ARKit was released with iOS 11 at the Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in 2017. Augmented reality (AR) is at the forefront of specialized technology being developed by Apple and other high-tech companies, and this new kit helps developers bring AR to iOS devices. The development kit is integrated with the latest hardware to allow for a level of AR integration never seen before on iOS devices.

This cheat sheet is an introduction to ARKit. We’ll update this resource periodically when there’s new information about the AR development framework.

From the cheat sheet

WHAT IS ARKit ?

ARKit is an augmented reality framework included in Xcode that is compatible with iPhones and iPads. ARKit lets developers place digital objects in the real world by blending the camera on the screen with virtual objects, allowing users to interact with these objects in a real space.

It does this by using the camera on iOS devices to create a map of the area, detecting things like tabletops, floors, and the location of the device in the physical space using CoreMotion data. The user doesn’t have to do any calibration–that’s a breakthrough in this space.