**Integrating Augmented Reality with Qt: AR-Based Museum Exhibit** Introduction ------------ This article presents a solution for integrating augmented reality (AR) with Qt, specifically using the Qt for Android and Qt for iOS modules. We'll create an AR-based museum exhibit application using Qt Quick and the Android and iOS ARKit and ARCore frameworks. **Project Setup** Before we dive into the code, make sure to have the following setup: * Qt 6.4 or later * Qt for Android and/or Qt for iOS * Android NDK (for Android) or Xcode (for iOS) * Android Studio (for Android) or Xcode (for iOS) First, create a new Qt Quick project in Qt Creator: ```bash qt6-creator ``` Then, select "Qt Quick Application" and choose a project name. In this example, we'll use "AR_Museum_Exhibit". **AR Frameworks** We'll use the ARKit and ARCore frameworks for iOS and Android, respectively. These frameworks provide the necessary functionality for creating AR experiences. **Android (ARCore)** In the project directory, create a new directory called `android` and add the following files: * `AndroidManifest.xml` * `build.gradle` * `src/main/java/com/example/ar_museum_exhibit/MainActivity.java` In `AndroidManifest.xml`, add the necessary permissions and features for ARCore: ```xml <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" /> <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.ar" required="true" /> ``` In `build.gradle`, add the ARCore dependency: ```groovy dependencies { implementation 'com.google.ar:core:1.33.0' } ``` In `MainActivity.java`, add the ARCore initialization code: ```java import com.google.ar.core.Frame; import com.google.ar.core.Session; public class MainActivity extends QtActivity { private Session session; @Override protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) { super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); // Initialize ARCore session session = new Session(this); } @Override protected void onResume() { super.onResume(); // Configure ARCore session Config config = new Config(session); config.setLightEstimationMode(Config.LightEstimationMode.ENVIRONMENTAL); config.setPlaneFindingMode(Config.PlaneFindingMode.HORIZONTAL); session.configure(config); } @Override protected void onPause() { super.onPause(); // Stop ARCore session session.pause(); } @Override public void onSurfaceChanged(GL10 gl, int width, int height) { super.onSurfaceChanged(gl, width, height); // Update ARCore session session.update(); } @Override public boolean onTouchEvent(MotionEvent event) { // Handle touch events for ARCore session.handleTapEvent(event); return super.onTouchEvent(event); } } ``` **iOS (ARKit)** In the project directory, create a new directory called `ios` and add the following files: * `AR_Museum_Exhibit-Bridging-Header.h` * `ARDisplayController.mm` * `ARDetallesController.mm` In `AR_Museum_Exhibit-Bridging-Header.h`, add the necessary ARKit imports: ```objectivec #import <ARKit/ARKit.h> ``` In `ARDisplayController.mm`, add the ARKit initialization code: ```objectivec #import "ARDisplayController.h" @implementation ARDisplayController - (void)viewDidLoad { [super viewDidLoad]; // Initialize ARKit session self.session = [[ARSession alloc] init]; self.session.delegate = self; // Configure ARKit session ARWorldTrackingConfiguration *configuration = [[ARWorldTrackingConfiguration alloc] init]; configuration.planeDetection = ARPlaneDetectionHorizontal; configuration.lightEstimationEnabled = YES; [self.session runWithConfiguration:configuration]; } - (void)viewWillDisappear:(BOOL)animated { [super viewWillDisappear:animated]; // Stop ARKit session [self.session pause]; } - (void)touchesBegan:(NSSet<UITouch *> *)touches withEvent:(UIEvent *)event { // Handle touch events for ARKit [self.session handleTapEvent:event]; } @end ``` **Qt Quick Code** Now that we have the AR frameworks set up, we can create the Qt Quick UI. In the `main.qml` file, add the following code: ```qml import QtQuick 2.15 import QtQuick.Controls 2.15 import QtQuick.Layouts 1.15 import QtQuick.Shapes 1.15 import QtLocation 5.15 import QtPositioning 5.15 ApplicationWindow { id: window visible: true width: 400 height: 600 // AR view Item { id: arView anchors.fill: parent // ARKit/ARCore view AndroidView { id: androidView visible: Qt.platform.os === "android" anchors.fill: parent } ARView { id: arkitView visible: Qt.platform.os === "ios" anchors.fill: parent } } // Overlays Rectangle { id: overlay anchors.fill: parent color: "black" opacity: 0.5 } Text { id: infoText anchors.centerIn: parent text: "Point your camera at a surface to detect planes." color: "white" } } ``` **Conclusion** In this article, we integrated augmented reality with Qt using the ARKit and ARCore frameworks for iOS and Android, respectively. We created an AR-based museum exhibit application using Qt Quick and presented a basic UI with an AR view and overlays. You can build upon this code by adding more features, such as 3D models, audio guides, and interactions.