An augmented reality (AR) application built in Unity using Vuforia that allows users to explore two iconic Los Angeles landmarks through interactive cube markers. Each cube reveals a miniature 3D environment representing a famous location in the city. When both cubes are visible simultaneously, the application displays a Los Angeles skyline banner welcoming the user.
I am an avid traveler and enjoy exploring different cities and cultures. Over the past year I had the opportunity to visit Los Angeles several times, during the spring, summer, and winter. During these visits I developed a deep appreciation for the city’s vibrant atmosphere, iconic landmarks, and coastal culture. Inspired by these experiences, I created this augmented reality application to share some of the places that left the biggest impression on me.
The application allows users to interact with small AR “knick-knack” scenes representing two iconic Los Angeles locations: Santa Monica Pier and the US Bank Tower in Downtown LA. These landmarks represent two distinct aspects of the city: Santa Monica captures the relaxed coastal lifestyle, while the US Bank Tower represents the modern urban skyline of downtown Los Angeles.
- Multi-target cube tracking using Vuforia
- Two independent AR landmark scenes
- Animated Ferris wheel with upright cabin motion
- Ambient audio triggered by cube detection
- Combined interaction when both cubes are visible
- Skyline banner that appears when both landmarks are detected
The application consists of two cube-based AR knick-knack models, each representing a different location in Los Angeles. Each cube acts as a tracking marker and serves as the base for the 3D scene placed on top of it.
The first cube represents Santa Monica Pier. On top of this cube is a small 3D environment recreating elements of the famous pier. The most prominent feature of this model is the Ferris wheel, which slowly rotates to simulate the motion of the real attraction. The wheel was designed so that the cabins remain upright while rotating, creating a natural and realistic movement. The scene also includes palm trees, a beachside vehicle, and decorative elements that capture the relaxed coastal aesthetic of Santa Monica. The cube faces contain labels identifying the location.
The second cube represents Downtown Los Angeles and the US Bank Tower. This scene features a 3D model of the US Bank Tower rising from the cube surface. Vehicles are placed on the cube to give a sense of scale and reinforce the city environment. The design highlights the vertical architecture and dense urban feel of downtown LA compared to the open coastal environment of Santa Monica.
When both cubes are detected simultaneously, the application displays a skyline banner at the top of the screen with the message “Welcome to Los Angeles.” This visual element connects both scenes and reinforces the theme of exploring the city through multiple landmarks.
This project was developed using Unity and the Vuforia AR library, which provides marker-based augmented reality tracking.
Each cube was configured as a Vuforia Multi Target, allowing the camera to track the cube from multiple faces. This improves tracking stability when the cube is rotated or viewed from different angles.
The 3D scenes for Santa Monica and Downtown LA are parented to their respective cube targets so that the environments appear anchored to the cubes in real space.
Several custom C# scripts were used to control behavior within the application. These scripts handle animation, audio playback, and logic for determining when both cubes are visible so that the skyline banner can appear. For example, the Ferris wheel animation is implemented with a rotation script while maintaining the correct orientation of the cabins. Additional scripts detect when cube targets are found or lost, triggering events such as ambient audio playback or UI updates.
- Unity
- Vuforia AR SDK
- C# scripting
- 3D models integrated into Unity
- Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/aayushkeshari/AR-Knick-Knack.git
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Open the project in Unity.
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Ensure that Vuforia Engine is enabled in the Unity project settings.
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Build and run the project on a supported device with a camera.
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Point the camera at the cube markers to view the AR scenes.
One challenge during development was ensuring stable tracking when both cubes were visible at the same time. Marker-based AR systems can sometimes prioritize one target over another, so configuring the Vuforia Multi Target system correctly and designing clear marker faces was important for reliable tracking.
Another challenge involved the Ferris wheel animation. Rotating the entire wheel initially caused the cabins to rotate with it, which looked unrealistic. This required restructuring the object hierarchy and adjusting the rotation logic so that the cabins remain upright while the wheel rotates.
If this project were expanded further, additional Los Angeles landmarks could be added to create a larger interactive AR city experience. One future improvement would be to incorporate Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign as additional knick-knack cubes representing other iconic locations in Los Angeles. However, the models available for these landmarks were very resource-intensive and required more computational power than my machine could handle during development. With more optimized models or stronger hardware, these locations could be integrated to create a richer AR exploration of the city.
Source code and project files for the AR application are available in this repository.