Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
The approach is used in notable products such as PDF417, Data Matrix, MaxiCode,
Aztec Code, and of course, the now famous quick response ( QR ) code, which
has become a graphic metaphor of the connection between handheld devices and
reality. It's pretty funny because the graphic representation itself is hard to con-
sider beautiful. It looks too pragmatic and foreign, like a robot's fingerprints. The QR
code is something that is out. This is because QR code was originally created to
track vehicles being manufactured in the automotive factories of Toyota. Nobody had
planned for the extra utility of that symbol and only few dreamed about palm-sized
computers with cameras and instant Internet connections at the time.
In addition to this, it is interesting to mention that the QR code had a competitor. In
1999, ShotCode was introduced, a data format that was designed for regular cam-
eras that an ordinary consumer might buy, rather than for special industrial systems.
It also had a pleasant visual appearance and information inscribed in a circle-based
structure; it looked more organic than the traditional barcode. Unfortunately, that was
not enough. ShotCode is still in use, but the technology is not so popular. QR codes
though, largely through the efforts of the Japanese market, are a sensation now.
They are everywhere, in newspapers, magazines, on screens that air TV shows, in
video games as hidden secrets, and so on. AR applications are no exception; some
of them successfully utilize symbols that look close to QR codes as fiducials. They
can be both a source of data (information stored in the data matrix) and a way to
display reference points to perform 3D rendering.
Note
Despite the fact that fiducial markers based on simple geometry are very effect-
ive, their graphic appearance leaves a lot to be desired. They also reveal all the
functional zones of AR gameboards, ruining the magic. To solve this problem,
some researchers suggest using invisible markers printed by infrared fluorescent
ink,whichcannotbeperceivedbyanormalhumaneye,onlybyinfrared sensitive
camera. Thus, infrared fiducial markers can be printed over standard illustrations
or text.
The requirements for fiducial markers can be determined very easily. You only need
to keep in mind how AR applications work with them in different conditions:
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