CoCreatAR: Enhancing Authoring of Outdoor Augmented Reality Experiences Through Asymmetric Collaboration

TL;DR

This paper addresses the challenge of authoring site-specific outdoor AR experiences under dynamic real-world conditions, where static ex-situ representations often fail to reflect changes in lighting, crowding, and safety. It introduces CoCreatAR, an asymmetric collaborative MR system that pairs ex-situ developers with in-situ collaborators to share real-time environmental context through tools like 3D Snapshots, Coarse Meshes, 3D Cursors, and live audio/video streams, all integrated with Unity and Niantic SDK. An exploratory study (n=32) shows that synchronous CoCreatAR collaboration increases engagement and author confidence and improves integration of real-world context, though multitasking during synchronous sessions can raise task load for some users. The work highlights the value of hybrid workflows that leverage both synchronous and asynchronous collaboration and outlines design recommendations and future research to scale context-aware AR authoring for diverse outdoor environments.

Abstract

Authoring site-specific outdoor augmented reality (AR) experiences requires a nuanced understanding of real-world context to create immersive and relevant content. Existing ex-situ authoring tools typically rely on static 3D models to represent spatial information. However, in our formative study (n=25), we identified key limitations of this approach: models are often outdated, incomplete, or insufficient for capturing critical factors such as safety considerations, user flow, and dynamic environmental changes. These issues necessitate frequent on-site visits and additional iterations, making the authoring process more time-consuming and resource-intensive. To mitigate these challenges, we introduce CoCreatAR, an asymmetric collaborative mixed reality authoring system that integrates the flexibility of ex-situ workflows with the immediate contextual awareness of in-situ authoring. We conducted an exploratory study (n=32) comparing CoCreatAR to an asynchronous workflow baseline, finding that it enhances engagement, creativity, and confidence in the authored output while also providing preliminary insights into its impact on task load. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for integrating real-world context into site-specific AR authoring systems.

Figures (11)

• Figure 1: The number of participants who reported using various methods to document issues in their AR experiences when in-situ.
• Figure 2: The number of participants who reported looking for various issues in their AR experiences when in-situ. See \ref{['sec:formative-method-participants']} for descriptions of the issues.
• Figure 3: The five main site-specific AR issue types we aimed to address with CoCreatAR. We refer to \ref{['sec:formative-study']} for further details on the full range of issues identified in our formative study.
• Figure 4: In-situ user interface of CoCreatAR. (A) Users can scan the environment to obtain a Coarse Mesh of the surroundings; (B) Users can tap Capture to take a 3D Snapshot; (C) Users can tap Capture or Annotate to access feature sub-menus from the main menu and tap and hold on the screen to spawn a 3D Cursor; (D) Users can create drawings projected onto surfaces with Surface Draw; (E) Users can create a trajectory or a 3D drawing with Air Draw by moving their smartphone.
• Figure 5: Ex-situ user interface of CoCreatAR. (A) All objects under NetworkedScene are automatically synchronized between ex-situ and in-situ users; (B)3D Snapshots captured by the in-situ user; (C) The location mesh of LocationA; (D)Coarse Mesh captured by the in-situ user; (E) Live feed of the in-situ user's screen, including AR content; (F) The 3D Cursor of the ex-situ user, projected into world space; (G) Close-up of the 3D Cursor of the ex-situ user as seen in the scene view; (H) List of annotations and spatial captures, persistently saved in the scene for later review; (I) Sample assets that can be added to the scene at runtime.