Augmented reality in Flutter is a popular topic. On the one hand, the framework itself is gaining users thanks to the development speed it provides while retaining native performance. On the other hand, AR is a mature technology with applications ranging from video conferencing and online shopping to vehicle maintenance. So what if you want to gain the benefits of both? Read on and see how to integrate a Flutter AR plugin and do just that.
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TL;DR:
- Augmented reality software development kits help gain a lot of features quickly and for a fraction of the price it takes to develop them from scratch;
- Banuba Face AR SDK includes many useful functionalities: face tracking, virtual backgrounds, AR masks, and more;
- Follow the instructions below to integrate it.
About AR SDKs
In this article, we will describe the most straightforward and convenient way to add augmented reality features to an app – by integrating an augmented reality SDK (software development kit). It is a ready-made module that can perform certain tasks out of the box and can be quickly integrated into existing software or a project in progress.
This approach offers many benefits:
- Fewer developers needed. A single programmer can usually implement an SDK in under a week. This means that resource-starved teams can spend their time more efficiently.
- Decreased time-to-market. Building AR features from scratch could take months. With an SDK, you can shorten this time to days or even hours. Combine this with up to 50% cut in development time from Flutter, and anyone would see that this is the approach worth approving.
- Low initial investment. A one year license for an SDK is much cheaper than a salary for a single middle-level developer. This will let you free a large chunk of your budget for other expenses (e.g. marketing the product).
- Long-term support. The companies behind each kit maintain documentation, help with integration, and provide other forms of assistance.
- Large feature set. A software development kit will have many features out-of-the-box, while developing them on your own will take a lot of time and money.
However, there are no augmented reality SDKs that cover all the applications of AR. In this article, we will focus on Banuba FaceAR SDK, as it is the one we know best.
About Banuba FaceAR SDK
Banuba FaceAR SDK is a powerful software development kit for many face- and body-related applications. Its features include:
- Face detection and tracking
- Virtual backgrounds
- Virtual makeup
- AR masks
- Color filters
- Hand tracking
- Gesture recognition
- AR rings, bracelets, and other jewelry
- Etc.
FaceAR SDK is a tool that has been successfully implemented in many domains: video chats with millions of users, mobile games, wellness apps, vision screening software, and more. In addition, it has a complementary web studio to create AR effects and an asset store with over 1000 filters that can be licensed.
Banuba FaceAR SDK has a lot going for it:
- Easy to integrate: it is distributed as a Maven package, an AR Flutter plugin, a CocoaPods pod, etc.
- Easy to create content for
- 6+ years on the market – stable performance and lots of integration cases
- Low battery, CPU and GPU resource consumption
- Expansive but flexible feature set – only take what you need
With that out of the way, let’s get down to integrating. It is very simple and requires only a few lines of code.
Implementing the SDK
This is how you can implement the Flutter version of Banuba FaceAR SDK. You can use it as a library, which requires only a few lines of code – the advantage of it being an AR Flutter plugin.
Token
The first step is getting the SDK and the trial token so you will have 14 days to test everything. To receive both, send us a message.
Depend on it
Run this command with Flutter:
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$ flutter pub add banuba_sdk
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This will add a line like this to your package's pubspec.yaml (and run an implicit flutter pub get):
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dependencies:
banuba_sdk: ^1.6.0
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Alternatively, your editor might support flutter pub get. Check the docs for your editor to learn more.
Import it
Now in your Dart code, you can use:
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import 'package:banuba_sdk/banuba_sdk.dart';
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Feel free to check out more information about Banuba FaceAR SDK in our documentation section.
Conclusion
Integrating an augmented reality SDK is a reliable way to decrease development time and expenses, as well as to gain many advanced features quickly. Banuba FaceAR SDK is an AR Flutter plugin that can compound on these advantages with its own: ease of implementation, ease of content creation, many useful features, etc. As you can see, it is possible to add it to your Flutter app is a matter of minutes. So don’t hesitate to request a free trial and try everything yourself.
