Presentation by Mark Billinghurst at the ARE 2011 conference about how to build an open source AR business. Using ARToolworks as an example.

1. ARToolworks, Inc.
ARE2011
Building an Open-Source AR Business
Mark Billinghurst – Co-founder
Philip Lamb - CTO

3. 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

4. How We Did It
• Identify a real need
• Great team
• Great technology
• Build a community
• Profitable license model
• Spread the wealth
4
ARToolworks – ARE2011

5. Identify a Real Need
• Key problems in AR
• Where are you looking
• How can I interact with content
• Tracking problem
ARToolworks – ARE2011

6. Great Team
• Mark Billinghurst
• Hirokazu Kato
• Meeting Seattle 1997
• Great working relationship
– Complementary interests
ARToolworks – ARE2011

7. Great Technology
• Tracking + Tangible AR Interaction
ARToolworks – ARE2011

8. Build a Community
• High profile demo
• Release source code
• Provide support
• Evangelism
• Engage with developers
ARToolworks – ARE2011

9. High Profile Launch Demo
• Siggraph 1999, 2,500 users, lots of press
ARToolworks – ARE2011

10. Release Source
• artoolkit.sourceforge.net
• >450,000 downloads since August 2004
ARToolworks – ARE2011

11. Support + Evangelism
• Forum
• Tutorials
• Documentation
• Sample applications
ARToolworks – ARE2011

12. Engage with Developers
• Hundreds of projects
• Large research community
• Tens of thousands of projects
• Large research community
ARToolworks – ARE2011

13. ARToolKit Family
ARToolKit
ARToolKit Pro
ARToolKit NFT
JARToolKit
ARToolKitPlus
NyARToolKit
SLARToolKit
FLARToolKit
ARToolKit iOS
AndAR
Android ARToolKit
ARToolworks – ARE2011

14. LICENSING
Licenses are the mechanism for controlling the
value you create by writing the program
ARToolworks – ARE2011

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Open source business model:
1. Write cool program
2. Open the source
3. ????
4. Profit!!
ARToolworks – ARE2011

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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 – ARE2011

22. What s New?
• New Android ARToolKit SDK
• iPad2 ARToolKit iOS SDK
• OSX markerless tracking
• Unity3D integration
• Desktop, iOS/Android
ARToolworks – AR2011

23. ARToolKit for Unity
ARToolworks – AR2011

24. Demo Time..
ARToolworks – AR2011

25. 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 – AR2011

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