Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 11, just released today. One of the biggest updates that should get the attention of architects is ARKit, Apple's new augmented reality framework. ARKit provides the opportunity to for Apple and 3rd party developers to create AR experiences anew, or to enhance existing applications for iPhone and iPad.

Augmented reality is relatively old news, but the fact that this framework is now baked into the most popular mobile device in the world, soon to be married to Apple's latest AR-friendly hardware, is big news. Millions of people around the world will soon have some of the most advanced AR tools in their pockets, regardless if they want it. Businesses and app developers now have the opportunity to show the potential of AR to people without requiring them to purchase expensive new hardware and software. 

Morpholio, a company that we've covered previously on Archinect, is dedicated to bringing this new technology to architects and interior designers through updates to their already popular apps Board and Trace. 

Apple has direct access to their camera. They have direct access to their accelerometer, and they have direct access to their processor which is running a lot of  machine-learning algorithms to calculate distances and dimensions very accurately

Trace, an app that allows designers to trace over photos and imported images, was just updated today with augmented reality features allowing the user to uncover virtual perspective grids at accurate scales. 

Toru Hasegawa, Co-Founder at Morpholio, tells us that prior to these latest updates, it would be almost impossible for the software to determine scale from photographs. Hasegawa explains, "Apple has direct access to their camera. They have direct access to their accelerometer, and they have direct access to their processor which is running a lot of  machine-learning algorithms to calculate distances and dimensions very accurately."

Morpholio's Board app is tailored more to interior specialists, providing designers the ability to create 3D mood boards with a built-in product library. Today's update to Board adds features they call "AR Color Capture" and "Color Seed". 

Taking advantages of ARKit's accurate light reading, Color Capture allows the user to select a specific color from a scene in real time to help develop customized color palettes. 

Color Seed takes Color Capture one step further, helping the designer source furniture, surfaces, materials and complimentary colors through a color-based search algorithm. 

Furniture giant IKEA is also getting in the game with their new app "Place", letting potential customers see how furniture will look in their space, with accurate sizing, lighting and personal configurations. 

Check out Morphlio's Trace and Board apps in Apple's App Store, starting today.