--- key: mechanic/phone-camera--family-ar-rules type: mechanic id: phone-camera--family-ar-rules lang: en title: 'AR: viewpoint and observation rules' summary: >- The player changes viewpoint and aims at spatial targets. Measure requires aligning the pointer with object points; its measurements are approximate. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-camera--family-ar-rules/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-camera--family-ar-rules.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-camera--family-ar-rules.md aliases: [] tags: - Phone camera interactions - Mechanics catalog sourceIds: - source-0599b2ea6361e813 - source-ed7020b965238bb1 - source-2d9202f2f950f384 - source-6af608cd666f05e5 sources: - id: source-0599b2ea6361e813 title: 'ARCore: motion tracking, planes, anchors' url: 'https://developers.google.com/ar/develop/fundamentals' verifiedAt: null - id: source-ed7020b965238bb1 title: 'ARCore Depth: depth and occlusion' url: 'https://developers.google.com/ar/develop/depth' verifiedAt: null - id: source-2d9202f2f950f384 title: 'Apple ARKit: world tracking' url: >- https://developer.apple.com/documentation/arkit/understanding-world-tracking verifiedAt: null - id: source-6af608cd666f05e5 title: Measure (iOS) url: 'https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/measure-dimensions-iphd8ac2cfea/ios' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: phone-camera id: family-ar-rules title: Phone camera interactions url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/phone-camera/#family-ar-rules' categoryIds: - section-1 supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: 'AR: viewpoint and observation rules' description: >- The player changes viewpoint and aims at spatial targets. Measure requires aligning the pointer with object points; its measurements are approximate. image: src: images/mechanics/camera-apple-measure.webp width: 490 height: 1008 game: Measure (iOS) sourceUrl: >- https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/measure-dimensions-iphd8ac2cfea/ios originalUrl: >- https://ipcdn-web.apple.com/assets/v2/web/1f7529ac-b23e-4b34-a44c-4e84c42893d6 credit: Apple rights: >- © Apple. Official documentation image; all rights reserved. Excluded from portal MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: 'Measure: a rectangle and dimensions over the camera view of a box' alt: 'Measure: a rectangle and dimensions over the camera view of a box' markers: - x: 50 'y': 50 label: The central pointer helps select points in space tips: - 'Distinguish screen visibility, model line of sight and human attention.' examples: - title: Measure (iOS) url: >- https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/measure-dimensions-iphd8ac2cfea/ios endsAt: null provenance: >- Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/phone-camera --- # AR: viewpoint and observation rules id: phone-camera--family-ar-rules type: mechanic key: mechanic/phone-camera--family-ar-rules lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-camera--family-ar-rules/ The player changes viewpoint and aims at spatial targets. Measure requires aligning the pointer with object points; its measurements are approximate. ## At a glance ![Measure: a rectangle and dimensions over the camera view of a box](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/camera-apple-measure.webp) [Measure (iOS)](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/measure-dimensions-iphd8ac2cfea/ios) · © Apple. Official documentation image; all rights reserved. Excluded from portal MIT and CC BY 4.0. 1. The central pointer helps select points in space - Distinguish screen visibility, model line of sight and human attention. - [Measure (iOS)](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/measure-dimensions-iphd8ac2cfea/ios) ## How it works The player acts by moving the phone and changing what he sees. Screen boundaries, line of sight in the model, and human attention are different quantities. Returning to a place requires relocalization, and consistency between sessions does not occur automatically. ## Variants ### Variants and applications - The phone is like a window. Action: Move the device to look into a fixed digital world. Application: Diorama, virtual aquarium, object exploration. Technologies: AR spatial tracking. - Walking around the object. Action: Examine a digital or recognized object from different angles. Application: Finding a weak point, museum model, spatial riddle. Technologies: AR spatial tracking. - The angle is like a key. Action: Find the point where the elements of a digital scene add up to answer. Application: Perspective puzzle, character alignment, hidden caption. Technologies: AR spatial tracking. - Distance as action. Action: Enter the range of distances relative to the virtual object. Application: Taming, activating a portal, playing with caution. Technologies: AR spatial tracking. - Observation holds the state. Action: Keep the object in the visible sector; when you turn away, it changes. Application: Horror, “keep in sight”, quantum puzzle. Technologies: AR spatial tracking. - Action outside the frame. Action: Remove an object from view and return it to trigger the transition. Application: Tricks, transformations, observation puzzle. Technologies: AR spatial tracking. - Portal and border crossing. Action: Guide the phone or player through a given virtual area. Application: Another room, changing the world scale, spatial quest. Technologies: AR spatial tracking. - Return to anchor. Action: Re-find a previously saved location and continue the state of the object. Application: Permanent pet, abandoned cache, asynchronous scene. Technologies: AR spatial tracking; Device capabilities. ## Context and limits Games, learning, creativity and interactive applications. Author's systematization of game rules based on proven technical capabilities. Examples are application ideas and not statements of released products. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. - [ARCore: motion tracking, planes, anchors](https://developers.google.com/ar/develop/fundamentals) (id: source-0599b2ea6361e813) - [ARCore Depth: depth and occlusion](https://developers.google.com/ar/develop/depth) (id: source-ed7020b965238bb1) - [Apple ARKit: world tracking](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/arkit/understanding-world-tracking) (id: source-2d9202f2f950f384) - [Measure (iOS)](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/measure-dimensions-iphd8ac2cfea/ios) (id: source-6af608cd666f05e5) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors