Factors that effect tracking stability

Unity Engine
1

Getting frustrating tracking results in a recent ARFoundation project after over a month of hard work.

My placed model often jumps erratically instead of staying glued to a fixed spot.

So I am researching all the factors that effect tracking.
Which of the following influences tracking stability?
Are some more important than others?

1-The actual complexity of your placed 3d model(number polygons etc)
2- The complexity of the surrounding environment (ie thinks of being in an all white room with white floor and ceiling vs in the middle of a forest)
3- The ambient lighting (overall lightness, diffuse vs direct)
4- The time spent gathering tracking points-data before you place your model

Other?

2
  1. an all white room will be harder to track because difficult to determine unique points/harder to track something since everything is the same. You need some kind of “texture” at least on the surfaces. A rough white wall will track easier than a smooth white wall
  2. brighter ambient works better
3

From my notes…

  • High-contrast scenes with plenty of detail work best
  • Avoid dark places to reduce noise in the camera feed
  • Static environment lighting is most reliable
  • Avoid glossy surfaces
  • Avoid excessive contrast (eg. bright sunlight coming through windows into dark room)
  • Tracking surfaces with no detail (eg. a white wall) is not possible
  • Without any movement (parallax), tracking is not possible
  • Avoid too fast movement
  • Device specific camera/processing hardware makes a difference

Kind of a lot of things to consider, but that’s handheld AR. In typical cases these shouldn’t be an issue.

4

Thanks. Good tips!