Adobe Aero / Augmented Reality

[Sean]

Well I don't know what whacky course / exam board our ICT dept has signed up for but apparently one of the modules for year 11 is creating some Augmented Reality content

I had a look for them a while back and I couldn't find any AR app on the list of exam board suggestions that

- Was properly freeware

- Had a Windows version and wasn't mobile only

- Was at least slightly intuitive to use and not just bizarre

 

They've come back since and said they want Adobe Aero installing in all the ICT suites for after half term, to be fair Adobe Aero did seem like the best of a bad bunch - the main marks against it were that the Windows version is still in beta and even though it's just a little freeware app it wants to install the entire Creative Cloud platform before it will run

 

I found this about packing Adobe CC apps from the admin console, generally:

https://helpx.adobe.com/enterprise/using/package-apps-admin-console.html

But I don't have an Adobe ID that has access to the admin console and it doesn't seem certain that Aero would be available as a package on there as it's a freeware, beta app and not a traditionally 'core' part of Creative Cloud

 

So... Is anyone else being asked to roll out augmented reality software? Anyone had any luck with packaging and deploying Adobe Aero, especially without all the CC gumph? Or is there some nice, free, open source, user friendly Augmented Reality app for Window s that I've missed?

Thanks

Sean

[SpaceInvader83]

We have been asked the same but have advised it's not suitable - It's still in beta and the min requirements we don't meet - So 8GB RAM & 2GB VRAM and some of our CPU's are older than 6th Gen. We did go through testing it on a few of the better spec machines and even our own machines which do meet the requirements and found it flakey at best.

[paulkerton]

I definitely wouldn't want to try running on a beta!

[Sean]

Ah interesting - I'd not even properly considered specs!

So.. are they looking for an alternative app now then? It was my understanding that this is a module of a GCSE course that's already underway, the ICT dept here are being characteristically cagey about the details though - I assume it's a non-optional module?

Thanks

[SpaceInvader83]

Yet to hear back but the initial request was more of a.. we must install this on all IT kit ready for after half term - there is an iOS offering (That's not beta) which might be an option - but not for us.

[Sean]

It seem to be coming from OCR Cambridge Nationals, the course they're doing here at least, unless multiple boards have an AR module now, if that helps any?

https://support.ocr.org.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/360020028760-Cambridge-National-in-IT-2022-Unit-R070-Using-augmented-reality-to-present-information

[Brimstone]

There are thousands of free AR Apps for iPads and Apple have their own...

 

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/reality-composer/id1462358802

 

I've also got plenty of primaries using this site....

 

https://cospaces.io/edu/

[Rob_D]

The details our IT teacher got about this course suggested the following "free" applications.

 

• Adobe Aero​
  
• XR+
  
• Unity​
  
• Unity Vuforia Engine​
  
• Lens Studio​
  
• Spark AR​
  
• ZapWorks​
  
• Zappar​
  
• Brioxr
  

[kidpressingbuttons]

going through this at the moment- did anyone settle on a vendor?

 

Just feels like we are being pushed to use tablets/phones but that doesnt help those who dont have a personal device...

[Steve101]

Adobe Aero looks to be the way to go.. on a set of iPads designated for use only by this course.

 

The course contains material in which the students must produce an AR experience to use for marketing purposes, for example.. when holding your device up to a wall it will display flags of different countries and when you click the flags it will display information on certain aspects of that country.. the example I read was a wildlife marketing campaign.

 

It's a great idea, sounds like a lot of fun for the kids so I'm prepared to give them what they need to achieve it.

[karenf]

We've been asked the same here. Our PCs aren't high enough spec for Aero. We tried XR+ (as recommended by the exam board) but seems to be a limit on the number of free accounts and it is really expensive. We don't have mobile devices for students. Would be interested in what others are doing and I'll update here if we find a solution

[CHiLL]

We were asked to install this on our Windows desktops, but had trouble getting it working through our Sophos XG. Wave9 did a bunch of work, to no avail. We fed these issues back to our ICT lead and pointed out that it is still beta software, which isn't suitable for a curriculum. Once it's fully released, we can then truly be tested for use.

[karenf]

We're now investigating Augmented Reality (AR) Company | Blippar seems to be a few resources on you tube from the launch of OCR technicals in 2016 and is free for education - fingers crossed

but having no mobile devices seems limiting. Would have thought they'd have thought through what resources they needed before starting to deliver the course.

[CHiLL]

We're now investigating Augmented Reality (AR) Company | Blippar seems to be a few resources on you tube from the launch of OCR technicals in 2016 and is free for education - fingers crossed

but having no mobile devices seems limiting. Would have thought they'd have thought through what resources they needed before starting to deliver the course.

BlipparAR is the resource I was asked to look at this morning. It looks as though it's all in browser and you can use your Microsoft or Google SSO.

 

But yes, the lack of thought that's gone into this by the exam board or whoever comes up with these courses is ridiculously poor.

Edited July 3, 2023 by CHiLL

[Brimstone]

My post before have 2 web sites that can create AR environments in the browser....and they are free.

 

https://cospaces.io/edu/

https://www.jig.space/