Augen - Flutter AR Plugin
A cross-platform Flutter plugin for building AR (Augmented Reality) apps using ARCore on Android and RealityKit on iOS. Write your AR logic entirely in Dart — no native code required.
Features
- Plane Detection — detect horizontal and vertical surfaces
- 3D Objects — place primitives (sphere, cube, cylinder) or load custom models (GLTF, GLB, OBJ, USDZ)
- Hit Testing — tap-to-place objects on detected surfaces
- Image Tracking — track real-world images and anchor content to them
- Face Tracking — detect faces with facial landmarks and expressions
- Cloud Anchors — persist and share AR anchors across sessions and devices
- Occlusion — depth, person, and plane occlusion for realistic rendering
- Physics — dynamic, static, and kinematic bodies with forces, impulses, and constraints
- Multi-User AR — shared sessions with real-time object synchronization
- Lighting & Shadows — directional, point, spot, and ambient lights with configurable shadows
- Environmental Probes — realistic reflections and environmental lighting
- Animations — skeletal animations with blending, transitions, and state machines
For detailed API docs and advanced usage, see Documentation.md.
Platform Requirements
| Platform | Minimum Version | AR Framework |
|---|---|---|
| Android | API 24 (Android 7.0) | ARCore |
| iOS | iOS 13.0 | RealityKit & ARKit |
SDK: Flutter >= 3.3.0, Dart >= 3.9.2
Installation
dependencies:
augen: ^1.2.0
flutter pub get
Android Setup
Add to your android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.ar" android:required="true" />
<uses-feature android:glEsVersion="0x00030000" android:required="true" />
<application>
<meta-data android:name="com.google.ar.core" android:value="required" />
</application>
Set minSdkVersion to at least 24 in android/app/build.gradle.
iOS Setup
Add to your ios/Runner/Info.plist:
<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>This app requires camera access for AR features</string>
<key>UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities</key>
<array>
<string>arkit</string>
</array>
Set the deployment target to at least iOS 13.0.
Quick Start
1. Display the AR View
AugenView is the widget that renders the camera feed and AR scene. When the view is ready, you receive an AugenController to drive everything.
import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:augen/augen.dart';
class ARScreen extends StatefulWidget {
@override
State<ARScreen> createState() => _ARScreenState();
}
class _ARScreenState extends State<ARScreen> {
AugenController? _controller;
@override
Widget build(BuildContext context) {
return Scaffold(
body: AugenView(
onViewCreated: (controller) {
_controller = controller;
_initAR();
},
config: ARSessionConfig(
planeDetection: true,
lightEstimation: true,
),
),
);
}
Future<void> _initAR() async {
final supported = await _controller!.isARSupported();
if (!supported) return;
await _controller!.initialize(
ARSessionConfig(planeDetection: true, lightEstimation: true),
);
// React to detected planes
_controller!.planesStream.listen((planes) {
debugPrint('Detected ${planes.length} planes');
});
}
@override
void dispose() {
_controller?.dispose();
super.dispose();
}
}
2. Place Objects via Hit Test
Tap a detected surface to place a 3D object:
final results = await _controller!.hitTest(screenX, screenY);
if (results.isNotEmpty) {
await _controller!.addNode(
ARNode(
id: 'sphere_1',
type: NodeType.sphere,
position: results.first.position,
scale: Vector3(0.1, 0.1, 0.1),
),
);
}
3. Load Custom 3D Models
// From Flutter assets
await _controller!.addModelFromAsset(
id: 'ship',
assetPath: 'assets/models/spaceship.glb',
position: Vector3(0, 0, -1),
scale: Vector3(0.1, 0.1, 0.1),
);
// From a URL
await _controller!.addModelFromUrl(
id: 'building',
url: 'https://example.com/models/building.glb',
position: Vector3(1, 0, -2),
modelFormat: ModelFormat.glb,
);
Recommended formats: GLB for Android, USDZ for iOS. GLTF and OBJ are also supported.
Web Marker-Based AR
Augen runs in the browser via Flutter Web (Wasm or JS) and detects square visual
markers in the live camera feed using an image-template matching detector
implemented in JavaScript with dart:js_interop bindings.
Status: The detector matches PNG/JPG marker templates with multi-scale normalized cross-correlation (NCC). Pose translation is computed from apparent marker size and the configured physical width; rotation is currently identity. For full 6-DoF pose, a future release will bundle ARToolKit Wasm or OpenCV.js POSIT. Three.js rendering integration is also planned — the renderer already maintains scene state and marker transforms, but does not yet draw geometry. Contributions welcome.
Browser Support
| Browser | Support |
|---|---|
| Chrome (desktop & Android) | ✅ Full |
| Edge | ✅ Full |
| Safari | ⚠️ Partial (WebRTC limitations) |
| Firefox | ⚠️ Partial (WebAssembly SIMD varies) |
Requirements
- Flutter Wasm:
flutter run -d chrome --wasm - HTTPS required for
getUserMediacamera access (localhost is exempt) - Camera permission must be granted by the user
- Server must serve
.wasmfiles withContent-Type: application/wasm - For
SharedArrayBuffer(optional perf boost): setCross-Origin-Opener-Policy: same-originandCross-Origin-Embedder-Policy: require-corpheaders
Marker Target Types
| Type | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
ARMarkerType.pattern (with imagePath) |
PNG/JPG image template matched via NCC | ✅ Implemented |
ARMarkerType.pattern (with patternPath) |
Classic ARToolKit .patt file |
⚠️ Planned (ARToolKit Wasm) |
ARMarkerType.barcode |
Numeric barcode markers | ⚠️ Planned |
ARMarkerType.aruco |
ArUco dictionary markers | ⚠️ Planned |
Quick Start
AugenView(
config: const ARSessionConfig(
markerTracking: true,
planeDetection: false,
),
onViewCreated: (controller) async {
await controller.initialize(
const ARSessionConfig(
markerTracking: true,
markerDetectionOptions: ARMarkerDetectionOptions(
maxDetectionFps: 20,
debug: true,
),
),
);
// Use a PNG/JPG image as the marker template.
await controller.addMarkerTarget(
const ARMarkerTarget(
id: 'hiro',
name: 'Hiro marker',
type: ARMarkerType.pattern,
imagePath: 'assets/markers/Hiro_marker.png',
physicalWidth: 0.08, // 8 cm
),
);
await controller.setMarkerTrackingEnabled(true);
controller.trackedMarkersStream.listen((markers) {
for (final marker in markers) {
if (marker.isTracked && marker.isReliable) {
// Anchor content to the marker
}
}
});
},
);
A standalone runnable demo lives at example/web_marker_ar/:
cd example/web_marker_ar
flutter run -d chrome --wasm
Supported vs Unsupported Web Features
| Feature | Web Support |
|---|---|
| Marker tracking (PNG/JPG image templates) | ✅ |
| Camera feed rendering | ✅ |
trackedMarkersStream & marker pose updates |
✅ |
| 3D node anchoring to markers (scene-graph state) | ✅ |
| Three.js geometry rendering | ⚠️ Planned |
| Full 6-DoF pose (rotation) | ⚠️ Planned (ARToolKit Wasm) |
.patt / barcode / ArUco marker types |
⚠️ Planned |
| Plane detection | ❌ Mobile only |
| Image tracking (ARCore/ARKit style) | ❌ Mobile only |
| Face tracking | ❌ Mobile only |
| Cloud anchors | ❌ Mobile only |
| Occlusion / Physics / LiDAR | ❌ Mobile only |
Performance Tips
- Set
maxDetectionFpsto 15–20 to balance accuracy and CPU usage - Use small marker pattern files (< 10 KB)
- Print markers at the configured
physicalWidthfor correct scale - Prefer Chrome/Edge for best WebAssembly performance
- Use
debug: falsein production to disable visual overlays
Troubleshooting
- Camera not starting: Ensure HTTPS (or localhost) and that the user granted camera permission.
- Marker not detected: Verify the
imagePath(PNG/JPG) is declared inpubspec.yamlassets and the printed marker matchesphysicalWidth. Ensure adequate lighting and that the marker fills a reasonable portion of the camera frame. - Camera hangs at "Initializing…": On laptops with no rear camera,
facingMode: 'environment'falls back to any available camera automatically. If it still hangs, close other apps/tabs holding the webcam. - Wasm not loading: Confirm the server serves
.wasmwithContent-Type: application/wasm. SharedArrayBuffererrors: Add COOP/COEP headers to your web server.- Low FPS: Reduce
maxDetectionFps, close other tabs, or use a device with better GPU.
Architecture Overview
augen/
lib/
augen.dart # Public barrel export
src/
augen_controller.dart # AugenController — all AR operations
augen_view.dart # AugenView widget
models/ # Data classes (ARNode, ARPlane, Vector3, etc.)
android/ # Kotlin — ARCore integration
ios/ # Swift — RealityKit / ARKit integration
example/ # Full-featured demo app
test/ # Unit and integration tests
How it works: AugenView creates a platform view (Android: PlatformViewLink, iOS: UiKitView) that hosts the native AR renderer. All communication between Dart and native happens through Flutter method channels, abstracted behind AugenController.
Key Classes
| Class | Purpose |
|---|---|
AugenView |
Widget that displays the AR camera + scene |
AugenController |
Controls the AR session — add/remove nodes, hit test, manage anchors, animations, physics, etc. |
ARSessionConfig |
Session options: plane detection, light estimation, depth data, auto focus |
ARNode |
A 3D object in the scene (primitives or custom models) |
ARPlane |
A detected surface (horizontal/vertical) |
ARAnchor |
A fixed point in world space |
ARHitResult |
Result of a raycast against detected geometry |
Vector3 / Quaternion |
3D position and rotation types |
Reactive Streams
AugenController exposes streams for all AR state updates. Subscribe to stay in sync:
_controller.planesStream // detected planes
_controller.anchorsStream // anchors
_controller.trackedImagesStream // image tracking results
_controller.facesStream // face tracking results
_controller.errorStream // errors
_controller.physicsBodiesStream // physics body updates
_controller.lightsStream // light changes
// ... and more — see Documentation.md for the full list
Example Apps
The example/ directory contains a complete demo app with tabs for every feature (planes, nodes, images, faces, cloud anchors, occlusion, physics, multi-user, lighting, probes, animations).
cd example
flutter run
Web Marker AR Example
A standalone web example demonstrating marker-based AR is available at example/web_marker_ar/:
cd example/web_marker_ar
flutter run -d chrome --wasm
See the Web Marker AR README for details on setup and usage.
Testing
# Run all tests
flutter test
# Run specific test suites
flutter test test/augen_controller_test.dart
flutter test test/augen_animation_test.dart
# Integration tests (requires a device or simulator)
cd example
flutter test integration_test/plugin_integration_test.dart
Troubleshooting
Android — ARCore not working:
- Verify the device supports ARCore
- Ensure Google Play Services for AR is installed
- Confirm
minSdkVersion >= 24
iOS — ARKit not available:
- Requires A9 chip or later (iPhone 6s+)
- Confirm deployment target is iOS 13.0+
- Ensure the
arkitcapability is declared in Info.plist
Camera permission denied (both platforms):
- Add the required permission entries listed in the setup sections above
- Request runtime permission before showing the AR view
Contributing
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/my-feature) - Commit your changes
- Push and open a Pull Request
License
MIT — see LICENSE for details.
Links
Support:
Solana Wallet: ApeGNaqfRM3HJocYHfdZ88GmFj2wqVCxUzm5MGvGNrWy
Libraries
- augen
- Augen - Flutter AR plugin for ARCore (Android) and RealityKit (iOS)
- augen_method_channel
- augen_platform_interface