communication plan:
- Be transparent: Communicate frequently about the use and benefits of AR. Some employees may fear this new technology will eliminate their jobs or make their duties more difficult. Be sensitive to possible fears and be transparent about these changes. Explain what is happening, when important milestones will take place, and how the overall initiative is going.
- Be specific: Include a timeline for what to communicate, when, and to which audiences. Establish key milestones or successes in these communications to help maintain momentum and excitement.
- Be consistent: Communicate with key stakeholders to ensure the message is consistent. Your key stakeholders may include leaders, executives, managers, administrators, and frontline workers. Keeping stakeholders informed can help ease concerns about big changes.
- Get managers involved: Involve workers' direct managers, if possible. If future AR users know their managers are excited about the change, they will be too.
04. Introduce AR to employees
Augmented Reality fosters a safer, more productive work environment. However, for those workers who will use AR experiences, the changes to tools and processes may feel daunting. And some may worry about how the technology could adversely affect their jobs. But there are ways to smooth the transition and build excitement about the new initiative.
Show employees the amazing possibilities of AR when introducing Vuforia Studio. If possible, share success stories about how AR has affected your organization. For example, show how your early-stage AR testers are saving time, increasing safety, or learning more quickly. If you have not yet achieved those wins at your organization, demonstrate how other companies are using AR. Explain how this will connect to what employees are doing today and why it should matter to them.
Recommended Resources
Choose Augmented Reality Devices
Vuforia Studio functions on eyewear devices, mobile phones, and tablets. Here’s everything you need to know to decide which devices are right for your use case.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Compare device options
Explore whether your organization has eyewear or mobile devices already. If not, start planning which devices you will purchase.
Each AR experience is designed with the device type in mind, whether it’s mobile devices, 2D eyewear, or 3D eyewear. For example, if you design an AR experience for a mobile device, you would take advantage of the benefits a mobile device provides, such as a touch interface. If your experience is designed for eyewear devices, then you would leverage capabilities like voice commands and hand gestures.
Learn the requirements and constraints of each option to determine which device is best suited for your use case.
Recommended Resources
- How to Choose the Right Devices for your AR Use Case
- 5 AR Devices to Pair with PTC Vuforia
- Vuforia View Device and Operating System Support Help Center
02. Confirm device compliance
In industries such as mining, oil and gas, or chemical manufacturing, workers must adhere to strict safety and compliance regulations. Determine whether your AR devices must meet safety glass, combustion, or other safety standards. Additionally, verify the internal and external compliance rules for work instructions/standard operating procedures in your industry. Then determine how Vuforia Studio fits in.
Recommended Resources
- How to Choose the Right Devices for your AR Use Case
- Microsoft Hololens Health and Safety Information (Microsoft.com)
- RealWear HMT-1 User Guide (Realwear.com)
- Vuzix Safety and Warranty Information (Vuzix.com)
03. Purchase devices
If you determine new hardware is required for your AR use case (eyewear devices, phones, tablets), purchase them now. Reach out to the appropriate approvers to get budget for the devices. The IT department can often help get a cost quote and place the order.
Recommended Resources
Determine Integration Strategy
Begin planning how to integrate Vuforia Studio with your organization’s existing systems, tools, and data.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Integrate Vuforia Studio into your system
In addition to its advanced augmented reality capabilities, Vuforia Studio’s integration with the ThingWorx platform allows you to connect to enterprise data systems—and send data between them. Through ThingWorx, you can retrieve data from other systems to add into your Vuforia Studio AR experiences, and send data generated by AR experiences to other enterprise systems.
For example, an AR experience that facilitates end-of-line quality checks on a manufactured product might:
- Retrieve CAD model and bill-of-material information from a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system.
- Retrieve production information for that manufactured unit from the Manufacturing Execution System (MES).
- Send user inspection results for each manufactured unit captured by the AR experience to manufacturing quality control systems.
Start identifying what integrations are needed in your use case.
- Determine what information you need to pull in to or send out from your AR experiences.
- Identify what systems house that information.
- Contact the IT team or owners of those systems to begin discussing your needs.
You will identify specific requirements for integrations later in the project. The AR design process is typically iterative-you may add integrations to your wish list as you design the experience. Or you may remove integrations from the scope of the project if you discover they aren't possible for your organization.
Ensure Proper Infrastructure
Verify your IT infrastructure is equipped to support Vuforia Studio.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Determine development environments
We recommend establishing multiple server environments to build, test, and publish AR experiences. Among other benefits, maintaining multiple environments prevents employees from accessing AR experiences that are not ready to use.
Typically, you’ll have 2-3 environments:
- Development: The server where you develop AR experiences. If you’ve begun development, this environment is already set up.
- QA/test: The server where you test AR experiences before deployment.
- Production: The server where you make AR experiences available to use.
Determine which environments your organization needs. This step differs, depending on whether you’re deploying Vuforia Studio via PTC-hosted cloud or on premises.
If your organization elected to deploy Vuforia Studio via cloud, you’ve already purchased additional environments. PTC sends a software order fulfillment email after your software purchase is complete. This email contains information about how to access the environments you purchased. The passwords to access your environments may arrive in a separate email. If you can’t find this information, contact PTC technical support.
If your organization requires an on-premises installation (on your organization’s in-house servers), additional configuration is necessary. Your IT team will help you establish the necessary server environments for development, QA, and production. For guidance, see the Installing and Deploying Vuforia Experience Service guide.
Recommended Resources
- Experience Service Help Center Help Center
- Contact PTC Technical Support eSupport PTC login required
02. Decide identity management strategy
Determine whether your organization will use single sign-on for your AR experiences. This feature allows end users to access Vuforia Studio and Vuforia View using their organization’s existing credentials—no need to create a unique username and password.
Extensive configuration is required to implement single sign-on. Consult your IT department and review the technical documentation prior to configuring and implementing it. See the “Prepare for Single Sign-On” chapter of the Installing and Deploying an Experience Service guide.
Vuforia Studio will continue to support basic authentication for customers who do not require single sign-on.
Recommended Resources
- Experience Service Help Center Help Center
03. Identify infrastructure changes (on-premises only)
This task is required for organizations deploying Vuforia Studio on-premises. If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio via Cloud, this task is not necessary.
If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio on-premises, changes to your organization’s infrastructure may be required. For more information, see the “Introduction to Experience Service” and “Plan Your Deployment” chapters of the Installing and Deploying Vuforia Experience Service guide.
Recommended Resources
- Experience Service Help Center Help Center
- Create your PTC Account eSupport
04. Obtain hardware (on-premises only)
This task is required for organizations deploying Vuforia Studio on-premises. If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio via Cloud, this task is not necessary.
If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio on-premises, server(s) are required to run the Experience Service and ThingWorx. For more information, see the “Experience Service Requirements” chapter of the Installing and Deploying Vuforia Experience Service guide.
Recommended Resources
- Experience Service Help Center Help Center
- Create your PTC Account eSupport
05. Set up infrastructure (on-premises only)
This task is required for organizations deploying Vuforia Studio on-premises. If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio via Cloud, this task is not necessary.
If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio on-premises, you must first install and configure ThingWorx, and then install and deploy the Experience Service.
To install the Experience Service, you’ll need the following:
- A deployment plan
- Required hardware and software, and supported operating system
- The correct Experience Service installer
- The base URL for the ThingWorx server you will be using
- Postgres connection information if using Postgres
- Files with TLS private key and public certificate (if using HTTPS)
Before you begin installing your Experience Service, we recommend you read the Installing and Deploying Vuforia Experience Service guide.
Recommended Resources
- Installing ThingWorx 8.4 eSupport PTC login required
- Experience Service Help Center Help Center
- Create your PTC Account eSupport
Create a Measurement Plan
One of the most important steps in your AR implementation is to be specific about how you will measure success. In order to report your return on investment, you must measure key performance indicators: Determine your goals, define your plan, and establish a clear baseline.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Determine goals and metrics
What is the goal of your AR use case and how can you measure success? Establishing a measurable goal and quantifiable metrics will keep your implementation on track and enable you to gain momentum once your goal is accomplished.
Depending on your AR use case, there are a variety of metrics to consider. Some examples include:
-
Reduce assembly time by 10 percent
How? By providing clear and easy-to-understand work instructions that entry-level operators can now complete - Reduce training costs by 15 percent
How? By creating dynamic work instructions that service trainees can easily comprehend, reuse, and update - Lower rework and scrap costs by 15 percent
How? With better training and more accurate work instructions reduce errors - Increase first-time fix rate by 10 percent
How? Providing up-to-date instructions when and where workers need them to minimize return visits
Don't forget to also document "soft" metrics such as customer satisfaction and employee confidence.
If your organization is leveraging IoT (Internet of Things) data, you have more measurement possibilities. Explore whether you have access to IoT data through ThingWorx or other software: contact your PTC sales representative to learn more.
02. Document your measurement plan
After you identify the goal and metrics your organization will track, it’s important to document and share your measurement plan.
In your measurement plan, include:
- Short-term and long-term goals
- Key metrics
- How you will measure key metrics
- The timeline for your measurement plan
- Who will gather and record the metrics
- Dates to share progress and outcomes with stakeholders
03. Establish baseline metrics
Before you deploy Vuforia Studio, you must document your organization's "as-is" state. If you fail to establish baseline metrics, it will be difficult to measure whether your AR initiative had a meaningful effect on your organization. For example, if you're trying to reduce training time on a particular procedure, quantify how long it takes to train individuals on that procedure today, using your current method. In this example, consider not only the time it takes to train the individual, but also the time required from the subject matter expert performing the training.
Establishing your baseline metrics will help prove the value of augmented reality.
Create a Rollout Plan
Plan how your organization will introduce Vuforia Studio. A thorough rollout plan helps you navigate change and achieve value from augmented reality.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Establish your business continuity plan
As usage grows across your organization, more workers will rely on augmented reality to perform their jobs. Similar to other business systems and processes, your organization should have a backup plan in case of outages or disruptions. Workers should have ongoing access to training manuals, work instructions, or other materials that Vuforia Studio will replace.
If your AR use case includes integration with other enterprise data sources such as IoT, CRM, and MES systems, consider how those assets may cause or be affected by downtime. This ensures your organization will continue operating efficiently in case of outages.
02. Create training plan
Plan how you will teach employees to use augmented reality. As you develop a training plan, consider how to best train different communities of AR users. For example, employees in one department may be more technology savvy than those in another department. Or different communities may speak different languages. Your training approach will vary depending on your end users’ needs and your available resources.
The Vuforia View app is designed to be intuitive and easy to learn. But employees who are new to AR may need some hands-on training to get started.
Consider how you will deliver training. You could:
- Host a hands-on workshop led by an expert
- Create a “how-to” video or tutorial
- Supply a job aid or cheat sheet
- Create an instructional guide
End user training should cover:
- What augmented reality is and how your organization is using it
- How AR will affect their job or role
- How to find and launch AR experiences
- How to use AR experiences
- How to navigate the AR experience on your chosen device
- How to power on, wear, and use eyewear devices (if using)
- How to get technical support
- How to troubleshoot and report errors
- How to access user documentation
If your end users work across many locations, determine how to coordinate training across sites.
Later in the project, you’ll test the AR experience with the people who will someday use it. This is a great opportunity to observe how much training they need to get started.
03. Manage configuration and source control
Various contributors will collaborate to build and maintain augmented reality experiences. For example, one or more developers will collaborate with a subject matter expert to design and create an AR experience. Others perform quality assurance and user acceptance testing in a closed environment. Finally, others are involved in publishing an AR experience to a production environment for use across the organization.
Configuration and source control (sometimes known as “DevOps”) outlines how these contributors manage the AR experience throughout its life cycle.
To begin outlining your configuration and source control process, answer these questions:
- How will developers collaborate to build an experience?
- How many Vuforia Experience Service environments will be available for development, testing, and production? You may have already determined your development environments earlier in the project.
- Will your AR experiences use ThingMarks? If so, administer ThingMarks for each of the environments and keep careful track of how each ThingMark is being used.
04. Document your rollout plan
Your organization’s rollout plan helps ensure your organization is ready to roll out Vuforia Studio–get workers started using it. The specifics of your rollout plan will vary, depending on your organization’s use case.
Typically, a rollout plan outlines:
- Who, specifically, will be using Vuforia Studio?
- What will their roles be? Will they be developing, using, or managing AR experiences?
- How will you communicate with them as they get started and beyond?
- When and how should they receive training?
- How will they get credentials that are required to log in?
- When should they start using the software?
- How will they access eyewear or mobile devices needed to view AR experiences?
- How will they get help navigating and using Vuforia Studio?
This plan will communicate many of the decisions you made through execution planning. Document your rollout plan and share it accordingly.
Create a Change Management Plan
Ensure your organization is ready, willing, and able to function in a new business environment. An organizational change management plan will speed up your AR implementation and facilitate success.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Navigate changes in process and people
For the frontline workers, developers, designers, managers, and other employees who will be using Vuforia Studio—the world is changing. Your workforce will be adopting a new mindset, developing new skills, and learning new technology and processes. And while necessary, change can be difficult.
To help employees embrace change, plan to:
- Communicate consistently
- Listen openly to concerns and questions
- Encourage participation
- Share the benefits that AR will bring to the employees and organization as a whole
- Obtain active and visible executive sponsorship
- Dedicate resources to planning and enacting change management
PTC offers change management support services to help your organization navigate change and achieve your goals, faster.
02. Determine your compliance plan
Most Vuforia Studio experiences leverage CAD (Computer Aided Design) files. Some AR use cases involve job-based work instructions or procedures. For these use cases, there may be data security rules, and safety standards to consider.
Compliance questions to consider:
- Is your organization required to maintain paper-based work instructions?
- Are there data security rules you must follow for CAD/3D models?
- Are there any rules or regulations that would prevent workers from using eyewear or mobile devices while performing procedures or servicing equipment?
- Are workers required to document if, when, or how they perform a given procedure?
Plan how Vuforia Studio will affect your organization’s compliance processes. Identify who you should contact regarding compliance and involve them in your AR planning as soon as possible.
03. Document your change management plan
A change management plan specifies how an organization will transform from where it is today, to where it aims to be in the future. A successful change management process should be continuous: start with defining a vision and continue to measure progress after the change takes place.
Change management process:
- Define a compelling vision and clear objectives
- Ensure strong leadership and effective sponsorship
- Build and maintain ownership and accountability
- Align processes, organization, and culture
- Involve employees
- Provide adequate enablement and support
- Ensure stakeholder-specific communication
- Measure and monitor benefits realization continuously
Document your change management plan and share it accordingly. PTC offers change management support services to help your organization navigate change and achieve your goals, faster. Contact your PTC sales representative to learn more.
Determine Device Management Strategy
Plan how your organization will maintain the hardware and devices needed for Vuforia Studio and its accompanying app: Vuforia View. Regular maintenance will ensure uninterrupted productivity, improved uptime, and easier use.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Document your device management plan
Workers will need eyewear devices, smartphones, or tablets to access, view, and interact with augmented reality experiences. There are numerous factors your organization should consider as you plan how to manage these devices. Document your device management plan and communicate it to the workers who will be using Vuforia Studio to perform their jobs.
Recommended Resources
- How to Manage Devices
- Microsoft Hololens IT Pro Center (Docs.microsoft.com)
- RealWear HMT Support (Realwear.com)
- Vuzix Product Support (Vuzix.com)
02. Manage software updates
The Vuforia View app, that workers use to access and view Vuforia Studio AR experiences, will release software updates every 28 days. If “auto update” is activated on the device, the application will update automatically. If it’s not activated, the user must update the application themselves.
If your organization prefers to limit the ability to update the software, determine who will be responsible and how updates will take place. Remember: devices must be connected to the internet to receive updates.
Some device manufacturers provide their own device management utilities for pushing out updates. Ask the device manufacturer how to best manage software updates.
Set Up Your Account
First, meet the Customer Success Manager assigned to your account. Then, set up the account you’ll need to download software and access technical support. Finally, create user accounts.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Connect with your Customer Success Manager
Vuforia Studio customers have the option to purchase a Success Plan: a set of services, resources, and guidance designed to maximize the value of your software investments. If your organization purchased a success plan from PTC, you have a Customer Success Manager committed to helping you realize value from AR. They will reach out via email in the weeks after your purchase is finalized. Schedule a time to connect as soon as possible.
02. Create your PTC account
You will need a PTC Support Account to download Vuforia Studio software and access technical support.
To create your account, you must supply one of the following numbers:
- Your Service Contract Number (SCN)
- Your Sales Order Number (SON)
- Your Site Number
PTC sends a software order fulfillment email after your purchase is complete: this email contains the information above. If you can’t find this information, contact PTC technical support.
Recommended Resources
- Create your PTC Account eSupport
- Get Help Logging In eSupport
03. Set up user accounts
Users will typically log in to create, publish, and view AR experiences. Vuforia Studio also allows AR experiences to be “public,” in which case no login is required to view. Single sign on is not currently supported: each user will choose their own password.
You will set up user accounts in ThingWorx Composer–an application modeling environment that manages user credentials, among other capabilities. To add a user, you must add them to ThingWorx, then specify which “group” they belong to.
ThingWorx Composer offers three user groups:
- Users: Members of this group can access and view AR experiences
- Developers: Members of this group can create and publish AR experiences
- Administrators: Members of this group can add, modify, and remove Vuforia users
If your organization’s use case necessitates additional user roles, further configuration is necessary.
Vuforia Studio and Vuforia View users will also need your organization’s Experience Service URL to publish and view AR experiences. The Experience Service is a secure server where your organization’s AR experiences are stored. You will find your Experience Service URL in the software order fulfillment email. If you can’t find this information, contact PTC technical support.
Recommended Resources
- Vuforia Studio Configuration Help Center
- Create your PTC Account eSupport
- How to grant users publish permissions within Vuforia Studio eSupport PTC login required
- Log a Support Case eSupport
Get Started with Devices
Obtain the devices you’ll use for your augmented reality use case. If you’re using eyewear devices, make sure workers have the opportunity to experience what it’s like to use them in their day-to-day job.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Set up devices
The devices you’ve chosen to operate Vuforia View may require some initial setup or configuration. Verify your devices are connected to Wi-Fi and ready for use before proceeding. No need to install Vuforia View: for now, workers are learning the basics of the device, not the software.
02. Learn how to use eyewear devices
Eyewear devices like Microsoft HoloLens, RealWear, and Vuzix empower workers to consume AR experiences, hands free. These devices will soon become indispensable for workers of all kinds—but getting accustomed to eyewear devices takes practice. The gestures and/or voice commands used to interact with the device will feel strange, at first. Start acclimating workers to wearing and using the devices on the job as soon as possible. Some first-time users say wearing an eyewear device for as little as 15 minutes helped them get acclimated.
Recommended Resources
- Realwear: Preparing for Success (Realwear.com)
- Microsoft Hololens: Gesture Input (Youtube.com)
- Microsoft Hololens: Gaze Input (Youtube.com)
- Microsoft Hololens: Best Way to Wear It (Youtube.com)
- Vuzix How-To Videos (Vuzix.com)
03. Start using Vuforia View on devices
After you set up your devices and download Vuforia View, your AR users are ready to learn how to use the app. If you have not yet created your own AR experiences, start with a sample experience. Under “Gallery,” select “Welcome Experience.” This tutorial will demonstrate how to interact with AR experiences and use key features in the app. Continue using the app by completing other experiences from the Gallery.
If your organization has published AR experiences, encourage your users to interact with them. Ensure the object/machine/product that your experience is designed for is nearby.
How to use Vuforia View:
- Open the Vuforia View app on your mobile or eyewear device.
- Depending on the tracking method used in the experience you want to view, access it using one of the following methods:
- If your experience uses Model Tracking, open your Library and select the experience. Then, point your camera at the physical object ensuring that the digital wireframe lines up with the object correctly.
- If your experience uses Spatial Tracking, open your Library and select the experience. Then, point your device at a flat surface and place the model in your environment.
- If your experience uses a ThingMark, scan the ThingMark instead. If multiple experiences are associated to the ThingMark, select the appropriate one.
- Once your ThingMark or object has been scanned successfully, a list of Vuforia Studio AR experiences appears.
- Select an experience. Wait a moment for your experience to load. You may need to step away from the object to view the entire experience.
- Now you're ready to interact with the experience.
As the users are navigating the app, make note of any questions or difficulties they encounter.
Install Vuforia Studio Software
How you access and install Vuforia Studio depends on your organization’s deployment: if you’re installing on-premises, a few additional steps are required.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Get software overview
Vuforia Studio is a web-native, easy-to-use tool for authoring domain and task-specific experiences. These experiences provide an integrated view of digital and physical product data, dashboards, and alerts with 2D, 3D, and augmented reality.
Once you’ve created an experience with Vuforia Studio and published it to your Experience Service, you can view the experience using the Vuforia View app on a supported device.
Recommended Resources
- Vuforia Studio Core Components and Concepts Help Center
02. Get access to the software
To access Vuforia Studio software, you must log in to the PTC eSupport Portal. If you don’t already have a PTC account, create one now.
Make sure you have one of the following available to you before you create your new account:
- Service Contract Number (SCN)
- Sales Order Number (SON)
- Site Number
PTC sends a software order fulfillment email after your software purchase is complete: this email contains the information above. If you can’t find this information, contact PTC technical support.
Recommended Resources
- Create your PTC Account eSupport
- Get Help Logging In eSupport
03. Install Vuforia Studio
To install Vuforia Studio, log in to the PTC eSupport Portal and select “Download Software.” For detailed steps on installing Vuforia Studio, see the “Install Vuforia Studio” chapter of the Vuforia Studio Getting Started guide.
Recommended Resources
- Vuforia Studio: Download Software eSupport PTC login required
- How to Install Vuforia Studio Help Center
04. Plan software updates
Vuforia Studio will release software updates every 28 days. The user will receive a notification when an update is available. The operating system must be connected to the internet to receive software updates.
If your organization prefers to limit the ability to update the software, determine who will be responsible and how updates will take place.
PTC will also release updates to the Experience Service. If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio via PTC-hosted cloud, these updates will be managed by PTC. If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio on-premises, your organization is responsible for completing the upgrades. See the “Upgrade Experience Service” section of the Install and Deploy an Experience Service guide for more information.
Recommended Resources
- Update Vuforia Studio to the Latest Version Help Center
- Experience Service Help Center Help Center
05. Install ThingWorx (on-premises only)
This task is required for organizations deploying Vuforia Studio on-premises. If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio via Cloud, this task is not necessary.
If you’re planning to install and deploy your Experience Service on-premises, you must first install and configure ThingWorx. For more information, see the appropriate version of the Installing ThingWorx guide.
Recommended Resources
- Installing ThingWorx 8.4 eSupport PTC login required
06. Install Experience Service (on-premises only)
This task is required for organizations deploying Vuforia Studio on-premises. If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio via Cloud, this task is not necessary.
If you’re installing your Experience Service on-premises, see the Installing and Deploying Vuforia Experience Service guide.
Recommended Resources
- Experience Service Help Center Help Center
07. Install Vuforia View on devices
To view AR experiences created with Vuforia Studio, you must download Vuforia View to your supported device(s). These could include eyewear devices, mobile phones, or tablets. In most cases, you will download the Vuforia View APK from your device's app store. If you’re using the RealWear HMT-1 to view procedures, you must download Vuforia View to your computer before installing the software onto the device.
Recommended Resources
- Download Vuforia View Help Center
- Vuforia View Device and Operating System Support Help Center
08. Install Creo Illustrate (sequences use cases only)
This task is recommended for organizations that purchased a license to Creo Illustrate and are creating animated sequences for their augmented reality experiences. If your organization has not purchased Creo Illustrate, this task is not necessary.
If you want to include sequence animations in your AR experiences, you must either have supported sequence animation files or access to Creo Illustrate to create and edit them. For information on obtaining and installing Creo Illustrate, see the Creo Illustrate Installation and Configuration Guide.
Recommended Resources
- Creo Illustrate Installation and Configuration Guide eSupport PTC login required
09. Set up single sign-on (On-premises only)
This task pertains to organizations deploying Vuforia Studio on-premises. If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio via Cloud, single sign-on is not available. Single sign-on will be available to PTC-hosted Cloud customers in the future.
If your organization has decided to use single sign-on, work with your IT team to configure it. We recommend getting help from an IT professional or architect who has working knowledge of SAML and OAuth standards. You must install the ThingWorx server and configure it to use single sign-on. The ThingWorx server should also be configured to be a Resource Provider. See the “Prepare for Single Sign-On” chapter of the Installing and Deploying an Experience Service document for more information.
Recommended Resources
- Experience Service Help Center Help Center
- PTC Identity and Access Management Help Center Help Center
Prepare to Create Augmented Reality Experiences
Before you start designing your first Vuforia Studio AR experience, there are a few things to know. First, learn how the technology works. Next, learn AR design and development basics. Finally, depending on your use case, you may need to obtain your CAD files and learn how to use ThingWorx and Creo Illustrate.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Get technology overview
Vuforia Studio is made up of four components that work together to deliver AR experiences.
- Vuforia Studio: A web-based tool used to author and publish AR experiences.
- Vuforia View: An app used to access and view AR experiences. There are several ways for a user to find and launch an AR experience–scanning ThingMarks or QR codes, or from their Experience Library.
- Experience Service: A server used to store and deliver published AR experiences. Each experience service comes with a unique URL. This URL is required to publish AR experiences.
- ThingWorx: A development platform used to authenticate Vuforia users. All Vuforia Studio customers get access to ThingWorx. But if your organization purchased a license for ThingWorx, you will use it to incorporate IoT data into your Vuforia Studio AR experiences.
To start building AR experiences, you will need credentials to log in, and your organization’s Experience Service URL. Contact your administrator to learn more.
Recommended Resources
- Vuforia Studio Core Components and Concepts Help Center
02. Explore capabilities and constraints
Vuforia Studio empowers users to create immersive experiences by combining 2D and 3D assets, real-time product data, and augmented reality. There are numerous “out-of-the-box” widgets that developers can use to create experiences. These default widgets are simple to use. If your use case requires enhanced functionality, JavaScript can be used to alter the default widgets—these AR experiences will take more time and skill to develop.
For example, if your 3D model needs to have reflections, highlights, or a glowing color; a developer would use advanced techniques to alter a 3D model widget.
Recommended Resources
- Vuforia: Fundamentals Overview PTC University
03. Learn AR development basics
An important concept that AR developers must learn to successfully use Vuforia Studio is tracking. Tracking is the method that connects virtual experiences to objects in the physical world. Each AR experience has a tracking method. It determines how users find and open the experience, and how it functions in the real environment. Choose the tracking method that best suits your AR experience.
Common tracking methods include:
- Model target: A widget that is used to recognize a physical object by comparing it with its 3D representation, and display 3D augmentations.
- ThingMarks: Uniquely identifiable markers that are universally recognizable by Vuforia View. ThingMarks are like QR codes: when scanned, they display their associated AR experience. This is the only type of tracking that can associate a physical object to IoT data.
- Spatial target: A widget that allows you to place an AR experience on any flat surface, without using a ThingMark. Spatial targets are not “aware” of the space around them.
- Image target: A widget that allows you to anchor an AR experience based on the location of any flat image.
We recommend you choose which method your AR experience will use before you begin development.
Recommended Resources
- Vuforia: Fundamentals Overview PTC University
04. Learn Vuforia Studio framework
The framework for Vuforia Studio is similar to web design. Many concepts inherent in web development are applicable to AR experience development. For example, there are three layers to every AR experience:
- Structural: Widgets (as opposed to HTML) are the elements within the AR experience. For example, a button is a widget.
- Behavioral: Javascript determines what the widgets do. For example, the button advances to the next step of a sequence.
- Presentational: CSS dictates what the experience looks like. For example, the button has rounded edges and green text.
When authoring AR experiences, developers can often rely on web development principles.
Recommended Resources
- Vuforia: Basics of Augmented Reality (Trainingcentral.ptcu.com)
PTC login required - Vuforia: Fundamentals Overview PTC University
05. Obtain CAD files for your AR experience
If your AR use case requires 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) data, you must obtain and optimize the CAD files. If you’re unsure who to ask for this data, it will likely be a mechanical engineer or product owner in your organization.
Determine how you will ensure the CAD files remain up to date: if there is a change to the CAD model, you will need the new files(s) to maintain the AR experience it supports.
The CAD files must be optimized for use in Vuforia Studio.
Recommended Resources
06. Learn how to use ThingWorx (IoT use cases only)
This task is required for organizations that purchased a license to ThingWorx and are creating IoT-powered augmented reality experiences. If your organization is not using IoT data, this task is not necessary.
Vuforia Studio is a powerful platform for visualizing IoT (Internet of Things) data. If your AR use case incorporates real-time data from other systems, you will use ThingWorx to connect to those systems. Learn how to create entities in ThingWorx.
Recommended Resources
- ThingWorx Curriculum Guide PTC University
- Add ThingWorx Data Help Center
07. Learn how to use Creo Illustrate (sequences use cases only)
This task is recommended for organizations that purchased a license to Creo Illustrate and are creating animated sequences for their augmented reality experiences. If your organization has not purchased Creo Illustrate, this task is not necessary.
With Vuforia Studio, you can use existing CAD (Computer Aided Design) files to develop AR experiences. Creo Illustrate is a tool for creating 3D technical illustrations, 2D drawings, and interactive animated sequences. AR developers use Creo Illustrate to create animated “sequences.” Learn how to create and connect sequences to your Vuforia Studio AR experience.
Recommended Resources
Design the User Experience
The design process starts by imagining how workers will use augmented reality to solve a problem. Start by understanding the process they currently follow. Next, sketch the future you envision with AR.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Map the user journey
In order to build a usable AR experience, you must understand the problem you’re trying to solve. Based on your use case, what will you design the AR experience to do? Who will use it?
The first step in the design process is to map the journey your future AR user takes to solve a problem. For example, if your AR experience will help service technicians repair a machine; study how the technicians perform the repairs today.
To map the user journey, observe the way the repair/process/inspection happens currently. Identify a frontline worker or group of workers to demonstrate it. Take photos, jot down notes, or sketch pictures of the process.
As you observe, pay attention to these details:
Who is doing the job: Document relevant details about the worker or type of worker who performs the repair/process/inspection.
- How many workers do the job?
- What expertise do they need?
- Do they need approval from anyone else?
Where the job is being done: Document what the environment is like.
- Is it noisy or quiet?
- Is the space small or vast?
- Is the environment brightly lit or dark?
- Are there multiple rooms or spaces involved?
- Does the worker move around the object as they work?
- Does the worker have to pass 10 identical machines on their way to the machine they’re repairing?
How the process unfolds: Document all the steps the worker takes to solve the problem.
- How do they get alerted to the problem?
- What’s the first step to solve it?
- How do they know when they’re finished?
- How many steps are involved?
- If the process takes 4 hours, does the technician need to take a break in the middle?
All of these factors and more will influence how you design and build the AR experience.
After observing the process, you may find you underestimated the complexity and scope of the process you’re designing for. Once you’ve done your research, you should have enough knowledge about the way things work to start designing.
Recommended Resources
- Vuforia: Fundamentals Overview PTC University
02. Storyboard the experience
Continue the design process by creating a storyboard for your ideal AR experience. A storyboard will illustrate how workers will use AR, step by step. It tells the story of a user or set of users who leverage AR to complete a task.
Before you sketch your storyboard, we recommend you view and interact with an AR experience of some kind. If you’re using an eyewear device for your AR experience, try it on. This will help you fully grasp what you’re designing.
Sketch your storyboard on a whiteboard, paper, or design it digitally. A graphic/user experience designer can help create a storyboard—however, design expertise is not required.
A storyboard specifies:
- The steps and screens: Illustrate how the AR experience unfolds.
- Draw a frame for each moment or interaction in the process, step by step.
- Show the physical world, and the AR interactions.
- Start with the moment the user becomes aware of the problem.
- Sketch a frame for each screen the user is navigating through as they solve the problem.
- Any necessary data: If your user needs real-time information as they solve the problem, include it. For example, if one of the screens shows the date and time the machine was last serviced, note that requirement. Later, you will connect to that data.
- Tracking method: If you haven’t yet, now’s the time to decide your tracking method (model target or ThingMark, for example). The tracking method determines how users find and open the AR experience, and how it functions.
Storyboard example:
Recommended Resources
- Vuforia: Fundamentals Overview PTC University
03. Map user interactions and flow
Using your storyboard, draw the sequence of screens for your AR experience. Namely, what the user can interact with at each moment and what happens next. The flow may be linear, from beginning to end. Or it may branch off, depending on what the user selects.
For example, you’ll likely have a “home” or “welcome” screen to start your AR experience. This screen may allow the user to start a repair or to exit the experience. List the sequence of screens that follows “Start Repair,” and also “Exit Experience.” From there, your flow diagram may extend and branch out further.
Design Preliminary User Interface
Break down the components that make up your AR experience. Then arrange them into a basic design.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. List asset needs
List all the assets you need to create your AR experience. Assets include anything that appears on the screen—buttons, menus, icons, 3D models, and more. To make your list, revisit the storyboard and user flow you created earlier in the project. For each screen, document which assets appear in the AR experience. Use a spreadsheet or pen and paper.
For each asset, specify several details:
- What asset you need: Is it a button, menu, icon, 3D model, pop-up, or other asset?
- 2D or 3D: Will the asset be a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional feature in the experience? Typically, assets are 2D unless otherwise specified. Imagine 3D assets as things the AR user can explore from numerous angles—they can peer inside, see it from another angle, or step closer to get a better look.
- Screen or scene: Everything in your AR experience will either be part of the “screen” or the “scene.” The screen assets are locked in place. The scene assets will move and shift, depending on where the user is positioned. If you’re not sure whether the asset is part of the screen or scene, skip this step.
- Data needs: Will this asset need to display real-time data? Decide how to display that data, for example as a gauge. If so, specify what system houses that data. You’ll connect to those systems later.
For example, if your AR experience is designed to help service technicians find and fix problems with a car engine, you’ll list numerous assets. One asset may be a 3D model of the car engine itself. The model will be overlaid on top of the engine in the real world. The service technician will need to see the engine from multiple angles, so it’s part of the “scene.” The AR experience must also alert the technician to the problem, so you can assume that data is necessary to do so.
Do your best to list all the assets for each frame of your storyboard. Include as much detail as possible. Later in the project, you will partner with designers, developers, and engineers to create the assets on the list.
02. Create design mockup
Create a rough design mockup for your AR experience. This initial design will illustrate the user interface—the elements on screen that someone uses to interact with the AR experience. This basic design will become more detailed as you go along.
A user experience (UX) designer can help create the design mockup. They will use a wireframe tool or other software to arrange and annotate the necessary assets on the screen. At this stage, the design will look plain: a series of black-and-white boxes on a screen. Include notes about what information each asset contains and/or what happens when a user interacts with it.
Ideally, you would design multiple screens in the flow. From screen to screen, some components will change—menus may collapse and buttons may appear or disappear, for example.
As you design, focus on what each asset does, not what it looks like. You can incorporate colors, visual elements, and branding now if you prefer—but we recommend you complete the visual design later. Determine whether your organization has branding or design standards you must adhere to. As your design becomes more visually detailed, those guidelines will be important.
The AR design process is most successful when you work iteratively.
- Design and build until you have something you can test.
- Then, show it to the workers who will use your AR experience, and test whether it’s usable and functions properly.
- Finally, make improvements and build upon your design.
- Repeat the process until you have a completed AR experience.
Once you have a preliminary design mockup, share it with workers at the organization or other stakeholders to get feedback.
As you design the AR experience, document any details that designers may need in the future. This documentation will help you make changes to existing experiences and create new solutions with Vuforia Studio.
Design Technical Architecture
Make final decisions about what information you need to integrate with your AR experience. Then start planning how you will connect to the systems, tools, and/or data you need to achieve your use case.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Identify integration needs
As your AR project progresses, you will determine how to integrate with existing systems, tools, and/or data. Earlier in the project, you planned what information you need to flow into and out of Vuforia Studio. Now document how you will integrate to the systems that house that information.
Review the storyboard you created when you designed the user experience. Throughout the AR experience, document all the information the user will need, data they will generate, and where that information currently lives.
Your integration needs should include:
- What you need: Note the specific pieces of information you need to create your AR experience.
- How often that information needs to be updated: Does the information being used in your AR experience change frequently and need to be continually updated in order to be useful? If so, what are your performance expectations? Keep in mind that the higher the frequency of updates, the more transactions your infrastructure will need to support.
- Where that data lives: Whether in a cloud-hosted third-party system, an in-house solution, a .csv file, a machine, or something else—you’ll need to identify where this information is currently housed.
- Whether the connection needs to be unidirectional or bidirectional: Will the information flow into the AR experience? Will the AR experience feed information back out to the system? Or both?
- Security considerations: Are there any firewalls or other security barriers that prevent you from accessing the system?
- Version control: How will you ensure you’re always using the most up-to-date version of the information in the system?
We recommend you work with your IT team and other internal partners to identify your integration needs. They can help you determine what information can integrate into your AR experience. Negotiate your requirements and adjust your scope, if necessary. Focus on the integrations you’re most likely to re-use as you grow your portfolio of AR experiences.
02. Document integration strategy
Create an architecture diagram that illustrates your integration strategy. This diagram will include all the interconnected systems necessary to achieve your AR use case. It will also illustrate the methods or technology you will use to connect those systems. The complexity of your architecture diagram will vary depending on your use case and other factors.
If you are not integrating Vuforia Studio with any other systems or data, your diagram will look like this:
If you are integrating Vuforia Studio with other systems, your diagram will be more complex.
Later in the project, you will implement the necessary integrations to achieve your use case. ThingWorx will facilitate connections to a variety of systems, tools, and/or data.
ThingWorx Flow can help you connect to some systems. This integration platform enables you to connect to on-premise systems, cloud systems, and devices. If ThingWorx Flow does not meet your needs, you will use REST APIs to create those connections.
Identify who manages the systems you’re connecting to. Ideally, these experts will commit some time later in the project to help integrate these systems.
Recommended Resources
- ThingWorx Flow Help Center
Finalize User Interface Design
Complete your AR experience design. Add visual details to the design, then build an interactive prototype.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Complete visual design
In this phase, you’ll design the look and feel for your AR experience. Start with your preliminary design mockup and add visual details. A user experience (UX) designer, user interface (UI) designer, or developer can help create the visual design.
The visual design includes:
- Stylistic elements: What color palette, fonts, and other styles will the design employ?
- User interaction details: What happens when a user hovers over/taps a button, for example?
- Near-final copy: What words will you use for buttons, labels, and navigation elements?
- Data needs: What data will flow into your design? Note where specific datasets are needed.
- 3D Model needs: Will you need Computer-Aided Design (CAD) files? Consult an engineer or CAD expert at your organization.
If your organization has brand/design standards, ensure the design is consistent with those requirements. The AR experience should look similar to other applications your organization uses. The people who will build your AR experiences should get to know Vuforia Studio’s capabilities.
These designers/developers are not currently creating anything using Vuforia Studio—but learning the basics of augmented reality will help them create their designs.
02. Finalize prototype
Guided by your completed visual design, build a working prototype of your AR experience. A UX designer, UI designer, or developer will use design software (like InVision, Axure, or another tool) to create the prototype. This design will look nearly identical to the AR experience you aim to create. Later in the project, this prototype will serve as a guide for the team who develops the AR experience in Vuforia Studio.
The prototype should demonstrate how the AR experience will work. Buttons, menus, and other interactive elements should be “clickable.” But since you’re designing a 3-dimensional application using a 2-dimensional design tool, not all aspects of the design will function perfectly. Do your best to illustrate the functionality and include notes where necessary.
We recommend sharing your prototype with the workers who will use the completed AR experience. Get feedback on whether it feels usable and improve the design as needed.
As you design the AR experience, document any details that designers may need in the future. This documentation will help you make changes to existing experiences and create new solutions with Vuforia Studio.
Execute Your Design
Guided by your preliminary design, create the assets for your AR experience. Then, upload those assets to Vuforia Studio.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Create assets
Earlier in the project, you listed all the assets required to build your AR experience. Now you will create those assets. You’ll need a variety of contributors with various skillsets to build the assets that make up your AR experience.
Who can help:
- Designers will build 2D assets like buttons, menus, charts, and widgets. A UX/UI designer, visual designer, or graphic designer can use a tool like Adobe Photoshop to create 2D assets. Basic knowledge of web design is helpful.
- Engineers can provide files for 3D assets that use computer-aided design (CAD) data, like 3D models and 3D animations. A CAD expert will use Creo Parametric, Creo Illustrate, or another tool to prepare the 3D data for use in your AR experience. Ideally, an engineer began preparing the data earlier in the project.
- Developers will bring the assets together in the AR experience. Later in the project, the developer will use Vuforia Studio to incorporate the assets and build the design. Oftentimes, they will write JavaScript to build the experience.
Recommended Resources
- Vuforia Studio Tutorials and FAQs Help Center
02. Upload and test assets
As you create assets, upload them to Vuforia Studio and verify they look and function as intended. The most important step is to ensure the components of your AR experience render correctly in the real world.
Common issues include:
- Lack of CAD data: Your AR experience may be focused on a machine/object that your organization did not design. In that case, you may have difficulty getting the CAD design files you need from its manufacturer.
- Model tracking issues: The digital 3D model you upload to Vuforia Studio may not fit correctly when overlaid to the physical machine/object.
- 2D assets render incorrectly: Assets designed in two dimensions may not look the same in a 3D environment. Ensure they’re the correct size, scale, and color.
Upload 2D elements first, then add 3D elements and data integrations. This order can change depending on your situation or preference.
We recommend you upload and test assets frequently, while they’re being built. Testing and iterating helps you identify potential issues as they arise, which minimizes re-work.
In the next step, you’ll pull all the assets together to create your AR experience.
Develop Structural Components
Guided by your preliminary design, start developing your augmented reality experience in Vuforia Studio.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Lay out static user interface
In this phase of the project, you’ll use Vuforia Studio to lay out the assets that make up your AR experience. Guided by your user interface design, arrange the components you created for each screen. Adjust the padding, alignment, and justification so they’re properly oriented on the screen. A developer who understands JavaScript or Angular JavaScript and CSS can help. This knowledge is not required to use Vuforia Studio. But developers often write code to integrate with other systems and create the functionality and styling for the AR experience.
For example, if the screen features three buttons, an icon, and a 3D model; place those assets in the proper position. You may align the buttons to the left side of the screen, place the icon in the upper right, and then center the 3D model.
As you build the user interface, test and verify it looks good on AR devices. If your organization uses tablets and eyewear devices to view AR experiences, try it on both. If possible, test it in a real environment with the physical object. If the interface does not appear correctly, make adjustments.
For now, focus on arranging the assets for each screen. The assets will not work just yet—buttons are not clickable, for example. In upcoming steps, you’ll program the assets to function appropriately. Finally, you’ll use CSS to add styling that improves the visual appearance of the AR experience.
Recommended Resources
- Vuforia: Fundamentals Overview PTC University
- Navigating Vuforia Studio Help Center
Develop Behavioral Components
Program the assets in your augmented reality experience to respond to actions and events. Build the functionality gradually, testing it along the way.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Build the functionality
Now that the assets that make up your AR experience have been created, uploaded, and placed on screen; a developer will program them to function. The developer will use Vuforia Studio and write JavaScript to implement the functionality. They will refer to the prototype for guidance on how the AR experience should work and build it accordingly.
Developers typically write JavaScript to create elements and interactions. However, it’s possible to create AR experiences without writing JavaScript. You can use “widgets” to design and build, but customization is limited.
Build the functionality that makes your static assets interactive. For example:
- Buttons, menus, and other interactive assets should respond when selected.
- Depending on your design, a part or group of parts within the 3D model may be highlighted.
- A warning or notification may get triggered at a particular point in the experience.
If your AR experience includes any animated sequences and they have not yet been developed, create them now. Animated sequences show objects moving through space, like a bolt unscrewing from an assembly. Modeling software like Creo Illustrate is required to create animated sequences. Someone familiar with CAD or 3D illustration can help. Upload the animated files to Vuforia Studio to incorporate them into the AR experience.
As you develop the AR experience, document any details that developers may need in the future. This documentation will help you make changes to existing experiences and create new solutions with Vuforia Studio.
Right now, the goal is to develop the AR experience so it works as intended. It won't look perfect yet. You'll improve the visual appearance of the experience later.
Recommended Resources
- Navigating Vuforia Studio Help Center
- Using Javascript in Vuforia Studio Help Center
- Vuforia: Fundamentals Overview PTC University
02. Test the functionality
At this stage, we recommend you test the AR experience to ensure it’s working correctly. Publish a “preview” of the experience and try it in a real environment. Ideally, the workers who will use the completed AR experience will help test it now. Test it on the device(s) your organization has chosen to view AR experiences.
Say you’re developing an AR experience to help workers perform quality checks on an assembly line. These workers will use either eyewear devices or tablets to view the AR experience. To test the functionality, observe workers using eyewear devices and tablets on the assembly line to do their jobs. Does everything function correctly? Can the workers figure out how to use it? Are there any bugs that get in the way? Does it make their job easier?
If you can’t test the experience with your future users, test it with anyone who’s available and willing to help. At this time, the most important thing is to make sure your in-progress AR experience works in the real world.
You may discover aspects of your AR design don’t work well in execution. Some bugs may be simple to fix. But larger issues may require you to revisit the design and rework your approach. The AR creation process is naturally iterative—do not be discouraged if development takes longer than expected.
Develop Presentational Components
Style your augmented reality experience to achieve the desired look and feel.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Apply visual design to elements
Guided by your user interface design, adjust the visual appearance of your AR experience. In Vuforia Studio, a developer will use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to implement the colors, layout, and fonts from the design. Most developers experienced with web development and CSS can easily apply visual design to the AR experience.
During this phase, we recommend testing the AR experience to ensure it renders correctly. Preview it using your chosen AR device(s)—especially if you plan to use multiple devices to view AR experiences. Make sure the components within the experience are the right size, scale, and color on each device. If anything appears skewed or blurry, rework them and re-test as necessary.
Recommended Resources
- Navigating Vuforia Studio: Application Styles Help Center
- Vuforia Studio CSS and SASS
- Vuforia: Fundamentals Overview PTC University
Implement Integrations to External Systems
Create connections between the augmented reality experience and the necessary systems, tools, and/or data to achieve your use case. As you create these integrations, test and verify that information is passing to and from your AR experience as planned.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Establish connectivity
Review your integration strategy to ensure it fulfills your AR experience design. Then, guided by your integration strategy, integrate to the systems, tools, and/or data you need to complete your augmented reality experience. Developers, IT professionals, and/or Internet of Things experts can help create these integrations. If possible, work with an expert who understands the system you’re connecting to.
The ThingWorx platform will enable you to pull data from and/or push data into existing systems. You’ll connect the system to ThingWorx, then connect ThingWorx to Vuforia Studio. If necessary, build custom integrations to the systems, assets, and/or tools your use case requires. In most cases, you’ll use ThingWorx Flow or REST APIs to create these integrations. Configuration will be necessary within the system you’re connecting to.
Recommended Resources
- Connect your Devices and Enterprise Data to ThingWorx (Developer.thingworx.com)
- ThingWorx Flow Help Center
02. Test integrations
Test and verify each integration works as designed. Once data is flowing through ThingWorx, notify the developers who are building the AR experience. The AR experience developers will incorporate the ThingWorx services and data into the experience. They will test it, and request changes if necessary.
Make sure:
- The data is appearing in the correct format/structure. For example, if you’re using a date stamp in your AR experience, ensure the month, day, and year are formatted correctly.
- The data matches the source. Ensure there are no discrepancies between the connected system and the AR experience.
- Data from Vuforia Studio is flowing back into the connected system (if your connection is bidirectional).
- The performance meets the requirements you outlined in the technical design.
If necessary, troubleshoot any issues before you continue with the project.
Compile Documentation
Document the details of your augmented reality solution. This information is crucial for employees to use AR, for developers to build new AR experiences, and for administrators to support it.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Create user documentation
Create instructions that guide your employees to successfully use AR. Create user documentation that helps newcomers get comfortable using the AR experience and explains how to get help.
User documentation should cover:
- What augmented reality is and how your organization is using it
- How AR will affect their job or role
- How to find and launch AR experiences
- How to use AR experiences
- How to navigate Vuforia View on your chosen device
- How to power on, wear, and use eyewear devices (if using)
- How to get help from the support team
- How to troubleshoot and report errors
Ensure every worker who will use AR knows how to access user documentation. Update the documentation as changes are made to the application. Later in the project, you’ll use this documentation to train employees.
02. Create technical documentation
Record detailed information about how your AR experiences were developed. Thorough technical documentation helps designers and developers make changes to existing experiences and create new solutions with Vuforia Studio.
Technical documentation should cover:
- How the AR experience is built
- What each component of the code does
- Any systems that integrate with Vuforia Studio and who owns them
- Procedures for maintaining and deploying code (DevOps)
Ensure any employee responsible for designing or developing AR experiences knows how to access technical documentation. These details are especially important when employees leave or change roles, and when new employees join the team. If documentation doesn’t exist, you may lose their knowledge. Update the documentation as changes are made to the application.
03. Create administration documentation
The administrator of Vuforia Studio will need instructions to manage users and maintain the application.
Administration documentation should cover:
- How to use ThingWorx to add, modify, and remove AR users
- Which user groups you have: for example administrators, developers, and users
- How to ensure each user has the correct permissions to create, publish, and/or use AR experiences
- Procedures for granting access to new employees
- Procedures for modifying access for employees who change jobs
- Procedures for revoking access from employees leaving the organization
- How to get help from your organization’s IT team
Ensure your Vuforia Studio admin knows how to access the documentation. When changes are made to the application, update the documentation accordingly.
Test the Augmented Reality Experience
At this phase, you’ll have a well-developed AR experience that you’re confident functions properly. Preview the augmented reality experience in a real environment. Verify it performs correctly in the real world and is usable before deploying it to the entire organization.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Set up development environments
If you have not done so already, set up the development environments required to test and deploy your AR experience. This step differs, depending on whether you’re deploying Vuforia Studio via PTC-hosted cloud or on premises.
02. Perform field testing
Before you deploy AR to your organization, test it under the circumstances or in the environment where it will be used. The purpose of field testing is to find and fix any issues that may arise in a real-world setting. For example, if service technicians will use AR in a factory, test it in the factory—where the wi-fi signal may be less dependable or other factors may make AR more difficult to use.
At this point in the project, you’ve tested the AR experience multiple times. Ideally, you’ve already discovered and addressed most flaws. Still, we recommend scheduling time between field testing and deployment to resolve any issues you may discover.
Perform several test scenarios—try to launch, use, and exit the AR experience; and attempt to add a new user, for example.
Test and verify:
- Functionality: Does the AR experience function as designed? Can you see all the information you need? Do the components on the screen maintain the proper position as the user moves?
- 3D models: Do digital 3D models fit the corresponding physical objects when overlaid on top? Do they scale to the correct size?
- Integrations: Is data flowing between the AR experience and any connected systems?
- Performance: Is the speed acceptable?
- Connectivity: Is the wi-fi signal strong enough?
- Devices: Are the devices you’ll use to view AR experiences working as planned?
- Tracking: Does the AR experience launch properly? For example, if using model tracking, does the AR experience recognize the object and launch the correct AR experience?
- Usability: Is the AR experience intuitive to use?
Stress test the system to ensure it can support the inflated population of users who will use the experience after deployment. Simulate several scenarios—including less-likely situations when the system is processing more data than expected.
If you find issues, decide whether to pause deployment until they can be resolved. Depending on the severity of the issue(s), you may choose to deploy AR as-is and fix them later.
03. Conduct user acceptance testing
Test the AR experience with the employees who will soon use it as part of their process. If possible, involve a diverse range of employees from the organization—include people familiar with the depicted process and people learning it for the first time. It’s crucial that you involve employees whose jobs will be affected by AR.
Foster an open environment where employees feel comfortable giving feedback.
Benefits of user acceptance testing:
- Ensure the AR experience is easy to learn and use
- Generate excitement and address concerns about AR across the organization
- Catch last-minute bugs
- Capture ideas for improvements from people with valuable expertise
- Ensure the steps in the procedure are captured correctly
- Obtain early proof of how AR improves upon existing methods
The project leader, UX designer, or other team member can lead this testing. User acceptance testing will elicit invaluable feedback. Document all the participants’ ideas and concerns. Note anything that seemed confusing or difficult to navigate. You may not act on everything prior to deploying AR, but we recommend revisiting this feedback as you expand your AR offerings.
If you find issues, decide whether to pause deployment until they can be resolved. Depending on the severity of the issue(s), you may choose to deploy AR as-is and fix them later.
We recommend you also capture suggestions for expanding AR. Participants may have ideas about procedures, processes, and areas of the business that could benefit from AR technology.
Roll Out to End Users
After performing a final test, you’ll be ready to deploy augmented reality and make it available to end users. Execute the rollout plan you created earlier in the project.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Administer credentials to users
Ensure everyone who will use AR has permission to access the AR experience. This step is not required if your AR experience is “public,” in which case no login is required to access and view it.
If your AR experience requires users to log in, provide them the necessary credentials. Earlier in the project, you set up user accounts for administrators and developers (perhaps others, depending on your situation). Now, follow a similar process to create credentials for end users.
If your organization is using single sign-on, work with your IT team to configure and implement it. See the “Prepare for Single Sign-On” chapter of the Installing and Deploying an Experience Service document for more information. Ensure everyone who needs to use AR experiences can successfully log in and access them.
Use ThingWorx Composer to administer user credentials. Use the production environment. Create usernames and passwords for all employees who will use AR. Then, add them to the “Developers” group. Ensure they can successfully view AR experiences using the Vuforia View app.
In many cases, Vuforia View users will also need your organization’s Experience Service URL to view AR experiences. The Experience Service is a secure server where your organization’s AR experiences are stored.
If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio via PTC-hosted Cloud, you’ll find your Experience Service URL in the cloud fulfillment email. If you can’t find this information, contact your organization’s IT team. If they don’t have the email, log a support case with PTC technical support.
If you’re deploying Vuforia Studio on premises, you’re responsible for installing the Experience Service. Your IT team will determine the hostname/IP address where it’s installed.
Recommended Resources
- How to grant users publish permissions within Vuforia Studio eSupport PTC login required
- Configuring Vuforia View with an Experience Service URL eSupport PTC login required
- Download Vuforia View Help Center
- Log a Support Case eSupport PTC login required
02. Train end users
Ensure everyone who will use AR has the knowledge they need to get started. Follow the training plan you created earlier in the project. End users include anyone at your organization who will use AR to do their jobs. End users will need access to the Vuforia View app and your organization’s chosen device (mobile device, tablet, and/or eyewear devices) to participate in training.
As you conduct training, monitor whether your approach is effective. You may discover end users need more or less guidance, or a different format to learn how to use AR.
Ideally, employees have been notified in advance that the organization is adopting this new solution.
03. Train help desk
To reduce downtime and achieve your project goals, Vuforia Studio and Vuforia View users should know where to go for technical support. Prepare your IT department to support employees using Vuforia Studio and the Vuforia View. PTC recommends establishing a “help desk” within your IT department. Help desk personnel should complete Vuforia Studio training so they’re prepared to answer basic questions and troubleshoot issues.
In cases when the help desk is unable to resolve the workers’ issue, PTC offers technical support: your organization’s Vuforia Studio administrator may log a case with PTC eSupport. Once received, a member of the technical support team will assist them.
Recommended Resources
- Create your eSupport Account eSupport
- Log a Support Case eSupport PTC login required
04. Promote to production
If any issues arose during field and/or user acceptance testing, re-test to ensure they’re fixed. After you have performed all the necessary testing, you’re ready to migrate the experience to a production environment. This step “publishes” your AR experience—making it available to the employees who will use it. Ensure you have a backup in place before promoting to production. If you followed a thorough DevOps process, your work should already be backed up.
To promote to production, the developer will move the code to a production server.
Depending on your use case, you’ll migrate various items to production:
- The AR experience: Migrate the AR experience from Studio to your production Experience Service.
- ThingWorx entities: If your AR experience incorporates data from other systems or tools, you must migrate the associated ThingWorx entities to production.
- Systems or tools: If your AR experience incorporates data from other systems or tools, there may be code within those systems that must also be migrated to production.
Once the application is deployed, notify the project team, stakeholders, and end users. The AR experience is now is available for use.
05. Perform final testing
After you migrate the AR experience to a production environment, test and verify it works correctly. Stress test the system to ensure it can accommodate all your users. Monitor the system closely for a few days after deployment.
If an issue arises, do not make changes to the application in the production environment. First, make adjustments and test them in the development environment. Second, promote the code to the test/QA environment (if you have one) and test thoroughly. Third, promote the code to production.
Evaluate the Project
Once your augmented reality experience has been running for a few weeks, evaluate how the project unfolded. Gather your AR team for a meeting or workshop to discuss their experiences and opinions. Look for opportunities to improve on your next AR project.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Complete project retrospective
After you deploy augmented reality, evaluate how the project unfolded. Gather feedback from the project team, employees who helped test the AR experience, employees who are now using it, and anyone else involved in AR.
Explore questions like:
- What went well?
- What was challenging?
- How can we improve as we expand augmented reality?
- Were there any skillsets missing from the project team?
- Was the timeline appropriate?
The project retrospective will help you identify opportunities to improve processes, reallocate resources, or change your approach.
02. Evaluate AR devices
Now that employees are utilizing AR to perform their jobs, determine whether the devices they’re using are ideal (mobile devices, tablets, or eyewear devices). Get feedback from a diverse range of AR users. If possible, observe them using the AR experience in their real-world environment.
Explore questions like:
- What challenges arise when someone is using the device?
- If using multiple devices, do users prefer one versus another?
- Does the person using the device experience any physical discomfort?
- Are the devices performing as expected?
- If using a mobile device or tablet, would a hands-free eyewear device work better?
The feedback you receive will help you make decisions about devices for future AR projects. As you expand AR, you may consider adopting an additional device or retiring an existing device.
03. Evaluate the AR experience
Now that employees are using AR to perform their jobs, determine whether the AR experience meets their needs. Get feedback from a diverse range of AR users and their managers. If possible, observe them using the AR experience in their real-world environment.
Explore questions like:
- Does the AR experience help employees perform a task better, faster, or more accurately?
- What challenges arise when someone is using the AR experience?
- How do employees feel about using AR in their role?
- Are there any barriers for employees to use AR? Anything confusing?
- Are there any features or capabilities missing? Or other suggestions for improvement?
This feedback will help you improve an existing AR experience and build new and improved experiences for users. Consider gathering a group of AR users for a meeting or workshop to discuss their experiences and opinions. This is also an opportunity to gather data you will need to measure success for your AR project.
We recommend gathering user feedback on an ongoing basis. Empower employees to request enhancements, report issues, and share their reactions to AR. It’s crucial to deliver feedback to the appropriate teams, who will prioritize and act on enhancement requests and resolve issues.
Measure Business Impact
Revisit the goals and metrics you established for your AR use case. Then, gather the data you need to measure success.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Evaluate metrics
Now that your AR experience is functioning as expected, revisit the goals and metrics your organization set in your measurement strategy. Review your baseline metrics—for example, production time—then gather current data. If you don’t have access to the information you need, contact someone who may have it, like a plant manager or leader. Compare the baseline metrics to your current data to determine the value of the AR experience so far.
We recommend you wait about 6 weeks to gather metrics. In some instances, the impact of your AR experience may be noticeable sooner. Your organization may observe improvements such as reduced downtime or faster training almost immediately. Other metrics—such as lowering rework and scrap costs or increasing first-time fix rate—require several weeks or months of data to better measure the value of the AR experience. This is especially true as users get accustomed to working with new technology.
Your value propositions may change from your initial plan, at this point. Consider if they’re still relevant and adjust accordingly. If you do adjust your value propositions, give a clear reason why to communicate with all stakeholders.
02. Share results with stakeholders
Share the results and any adjustments to your value propositions with the project sponsor, organizational leaders, plant managers, users, and other stakeholders. It’s important to share these results so all stakeholders are informed about the value of AR. Reviewing these results can also help you strategize next steps.
Revisit Roadmap and Next Steps
Return to your end goal for your augmented reality experience. Prioritize your next steps based on the value of your AR experience to meet your end goal.
Before you begin, complete these steps:
01. Revisit roadmap
Once you’ve measured the success of augmented reality, revisit your roadmap. Determine next steps based on the value of your project and the time frame for achieving that value. Consider how you will expand AR in your organization to provide the most value. Your roadmap should reflect what’s feasible and needed to scale your AR project. For example, to use AR in all factories, you need to get devices for each one.
Revisit your strategy and end goal. Consider if you need to adjust your priorities or timelines to meet your goal—discuss any problems and new insights. Ensure your next steps and future timeline are clear to all stakeholders to keep the project moving forward.
We also recommend taking steps to encourage employees to adopt AR. Are your users self-sufficient in the AR experience? Can they teach others how to use the technology? This will help integrate AR in your organization.
Recommended Resources
