Komposition

Komposition is an AR app that allows you to visualize German compound words in real space. The project is a surrealist take at exploring the absurdities inherent in our colloquial language. Using Komposition users can combine two german words, see a physical representation of this fusion and then place this word around them.

Conception

The app started out as a project to investigate how one can visualize collections of objects that aren't real. My teammate and I, during our German classes, started noticing the amount of compound words that exist in German. This is a subject that amuses both natives and new learners. With the lack of spaces in the middle and the ability to chain multiple words together, German compound words reach indefinable lengths. The absurdity of this phenomenon made it the final choice for our collection.

Technical Implementation

The app is implemented using Unity's AR foundation framework. A material has been created for word 1 and a model has been assigned for word 2. The program dynamically instantiates an object by combing the model and material, depending on the inputs selected. The user then gets to place this object around them by tapping the screen on the planes that have been detected by Unity. Using raycast collisions, a touch input on the object is detected again, allowing the user to edit (move, rotate, resize) the object.

Using Unity's PlayerPrefs we keep a store of all the objects the user has unlocked so far. The user can then go and access this compendium again. They can track their progress in unlocking all objects, read more about the objects they have already unlocked and place them in the real world again from this page.