artoolworks are 2011 presentation

ARToolworks, Inc.

ARE2011 Building an Open-Source AR Business

Mark Billinghurst – Co-founder Philip Lamb - CTO

ARToolworks – ARE2011

ARToolworks • Leading AR tool supplier (web, mobile, desktop)

• Oldest open-source AR company

• Founded in 2000, spin-off from the HIT Lab US

• Provides ARToolKit, the world’s most popular AR toolkit

• > 450 000 downloads

• Technology firsts

• Desktop AR SDK, iOS/Android AR SDK, Web AR SDK

• Profitable since 2001

• 100% revenue growth last three years

ARToolworks – ARE2011

How We Did It •  Identify a real need

•  Great team

•  Great technology

•  Build a community

•  Profitable license model

•  Spread the wealth

4

ARToolworks – ARE2011

Identify a Real Need • Key problems in AR

• Where are you looking

•  How can I interact with content

• Tracking problem

ARToolworks – ARE2011

Great Team

• Mark Billinghurst

• Hirokazu Kato • Meeting Seattle 1997 • Great working relationship

– Complementary interests

ARToolworks – ARE2011

Great Technology

•  Tracking + Tangible AR Interaction

ARToolworks – ARE2011

Build a Community

•  High profile demo

•  Release source code

•  Provide support

•  Evangelism

•  Engage with developers

ARToolworks – ARE2011

High Profile Launch Demo

•  Siggraph 1999, 2,500 users, lots of press

ARToolworks – ARE2011

Release Source

•  artoolkit.sourceforge.net

•  >450,000 downloads since August 2004

ARToolworks – ARE2011

Support + Evangelism

•  Forum

•  Tutorials

•  Documentation

•  Sample applications

ARToolworks – ARE2011

Engage with Developers

•  Hundreds of projects

•  Large research community

•  Tens of thousands of projects

•  Large research community

ARToolworks – ARE2011

ARToolKit Family ARToolKit

NyARToolKit

JARToolKit ARToolKit NFT

FLARToolKit

SLARToolKit

ARToolKitPlus

AndAR ARToolKit iOS

ARToolKit Pro

Android ARToolKit

ARToolworks – ARE2011

LICENSING

Licenses are the mechanism for controlling the value you create by writing the program

ARToolworks – ARE2011

What do we mean by “Open Source” licensing?

•  Different levels of openness possible:

•  Level 1: User has source code

•  Level 2: Source code available to non-users

•  Open not necessarily also free

•  Primary definition: ���user can modify the program.

ARToolworks – ARE2011

Open source license models • Public domain (won't discuss)

• BSD-style (attribution licenses) ���can be used in closed-source products, so don't restrict others from profiting from your work

• LGPL-style "benevolent reciprocal giveaway"

• GPL-style���true "copyleft" - users must also open-source their code

• Restricted���everything else; single-level rights of openness.

ARToolworks – ARE2011

Is open source maximally profitable?

• Apple (Darwin, WebKit)

• Google (Android)

• Oracle (MySQL)

• Microsoft (Windows source code to major customers)

• ARToolworks

★ ARToolKit (free and open)

★ osgART (open)

★ ARToolKit Professional, ARToolKit NFT (not free, partially open)

• Open-source programs often live alongside closed source programs

ARToolworks – ARE2011

Open source business model:

1.  Write cool program

2.  Open the source

3.  ????

4.  Profit!!

ARToolworks – ARE2011

What is #3?

Some possible answers:

• There is no #3, O.S. = profit.

• #3 is services

• #3 is support services

• #3 does not exist

ARToolworks – ARE2011

There is no step 3 •  Customers are happier: they feel protected in

their investment, and future-proofed

•  Customers can do more ➔ they sell more ➔ they buy more licenses

•  Customers find bugs: better products, more secure products

•  Customers improve the product: two-way business

ARToolworks – ARE2011

Spread the Wealth

•  Most tech development outside company

•  Exclusive license from developers

•  Provide generous royalty back to developers

•  Promote developer libraries

•  Keep developers happy

ARToolworks – AR2011

What’s New? •  New Android ARToolKit SDK

•  iPad2 ARToolKit iOS SDK

•  OSX markerless tracking

•  Unity3D integration

•  Desktop, iOS/Android

ARToolworks – AR2011

ARToolKit for Unity

ARToolworks – AR2011

Demo Time..

ARToolworks – AR2011

Conclusion •  You can build a successful open-source AR company

•  Basic Recipe

•  Identify a real need

•  Great team, Great technology

•  Build a community

•  Profitable license model, Spread the wealth

• We would love to partner with you

ARToolworks, Inc.

Direct technology enquiries to: Philip Lamb, Chief Technical Officer philip.lamb@artoolworks.com!

www.artoolworks.com