I am thinking of using Unity and am starting with AR development. Is it a suitable platform for projects involving AR? 
Are there more suitable options for novices? 
Unity is actually a great choice for AR development. It’s versatile, with lots of tools and support for AR projects. You can start with Unity’s AR Foundation to build cross-platform AR experiences. If you’re new to AR, it might be a bit of a learning curve, but there are tons of tutorials to help you out. Another option for beginners is Spark AR Studio, which is a bit simpler and geared towards social media AR filters. Both are solid, so it depends on what you’re aiming for.
Build amazing AR experiences with Unity! It’s got powerful tools to make them interactive and blend seamlessly with the real world.
Unity is great for AR (I’m working on a major AR project using Unity at my job), but there are some caveats:
- Web XR Support: As of my last check, AR Foundation does not support Web XR. This means if you want to develop a web app, you’ll need to look for another solution or wait for the feature to be implemented, which could take a long time.
- Complex Programming: AR Foundation requires you to understand complex programming patterns. Even for something relatively simple, like detecting a trackable image, the learning curve can be steep.
- Unity MARS: While Unity MARS allows for AR development without programming, it lags behind AR Foundation in features (e.g., Web XR support and Depth API). It’s also very complicated and inconvenient for non-standard tasks, despite being easy for simple tasks. Moreover, it’s absurdly expensive for an open beta test.
Unity offers a user-friendly interface and a wealth of tutorials to get started. However, if you’re looking for more beginner-friendly options, you might consider exploring platforms like ARCore or ARKit, which are more specialized and can provide a smoother entry into AR development.