Skip to main content

ARDK for Android

ARDK for Android

[androidJvm]
ARDK for Android provides a high-level Kotlin interface to Niantic's Augmented Reality Developer Kit. The API follows a consistent pattern where all features require initialization, configuration, and proper lifecycle management.

Architecture​

The ARDK Kotlin wrapper provides a high-level interface to Niantic's Augmented Reality Developer Kit. The API follows a consistent pattern where all features require initialization, configuration, and proper lifecycle management.

Core Concepts​

ARDK Handle: All operations revolve around a long integer handle that represents your ARDK instance. This handle is passed to all API calls and manages the underlying native resources.

Feature Lifecycle: Each ARDK feature (VPS, Mapping, Scanner) follows a standardized lifecycle:

  • Create - Initialize the feature (main thread required)
  • Configure - Set feature-specific parameters
  • Start - Begin active operation
  • Stop - Pause operation while preserving state
  • Destroy - Clean up resources

Thread Requirements: Feature creation and destruction must occur on the main thread due to native manager requirements. Other operations can typically run on background threads.

Data Flow​

Frame Processing​

ARDK processes camera frames and sensor data in real-time. Applications provide frame data through FrameData objects containing:

  • Camera images and metadata
  • Device sensors (GPS, compass, orientation)
  • ARCore tracking data (poses, intrinsics)

The system uses an intelligent data request mechanism - ARDK only requests the sensor data it needs for current operations, optimizing performance and battery usage.

Result Handling​

API operations return results through the ARDKResult<TData, TError> wrapper, providing type-safe success/error handling:

  • Success: Contains the requested data
  • Error: Contains an error code of type TError for debugging

Key Features​

VPS (Visual Positioning System)​

Enables precise localization against Niantic's global 3D map. Supports:

  • Anchor tracking and management
  • Coverage area queries
  • Continuous localization for drift correction
  • Device map localization (local maps)

Mapping​

Creates local 3D maps that can be saved, shared, and used for localization:

  • Real-time scanning and mapping
  • Map persistence and export
  • Integration with VPS for enhanced coverage

Scanner​

Provides mesh reconstruction and 3D scanning capabilities:

  • Real-time mesh generation
  • Scan management and export
  • Quality assessment tools

Integration Patterns​

Android Lifecycle​

ARDK integrates naturally with Android's activity lifecycle:

  • onCreate: Initialize ARDK and create features
  • onResume: Start active features
  • onPause: Stop features while preserving state
  • onDestroy: Clean up all resources

ARCore Integration​

ARDK is designed to work alongside ARCore, leveraging:

  • Camera frames and tracking data
  • Pose information and calibration
  • Device orientation and sensors

Data Optimization​

The API includes built-in optimizations:

  • Conditional sensor data collection based on feature needs
  • Intelligent frame throttling options
  • Bandwidth management for cloud features

Configuration​

Each feature supports extensive configuration through dedicated config classes:

  • VPSConfig: Localization frequency, quality settings, temporal fusion
  • DeviceMappingConfig: Scan parameters, quality thresholds
  • ScannerConfig: Mesh generation settings, export options

Best Practices​

  1. Resource Management: Always pair Create/Destroy calls and follow proper lifecycle patterns
  2. Error Handling: Use ARDKResult pattern for robust error management
  3. Performance: Leverage GetRequestedDataFormats to provide only needed sensor data
  4. Threading: Respect main thread requirements for feature lifecycle operations
  5. Permissions: Ensure proper camera, location, and storage permissions before use

Getting Started​

Basic Usage Example​

// Initialize ARDK
val handle = ARDK.Create("your-api-key")

// Create and configure VPS
ARDK.CreateVPS(handle)
val vpsConfig = VPSConfig(enableContinuousLocalization = true)
ARDK.ConfigureVPS(handle, vpsConfig)

// Start VPS
ARDK.StartVPS(handle)

// Send frame data
val frameData = FrameData(System.currentTimeMillis(), frameId++)
// ... populate frame data
ARDK.SendFrame(handle, frameData)

// Track an anchor
val result = ARDK.TrackVPSAnchor(handle, anchorPayload)
when (result) {
    is ARDKResultDeprecated.Success -> {
        val anchorId = result.value
        // Anchor tracked successfully
    }
    is ARDKResultDeprecated.Error -> {
        // Handle error
    }
}

// Clean up
ARDK.StopVPS(handle)
ARDK.DestroyVPS(handle)
ARDK.Destroy(handle)

For detailed API documentation and complete reference materials, see the API classes and functions below.

Packages​

Name
[com.nianticlabs.ardk](-a-r-d-k for -android/com.nianticlabs.ardk/index.mdx)
[com.nianticlabs.ardk.awareness.semantics](-a-r-d-k for -android/com.nianticlabs.ardk.awareness.semantics/index.mdx)
[com.nianticlabs.ardk.depth](-a-r-d-k for -android/com.nianticlabs.ardk.depth/index.mdx)
[com.nianticlabs.ardk.mapping](-a-r-d-k for -android/com.nianticlabs.ardk.mapping/index.mdx)
[com.nianticlabs.ardk.mesh](-a-r-d-k for -android/com.nianticlabs.ardk.mesh/index.mdx)
[com.nianticlabs.ardk.objectdetection](-a-r-d-k for -android/com.nianticlabs.ardk.objectdetection/index.mdx)
[com.nianticlabs.ardk.recording](-a-r-d-k for -android/com.nianticlabs.ardk.recording/index.mdx)
[com.nianticlabs.ardk.scanning](-a-r-d-k for -android/com.nianticlabs.ardk.scanning/index.mdx)
[com.nianticlabs.ardk.utils](-a-r-d-k for -android/com.nianticlabs.ardk.utils/index.mdx)
[com.nianticlabs.ardk.vps](-a-r-d-k for -android/com.nianticlabs.ardk.vps/index.mdx)
[com.nianticlabs.ardk.wps](-a-r-d-k for -android/com.nianticlabs.ardk.wps/index.mdx)