Function
Last updated on
May 14, 2024
Learn about Adobe Aero's different anchor types
Anchor types
An anchor is what keeps your experience locked in space when viewing it. Aero provides three different ways of anchoring; Surface anchor, Location anchor or Image anchor. The best anchoring type depends on how or where you want your viewers to engage with your experience.
Tip:
It is always best to review requirements and best practices for each anchor type.
Note:
NOTE: You can change a project’s anchor type at any time.
Surface anchors let viewers tap to place an experience. This is the most common anchoring type, and they can be viewed anywhere there is a detectable surface.
Selecting surface anchor
- Select ‘New file’ from the Home screen to open the anchor selection window
- Name your project
- Select ‘Surface anchor’
- Select ‘Create’
Anchoring to vertical surfaces
- Select the anchor in the Scene panel to access the Anchor properties panel.
- Select ‘Vertical surface’ from the Anchor type dropdown menu in the properties panel.
Surface anchor requirements and best practices
- Surface detection works best in well-lit spaces with a variety of contrasting colors, textures, and clearly defined edges.
- Surface detection may not work on very shiny or reflective surfaces.
Situate your experience in the real-world by selecting a specific location on a 3D map. Location anchors are powered by Google’s Geospatial Creator. Location anchors are meant for outdoor and public locations.
Selecting Location anchor
- Select ‘New file’ from the Home screen to open the anchor selection window
- Name your project
- Select ‘Location anchor’
- Select ‘Create’ to proceed to the location selection window
Choosing a location
- Navigate the 3D earth or type a location, place, or address in the search field to find your location
- Click to place the marker at your desired location
- Choose ‘Select’ to confirm your location selection
- Wait for the 3D map tiles to load into the viewport
Location Selection Window Controls
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Mouse |
Track Pad |
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Pan |
Left click + Drag |
Click + Drag |
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Orbit |
Middle click + Drag |
CTRL + Click + Drag |
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Zoom |
Right click + Drag or Mouse wheel |
Two fingers + Swipe vertically |
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Set location |
Left click |
Click |
Tip:
Use the ‘Recenter’ button if you lose your location marker while browsing the 3D map.
Tip:
If your 3D tiles are getting in the way while you’re building your experience you can toggle the visibility of the 3D tiles on and off with the eyeball beside the Anchor in the Scene panel.
Note:
The 3D tiles are not considered an asset and will not be published with your experience. 3D tiles are loaded into the viewport as reference and context for you to build your experience against. 3D tiles are loaded each time the project is opened and may appear different if the dataset for that location has been updated.
Location Anchor Properties
- ANCHOR TYPE
Use the pulldown menu to change the project’s anchor type. - ADDRESS
The address closest to your selected location. - LOCATION DATA
Latitude, longitude, elevation of your selected location. - EDIT LOCATION
Select to change the location of your experience. - SNAP ANCHOR TO GROUND
Change the way Adobe Aero calculates elevation.
Tip:
If you’re find your content isn’t at the correct altitude when viewing your Location anchored experience, try turning ‘Snap anchor to ground’ off in the anchor properties. This makes Aero calculate elevation data a different way and can be more accurate for some locations.
Edit Anchor Location
- Select the anchor in the Scene panel
- In the anchor properties select the 'Edit Location' button
- Choose a new location on the 3D map
- Choose ‘Select’
- Wait for the 3D tiles load into the viewport
Note:
If you edit the location of your experience, your pre-existing content may need realignment.
- Ensure you choose an outdoor and public location that has available Google Street View data, and that surrounding buildings and structures are easily viewed by a person holding a mobile device.
- Choose a location where your viewers can view and interact safely with your experience.
- When selecting your location consider that the land, history, and structures at that location may hold special significance.
- Real-world locations are dynamic so the 3D tiles in Aero’s viewport may not represent the most current state of your selected location. It is best to observe and validate the real-world location in person.
- When designing your experience consider where viewers may need to stand to view your experience, so they have a good time while remaining safe.
- Test your experience as a viewer at the real-world location early in your design process as well in different environmental conditions like time of day and various weather types.
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How do location anchors work? |
Location anchors leverage Google's ARCore Geospatial API to help your mobile device understand where to place and orient your experience in the real-world. |
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Do location anchors work inside? |
No. Location anchors are meant for outside and public places where there is Google Street View data available. |
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How can I find out if Google Street View data is available for my selected location? |
Open Google Maps in your browser. Navigate to the location of your experience. Select ‘Layers’ in the bottom left of the window. Select ‘More’ and then select ‘Street View’ from the map details. This will show you an overlay of where Street View data is currently available.
Note:
Available Street View Data is represented by solid blue lines on roads and pathways. Blue dots represent user generated content and are not part of the Street View dataset used to place and orient location anchored experiences. |
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How can I find out if there are Photorealistic 3D Tiles for my selected location? |
Open Google Earth in your browser. Navigate to the location of your experience. |
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Will location anchors still work if there are no Photorealistic 3D tiles for my selected location? |
Yes. Location anchors rely on Google’s Street View data and not the 3D tiles themselves to place and orient your experience in the real world. |
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Why might a location anchored experience not work? |
A clear view of the surrounding buildings and structures in needed by mobile devices to understand how to place and orient location anchored experiences. If surrounding buildings and structures are obscured, too far away or too dark a location anchored experience may not work. |
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What may affect the accuracy of a location anchored experience? |
Like any anchoring type, a Location anchor’s accuracy depends on several factors like device performance, camera quality as well as environmental factors like lighting and visibility. |
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Can I create or edit Location anchored experiences with Aero on iOS? |
Currently, you can only create and edit Location anchored experiences on Aero desktop (beta). |
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Is there a way to export the 3D tiles from Aero to use in other 3D packages? |
No. Due to licensing restrictions Adone Aero cannot export the 3D tiles to be used elsewhere. |
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What if someone tries my Location anchored experience and they are not at the correct location? |
If a viewer is not at the correct location, they will be notified that the experience is meant for specific location and offered direction to that location. Viewers must be withing around 250 meters of the selected location to be considered “at the location”. |
Using an image anchor lets viewers continuously track an experience to a physical image in the real-world. Use an image anchor if you want to create an augment reality enhanced business card, poster or watch face.
Selecting Image anchor
- Select ‘New file’ from the Home screen to open the anchor selection window
- Name your project
- Select ‘Image anchor’
- Select ‘Create’ and proceed to select the digital version of your real-world image
Image anchor requirements and best practices
- Some part of the physical image must remain in the mobile device’s view for image anchored experiences to work.
- Set the dimensions of the actual physical printed image in the image anchor settings.
- Images with high contrast lines, corners, and edges work best.
- Image anchors work best when lighting is even.
- Avoid rotational symmetry. If the image is rotationally symmetrical, the AR system may have trouble aligning your experience.
- Avoid repeating patterns. If an image anchor has repeating patterns, the AR system may have trouble aligning your experience.
Changing an anchor type
- Select the anchor in the Scene panel
- Select a new anchor type from the ‘Anchor Type’ dropdown menu in the properties panel.
Note:
If you change the anchor type of your experience, your pre-existing content may become misaligned.
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