Discuss spatial computing on Apple platforms and how to design and build an entirely new universe of apps and games for Apple Vision Pro.

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Apply mesh to real world people.
As far as I know, Apple hasn’t opened access to the Vision Pro camera for developers yet, so I’m trying to find possible workarounds within the current capabilities. I’m wondering if there’s any way to apply a mesh to a person in the scene in Vision Pro, or if there’s an alternative approach to roughly detect a human shape in front of the user?
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Apr ’25
How to use `EnvironmentLightEstimationProvider` to capture a environment texture and apply it on an model entity?
I am a newby of spatial computing. Here I am learning how to use ARKit to capture the environment texture and apply it on a ModelEntity of RealityKit on Vision Pro. But I do not find a demo of how to use EnvironmentLightEstimationProvider. After checking the documentation, I also have some questions: EnvironmentProbeAnchor.environmentTexture is a MTLTexture, but EnvironmentResource needs a CGImage. How do I translate MTLTexture to CGImage(Forgive me that I do not know much about Metal or other framework, so It will be better if there is a code that I can copy and paste directly) It seems that the EnvironmentProbeAnchor can only get the light information around the device. But what should I do if I want get the light information around the ModelEntity so that I can apply the environment texture on it. It will be better if you can provide a code demo about how to use the new api. Thank you!
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581
Feb ’25
Tracking over large distances
I'm developing an AR application for the iPad pro where the primary purpose is to overlay 3D design data on top of production parts. For alignment, we are using Vuforia (model targets) which work really well locally. The further the device is moved from the point of original alignment, we are seeing quite a bit of overlay error (drift?). My primary questions are: Are there any best practices to stabilize frame-to-frame tracking when using model targets? We are noticing drift as soon as the device starts moving (the drift appears to occur specifically in the direction the device is moving). After about 15 feet of movement, we are observing about 3-6" of overlay error These use cases can be over 100 feet long. In order to reset drift, we understand we'll need multiple alignment points (model targets) along the way. Is there a standard/best practice for this? Ex: have a new alignment point every x-feet? We are using plane anchors to set our alignment. Typically we attach it to the nearest plane; however, the anchor point can be very far away (the origin of the model, which often is not near where the virtual content is). Could this be the issue? The anchor is far from the plane that we attach it too. Would moving the anchor closer to the plane we attach it too improve stability? After a few steps, the plane we originally attach too will be out of FoV anyway. Thanks in advance!
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87
May ’25
Overlaying SwiftUI content with transparency in front of RealityView
Following up on my previous question here: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/774262 Having solved the clipping problem, I am now trying to overlay some content in front of the RealityView. However, it looks like any content with transparency does not render in front of the RealityView, while opaque views seem to work; placing content with transparency like glassBackgroundEffect() behind the RealityView in a ZStack causes the entire window to flicker. Additionally, my SwiftUI attachment placed in front of the stereoscopic image plane are invisible if the user look at it straight at 90 degrees. However, if the user look at it from increasing angles from the sides, the attachment gradually turns visible again. Are these behaviors expected? What is a recommended approach to overlay content in front of a RealityView? Thanks!
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391
Feb ’25
Depth matrix accuracy with the iPhone 14 Pro and Lidar
Hello Community, I’m currently working with the sample code “CapturingDepthUsingTheLiDARCamera” and using it to capture the depth map of an image taken with the iPhone 14 Pro. From this depth map, I generate a point cloud using the intrinsic camera parameters. I've noticed that objects not facing the camera directly appear distorted in the resulting point cloud. For example: An object with surfaces that are perpendicular to each other appears with a sharper angle in the point cloud — around 60° instead of 90°. My question is: Is this due to the general accuracy limitations of the LiDAR sensor? Or could it be related to the sample code? To obtain the depth map, I’m using: AVCapturePhoto.depthData.converting(toDepthDataType: kCVPixelFormatType_DepthFloat32) Thanks in advance for your help!
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Apr ’25
how to achieve "concave in" glass view look?
I have been trying to implement this look where a component looks "pushed in" but I could not find any resources regarding this effect. The closest I got was a combination of a RoundedRectangle and .glassBackgroundEffect(), but this makes the view look pushed out, instead of pushed in. I was wondering if this is achievable in SwiftUI level, or even in UIKit level.
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Apr ’25
Unity PolySpatial – Live handheld camera feed of graspable objects not rendering on Vision Pro
I am developing a Unity application for the Apple Vision Pro using PolySpatial and RealityKit integration. The goal is to create a graspable object (for example, a handheld cube) that includes a secondary camera. When the user grabs and moves the object, the secondary camera should render its view to a RenderTexture, which is displayed on a quad attached to the object, simulating a live camera screen. In the Unity Editor, this setup works correctly. The RenderTexture updates in real time, and the quad displays the camera’s view as expected. However, when building and running the application on the Vision Pro, the quad only displays the clear background color of the secondary camera. No scene content appears. The graspable interaction itself works fine: the object can be grabbed and moved as intended. Steps I have taken: Created a new layer (CameraFeed) and assigned the relevant objects to it. Set the secondary camera’s culling mask to render only the CameraFeed layer. Assigned the RenderTexture as the camera’s target texture. Applied the RenderTexture to an Unlit/Texture material on a quad. Confirmed the camera is active and correctly positioned relative to the object. From my research, it appears that once objects are managed by RealityKit through PolySpatial (for example, made graspable), they are no longer rendered through Unity's normal camera pipeline. Only the main XR camera (managed by RealityKit) seems able to see these objects. Secondary Unity cameras cannot render RealityKit-synced content to a RenderTexture. If this is correct, it seems there is currently no way to implement a true live secondary camera feed showing graspable objects on Vision Pro using Unity PolySpatial. My questions are: Is there any official way to enable multiple camera rendering of RealityKit-managed objects through PolySpatial? Are there known workarounds to simulate a live camera feed that still allows objects to be grabbed? Has anyone found alternative design patterns or methods for this kind of interaction? Environment: Unity 6.0 , PolySpatial 2.2.4, Apple Vision OS XR 2.2.4 Any insight or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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108
Apr ’25
Is there any way, I can use the Object Tracking applications on an iOS (iPhone) AR App.
I have been referencing the Object Tracking Tutorial from WWDC 2024 on Vision OS, how Create ML is used to create a reference object, and we can track them in the ARSession. I am looking forward to building this feature on an AR app for iPhone, I am using iPhone 13 Pro Max. I have created couple of reference objects from the Create ML.
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326
Mar ’25
visionOS: Unable to programmatically close child WindowGroup when parent window closes
Hi , I'm struggling with visionOS window management and need help with closing child windows programmatically. App Structure My app has a Main-Sub window hierarchy: AWindow (Home/Main) BWindow (Main feature window) CWindow (Tool window - child of BWindow) Navigation flow: AWindow → BWindow (switch, 1 window on screen) BWindow → CWindow (opens child, 2 windows on screen) I want BWindow and CWindow to be separate movable windows (not sheet/popover) so users can position them independently in space. The Problem CWindow doesn't close when BWindow closes by tapping the X button below the app (next to the window bar) User clicks X on BWindow → BWindow closes but CWindow remains CWindow becomes orphaned on screen Can close CWindow programmatically when switching BWindow back to AWindow App launch issue After closing both windows, CWindow is remembered as last window Reopening app shows only CWindow instead of BWindow User gets stuck in CWindow with no way back to BWindow I've Tried Environment dismissWindow in cleanup but its not working. // In BWindow.swift .onDisappear { if windowManager.isWindowOpen("cWindow") { dismissWindow(id: "cWindow") } } My App Structure Code Now // in MyNameApp.swift @main struct MyNameApp: App { var body: some Scene { WindowGroup(id: "aWindow") { AWindow() } WindowGroup(id: "bWindow") { BWindow() } WindowGroup(id: "cWindow") { CWindow() } } } // WindowStateManager.swift class WindowStateManager: ObservableObject { static let shared = WindowStateManager() @Published private var openWindows: Set<String> = [] @Published private var windowDependencies: [String: String] = [:] private init() {} func markWindowAsOpen(_ id: String) { markWindowAsOpen(id, parent: nil) } func markWindowAsClosed(_ id: String) { openWindows.remove(id) windowDependencies[id] = nil } func isWindowOpen(_ id: String) -> Bool { let isOpen = openWindows.contains(id) return isOpen } func markWindowAsOpen(_ id: String, parent: String? = nil) { openWindows.insert(id) if let parentId = parent { windowDependencies[id] = parentId } } func getParentWindow(of childId: String) -> String? { let parent = windowDependencies[childId] return parent } func getChildWindows(of parentId: String) -> [String] { let children = windowDependencies.compactMap { key, value in value == parentId ? key : nil } return children } func setNextWindowParent(_ parentId: String) { UserDefaults.standard.set(parentId, forKey: "nextWindowParent") } func getAndClearNextWindowParent() -> String? { let parent = UserDefaults.standard.string(forKey: "nextWindowParent") UserDefaults.standard.removeObject(forKey: "nextWindowParent") return parent } func forceCloseChildWindows(of parentId: String) { let children = getChildWindows(of: parentId) for child in children { markWindowAsClosed(child) NotificationCenter.default.post( name: Notification.Name("ForceCloseWindow"), object: nil, userInfo: ["windowId": child] ) forceCloseChildWindows(of: child) } } func hasMainWindowOpen() -> Bool { let mainWindows = ["main", "bWindow"] return mainWindows.contains { isWindowOpen($0) } } func cleanupOrphanWindows() { for (child, parent) in windowDependencies { if isWindowOpen(child) && !isWindowOpen(parent) { NotificationCenter.default.post( name: Notification.Name("ForceCloseWindow"), object: nil, userInfo: ["windowId": child] ) markWindowAsClosed(child) } } } } // BWindow.swift struct BWindow: View { @Environment(\.dismissWindow) private var dismissWindow @ObservedObject private var windowManager = WindowStateManager.shared var body: some View { VStack { Button("Open C Window") { windowManager.setNextWindowParent("bWindow") openWindow(id: "cWindow") } } .onAppear { windowManager.markWindowAsOpen("bWindow") } .onDisappear { windowManager.markWindowAsClosed("bWindow") windowManager.forceCloseChildWindows(of: "bWindow") } .onChange(of: scenePhase) { oldValue, newValue in if newValue == .background || newValue == .inactive { windowManager.forceCloseChildWindows(of: "bWindow") } } } } // CWindow.swift import SwiftUI struct cWindow: View { @ObservedObject private var windowManager = WindowStateManager.shared @State private var shouldClose = false var body: some View { // Content } .onDisappear { windowManager.markWindowAsClosed("cWindow") NotificationCenter.default.removeObserver( self, name: Notification.Name("ForceCloseWindow"), object: nil ) } .onChange(of: scenePhase) { oldValue, newValue in if newValue == .background { } } .onAppear { let parent = windowManager.getAndClearNextWindowParent() windowManager.markWindowAsOpen("cWindow", parent: parent) NotificationCenter.default.addObserver( forName: Notification.Name("ForceCloseWindow"), object: nil, queue: .main) { notification in if let windowId = notification.userInfo?["windowId"] as? String, windowId == "cWindow" { shouldClose = true } } } .onChange(of: shouldClose) { _, newValue in if newValue { dismissWindow() } } } The logs show everything executes correctly, but CWindow remains visible on screen. Questions Why doesn't dismissWindow(id:) work in cleanup scenarios? Is there a proper way to create a window relationships like parent-child relationships in visionOS? How can I ensure main windows open on app launch instead of tool windows? What's the recommended pattern for dependent windows in visionOS? Environment: Xcode 16.2, visionOS 2.0, SwiftUI
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Aug ’25
Presenting images in RealityKit sample No Longer Builds
After updating to the latest visionOS beta, visionOS 26 Beta 4 (23M5300g) the ‘Presenting images in RealityKit’ sample from the following link no longer builds due to an error. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/RealityKit/presenting-images-in-realitykit Expected / Previous: Application builds and runs on device, working as described in the documentation. Reality: Application builds, but does not run on device due to an error (shown in screenshot) “Thread 1: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (code=1, address=0xb)”. The application still runs on the simulator, but not on device. When launching the app from Xcode, it builds and installs correctly but hangs due to the respective error. When loading the app from the Home Screen, the app does not load, and immediately returns to the Home Screen. This Xcode project previously ran with no changes to code - the only change was updating the visionOS system software to the latest version. visionOS 26 Beta 4 (23M5300g) Is anyone else experiencing this issue?
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Aug ’25
ARMeshAnchors are very unreliable on iPad Pro (4th gen)
Hello, We are developing an AR app that requires the lidar meshes. Unfortunately the ARMeshAnchors that allows us to retrieve the mesh data are very unreliable. It happens very often that the ARSession removes all ARMeshAnchors and takes anywhere from 5s to 30s to reappear. The planes detection (ARPlaneAnchors) are still working fine and the camera tracking is also working normally. I tried a basic ARKit sample app, and got the same behaviour as our own app. Is this a known issue ? Anything we can do to mitigate the issue ? Thank you
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301
Mar ’25
Unable to Retain Main App Window State When Transitioning to Immersive Space
In Vision OS app, I have two types of windows: Main App Window – This is the default window that launches when the app starts. It displays the video listings and other primary content. Immersive Space Window – This opens only when a user starts streaming or playing a video. Issue: When entering the immersive space, the main app window remains visible in front of it unless manually closed. To avoid this, I currently close the main window when transitioning to immersive space and reopen it when exiting from immersive space. However, this causes the app to restart instead of resuming from its previous state. Desired Behavior: I want the main app window to retain its state and seamlessly resume from where it was before entering immersive mode, rather than restarting. Attempts & Challenges: Tried managing opacity, visibility but none worked as expected. Couldn’t find a way to push the main window to the background while bringing the immersive space to the foreground. Looking for a solution to keep the main window’s state intact while transitioning between immersive and normal modes.
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Mar ’25
Possible contradiction between ARKit's definition of UIDeviceOrientation.landscapeRight and the actual definition of UIDeviceOrientation.landscapeRight
So it seems to be that there is a contradiction between how ARKit defines UIDeviceOrientation.landscapeRight, and the actual definition of UIDeviceOrientation.landscapeRight in the UIKit documentation. In the ARKit documentation for ARCamera.transform, it says the following: This transform creates a local coordinate space for the camera that is constant with respect to device orientation. In camera space, the x-axis points to the right when the device is in UIDeviceOrientation.landscapeRight orientation—that is, the x-axis always points along the long axis of the device, from the front-facing camera toward the Home button. The y-axis points upward (with respect to UIDeviceOrientation.landscapeRight orientation), and the z-axis points away from the device on the screen side. Going through the same link, we see the definition of UIDeviceOrientation.landscapeRight given as: The device is in landscape mode, with the device held upright and the front-facing camera on the right side. There seems to be a conflict in the two definitions, that has already been asked and visualized in this StackOverflow thread The resolution of that answer says that ARKit landscapeRight, unlike what is given in UIDeviceOrientation.landscapeRight, has home button on the right, as stated in the ARCamera.transform documentation. It says that more details are given in this StackOverflow thread, but this thread talks about the discrepancy between the definitions of landscapeRight in UIDeviceOrientation and UIInterfaceOrientation, and not anything related to ARKit. So I am wondering, why does ARKit definition of landscapeRight contradict with that of UIDeviceOrientation despite explicitly mentioning it? Is it just a mistake by Apple developers that hasn't been resolved even after so long?
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Jun ’25
360 Image quality too low even with 72MP How to improve or decrease sphere size
Using a 360 image that I have taken with 72MP with a Insta360 X3 I would like to add those images into my VisionPro and see them surrounding me completely as we expect of a 360 image. I was able to do by performing the described on some tutorial. The problem is the quality. On my 2D window the image looks with great quality. I will still write down the code: struct ImmersiveView: View { @Environment(AppModel.self) var appModel var body: some View { RealityView { content in content.add(createImmersivePicture(imageName: appModel.activeSpace)) } } func createImmersivePicture(imageName: String) -> Entity { let sphereRadius: Float = 1000 let modelEntity = Entity() let texture = try? TextureResource.load(named: imageName, options: .init(semantic: .raw, compression: .none)) var material = UnlitMaterial() material.color = .init(texture: .init(texture!)) modelEntity.components.set( ModelComponent( mesh: .generateSphere( radius: sphereRadius ), materials: [material] ) ) modelEntity.scale = .init(x: -1, y: 1, z: 1) modelEntity.transform.translation += SIMD3<Float>(0.0, 10.0, 0.0) return modelEntity } } Since the quality is a problem. I thought about reducing the radius of the sphere or decreasing the scale. On both cases, nothing changes. I have tried: modelEntity.scale = .init(x: -0.5, y: 0.5, z: 0.5) And also let sphereRadius: Float = 2000, let sphereRadius: Float = 500, but nothing is changed. I also get the warning: IOSurface creation failed: e00002c2 parentID: 00000000 properties: { IOSurfaceAddress = 4651830624; IOSurfaceAllocSize = 35478941; IOSurfaceCacheMode = 0; IOSurfaceMapCacheAttribute = 1; IOSurfaceName = CMPhoto; IOSurfacePixelFormat = 1246774599; } IOSurface creation failed: e00002c2 parentID: 00000000 property: IOSurfaceCacheMode IOSurface creation failed: e00002c2 parentID: 00000000 property: IOSurfacePixelFormat IOSurface creation failed: e00002c2 parentID: 00000000 property: IOSurfaceMapCacheAttribute IOSurface creation failed: e00002c2 parentID: 00000000 property: IOSurfaceAddress IOSurface creation failed: e00002c2 parentID: 00000000 property: IOSurfaceAllocSize IOSurface creation failed: e00002c2 parentID: 00000000 property: IOSurfaceName Is there anything I can do to reduce the radius or just to improve the quality itself?
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388
Jan ’25