After iOS 11 dropped today, the internet went to work dissecting its best features. And if we’re being honest, there’s a lot to like. But one of my favorite things about iOS 11 didn’t come from Apple; it’s an awesome new ruler built on its augmented reality framework: ARKit.
At its surface, a ruler doesn’t seem all that sexy. MeasureKit, however, is so much more than just a ruler.
Using Apple’s AR framework and the camera sensor in your iPhone or iPad, MeasureKit can measure just about anything without hunting down a ruler or tape measure — like you could find one when you need it anyway. And unlike a ruler, MeasureKit provides precise dimensions not just for height and width, but also measurements of distance, angle, trajectory, level, square, and more.
Each of these measurements is mapped on your device’s screen, which opens up even more possibilities for the imaginative. Now, rather than trying to visualize how a couch fits in your space, for example, you can add a square with the same dimensions and visualize it in your living room. Or, you can visualize a TV to see if there really is a such thing as too big.
MeasureKit is available today on the App Store, but you’ll need iOS 11 to take advantage of it.
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