This is supposed to be the year of virtual reality, as major companies like Facebook Inc. and Sony Corp introduce 3-D goggles that will deliver a near-total immersion in pure digital fantasy.

But engineers at the Needham software company PTC Inc.have no interest in fleeing from the real world. Instead, they want to improve on it, by using smartphones, tablet computers, and video-enabled eyeglasses to project digital images on top of everyday objects.

It’s called “augmented reality,’’ or AR. And PTC, which makes product-design software used by many of the world’s biggest companies, wants to help manufacturers build AR into millions of commonplace items, from factory equipment to cars to home appliances.

AR “converges and melds together the digital and physical worlds into a single unified visual experience,’’ said PTC’s chief executive, James Heppelmann, at the company’s AR conference in Boston last month.

In an AR-saturated world, a maintenance worker in a factory, wearing a pair of video-enabled goggles, might see an electric motor glowing bright red and know that it needs replacing. A warehouse worker would know which package to ship next, because the correct shelf pulses with blue light. A surgeon could see a patient’s MRI scan superimposed on his body during surgery, to ensure that the doctor knows exactly where the tumor is.

While virtual reality is mostly about entertainment, AR’s applications are just about limitless.

“In the near term, virtual reality will get most of the attention and the early traction,’’ said Tom Mainelli, a display technology analyst at the Framingham research firm IDC Corp. “Longer term, augmented reality ends up being a much larger market.’’

How large? The British research firm CCS Insight reckons AR systems generated $300 million in revenue last year but will rake in $3.6 billion by 2018.

Consumer versions of AR have been around for years. Bumble Bee Foods LLC created an app that fills a smartphone’s screen with recipe information when a customer points the phone’s camera at a can of Bumble Bee Tuna. Toymakers like Lego Group and Mattel Inc. offer AR-enabled apps that display animated images alongside a child’s real-world playthings.

Many AR apps are based on software from Vuforia, formerly owned by the cellphone chip maker Qualcomm Corp. Late last year, PTC paid $65 million to acquire Vuforia, in a bid to integrate AR features into products designed with PTC’s engineering software.

“While augmented reality is already transforming the way we play, it’s about to completely disrupt the way we work,’’ Heppelmann said.

For instance, PTC is working with KTM Motorcycles, of Austria, to incorporate AR features into its bike. By pointing an iPad’s camera at a KTM bike, a technician can see individual parts of the machine, highlighted and overlaid on the real image of the machine. The technician can also view a virtual guide showing how to correctly remove and replace a damaged part, before ever turning a wrench on the real bike.

Other early adopters of PTC’s augmented reality products include Sysmex Corp., a Japanese maker of medical diagnostic gear, and Schneider Electric, a French manufacturer of electric power-management systems.

Using AR to present technical data “makes it much more engaging, much more compelling, much more real, said PTC’s executive vice president, Michael Campbell. “People have almost a visceral reaction. They look at this information, and it delivers clarity.’’

PTC’s move into AR, aggressive as it is, is just a small part of the company’s effort to become a major force on the “Internet of Things’’ or IoT, a massive effort to add computers, sensors, and communications gear to nearly all devices. In an IoT world, every machine would constantly transmit detailed data about its operations, making it far easier to spot minor problems before they become major malfunctions.

But how to interpret this tidal wave of data?

AR makes it far easier by presenting the most important information as visual cues. A new car might come with an AR app for use by the owner. While scanning the vehicle, he might see a text bubble over the left front tire, telling him it needs five pounds more air, and another one over the hood suggesting an oil change. Meanwhile, the mechanic at the dealership might use a professional-grade AR viewer that serves up far more granular detail. The mechanic’s smart glasses might display the exact voltage output of the alternator or the precise pressure and temperature of the coolant. Each user would get the data needed, in a form instantly recognizable.

PTC is assembling a tool kit for adding AR to pretty much any product and enabling its users to view it. The company has come up with a special browser capable of displaying AR information, as well as the “Vumark,’’ a new kind of barcode that alerts the browser when there’s an AR-compatible object within range. Just point a phone’s camera at the Vumark, and the screen comes alive with rich data overlays.

For now, the AR domain is populated mostly by toys and marketing gimmicks. But by integrating the technology into its software, PTC will make it a lot easier to build products that are much smarter.

Hiawatha Bray can be reached at hiawatha.bray@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeTechLab.