Quickstart for Android

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To get started using ARCore with Android, you can run either the hello_ar_kotlin or hello_ar_java sample app included with the ARCore SDK. These sample apps use OpenGL, a programming interface for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. The apps display any detected planes and allow the user to tap on a plane to place a 3D model.

Set up your development environment

Open a sample project

  1. In Android Studio, clone the ARCore SDK GitHub repository.

    There are many ways to do this:

    • For an established Android Studio installation:

      • From the Git menu, select Clone.
      • In the Version control drop-down, select Git as the version control system.

      • In the URL field, enter the following URL to the ARCore GitHub repository:

        https://github.com/google-ar/arcore-android-sdk.git

    • You can also open a Terminal and issue the git clone command as follows:

      git clone https://github.com/google-ar/arcore-android-sdk.git

  2. Open one of the sample projects as follows (you must explicitly open a project in order to build and run it).

    • From the File menu, select Open.
    • In the arcore-android-sdk/samples folder, select either the hello_ar_kotlin or hello_ar_java folder, and click Open.

Prepare your device or emulator

You can run AR apps on a supported device or in the Android Emulator. You must update Google Play Services for AR on the emulator before running the app. See Run AR Apps in Android Emulator for more information.

Run the sample

Make sure your Android device is connected to the development machine and click Run in Android Studio.

Android Studio builds your project into a debuggable APK, installs the APK, and then runs the app on your device. For more information, see Build and Run Your App.

You may be prompted to install or update Google Play Services for AR if it is missing or out of date. Select CONTINUE to install it from Google Play Store, or manually update it as described in Update Google Play Services for AR.

The hello_ar_java app lets you place a three-dimensional ARCore pawn on detected AR plane surfaces. It is implemented with Android GL SurfaceView, which is used to render the camera preview and basic AR objects such as Planes and Anchors. hello_ar_java's sample rendering framework can be found in com/google/ar/core/examples/java/common/samplerender.

Use Instant Placement

The Instant Placement API allows the user to place an AR object on the screen without having to wait for ARCore to detect surface geometry. Object placement is refined in real time as the user moves further around the environment. Once ARCore detects the correct pose in the region where the AR object is placed, the white object automatically updates to be pose-accurate, and becomes opaque.

Place a virtual object using Instant Placement

Instant Placement is automatically enabled in hello_ar_java. Tap the gear icon on the screen and choose Instant Placement in the drop-down menu. The Enable Instant Placement checkbox should already be selected.

Tap on the screen to place an object. Make sure to continue moving the device around after seeing the holographic object appear on screen, so that ARCore can get sufficient data about your surroundings to accurately anchor the virtual object.

Next steps