Developers

ArcGIS Maps SDK Beta 2 is available!

We’re delighted to announce the second beta release of the ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Unity and Unreal Engine!

It’s been four months since our first beta release and the ArcGIS Maps SDK for game engines beta program has been extremely popular.   The program currently hosts over 2000 members, many of which are actively engaged in the forums.   Development efforts span a wide variety of industries including AEC, defense, government, utilities, natural resources, education and more.   Many of those efforts have spawned new ideas, prototypes, and product proposals for modern business applications that combine ArcGIS and real-world data with the power of Unity or Unreal Engine.

Here are a few examples of experiences built with the ArcGIS Maps SDK and game engines:

heightmap-gameengine
Use of a custom shader to define a height map for an ArcGIS scene layer representing buildings in New York City.

 

vangogh-gameengine
On the left, a custom shader applies techniques of the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh to alter the visualization of ArcGIS scene layers, imagery, and elevation. The original representation of the scene is displayed on the right.

 

drone-gameengine2
Plan a flight path and simulate movement of a drone through an urban landscape.

 

We’re excited to see the innovative ideas and great work by members of the beta community.   We’ve spent the last few months listening to feedback, refining our architecture, and updating the Maps SDK to improve quality and usability in the latest beta.  Beta 2 includes a few key enhancements:

If you haven’t already, we invite you to use the following link to join the ArcGIS Maps SDK for game engines beta program: https://esriurl.com/a4ge  We’re looking forward to your feedback, inspiration, and ideas!

About the author

Rex Hansen is a Product Manager for the ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Native Apps and ArcGIS Maps SDKs for Game Engines. He has over 25 years of experience in GIS, spatial analytics, and computer mapping. Currently, he guides the development of native technologies in the GIS industry to use authoritative geospatial content and analysis in offline workflows, photorealistic experiences, and immersive, extended reality solutions.

Connect:
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Next Article

Send email from pop-ups

Read this article