VR and AR content creator Lucas Rizzotto has made a working version of the Marauder’s Map from Harry Potter using mobile AR.
The video is part of his Lucas Builds the Future series, where each video Rizzotto creates some seemingly-futuristic invention using VR and AR technology. Rizzotto was also behind the award-winning VR experience Where Thoughts Go.
In the Marauder’s Map video, Rizzotto rents out a ‘mini Hogwarts’ castle in England and maps the entire area out to create a small AR version of the Marauder’s Map. It works similarly to the movie, in that people’s movements are tracked on the map as footsteps and their names are labelled on animated pieces of parchment that move along with the feet.
However, it’s a mobile AR solution — while the parchment is physical, all the movement information is only displayed in the AR view on the phone. Nonetheless, the end product is incredible and an awesome homage to the map from the movie.
Some people might ask why Rizzotto chose to use mobile AR over an actual headset, which he briefly explains in the video. The main reason is because a modern AR headset wouldn’t be able to display black lines on top of the parchment — AR headsets have transparent displays that use light to create color and there’s no way to create the color black out of light. On a phone screen, the black lines can be properly displayed in AR and therefore retain the authentic style of the map from the movie.
It’s a really awesome application of AR technology that comes close to feeling like real magic. Be sure to watch the full video to see the breakdown of the entire process from start to finish.
What do you think of Rizzotto’s Marauder’s Map? Let us know in the comments below.
