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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What is the first reliable position of the apple vision pro device?
In several visionOS apps, we readjust our scenes to the user's eye level (their heads). But, we have encountered issues whereby the WorldTrackingProvider returns bad/incorrect positions for the first x number of frames. See below code which you can copy paste in any Immersive Space. Relaunch the space and observe the numberOfBadWorldInfos value is inconsistent. a. what is the most reliable way to get the devices's position? b. is this indeed a bug? c. are we using worldInfo improperly? d. as a workaround, in our apps we set to 10 the number of frames to let pass before using worldInfo, should we set our threshold differently? import ARKit import Combine import OSLog import SwiftUI import RealityKit import RealityKitContent let SUBSYSTEM = Bundle.main.bundleIdentifier! struct ImmersiveView: View { let logger = Logger(subsystem: SUBSYSTEM, category: "ImmersiveView") let session = ARKitSession() let worldInfo = WorldTrackingProvider() @State var sceneUpdateSubscription: EventSubscription? = nil @State var deviceTransform: simd_float4x4? = nil @State var numberOfBadWorldInfos = 0 @State var isBadWorldInfoLoged = false var body: some View { RealityView { content in try? await session.run([worldInfo]) sceneUpdateSubscription = content.subscribe(to: SceneEvents.Update.self) { event in guard let pose = worldInfo.queryDeviceAnchor(atTimestamp: CACurrentMediaTime()) else { return } // `worldInfo` does not return correct values for the first few frames (exact number of frames is unknown) // - known SO: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/78396187/how-to-determine-the-first-reliable-position-of-the-apple-vision-pro-device deviceTransform = pose.originFromAnchorTransform if deviceTransform!.columns.3.y < 1.6 { numberOfBadWorldInfos += 1 logger.warning("\(#function) \(#line) deviceTransform.columns.3.y \(deviceTransform!.columns.3.y), numberOfBadWorldInfos \(numberOfBadWorldInfos)") } else { if !isBadWorldInfoLoged { logger.info("\(#function) \(#line) deviceTransform.columns.3.y \(deviceTransform!.columns.3.y), numberOfBadWorldInfos \(numberOfBadWorldInfos)") } isBadWorldInfoLoged = true // stop logging. } } } } }
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132
May ’25
.usdz files not loading in iOS app
Hello everyone, I'm a new developer and I'm still learning the foundations of Swift and SwiftUI while building my first app. Today I wanted to ask you how to implement AR Quixck Views inside my app. I wanna be able to dynamically preview AR objects in a dedicated view, however, I don't seem to have understood where and how to locate AR objects inside my project. I tried including them in the Assets folder of the project, or in the Recources folder, or within the main folder of my project alongside the MyAppApp.swift file. None of the methods I used seemed have worked in that none of the objects was ever located. I made sure to specify the path to the files every time, but somehow the location isn't recognized. I also tried giving no path so that the app would search for the files in their default location (which I apparently haven't grasped yet), but still my attempt failed. I don't have the code sample on me at the moment, but I will write a followup comment on this post to show you what I wrote in case anyone was interested in debugging my code. Meanwhile, if anyone would be so kind to point me at the support article or to comment below the sample code they used in their app, I would very much appreciate it, so that I can start debugging. Thank you for reading this, I appreciate you.
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131
Jun ’25
Any recommended content-aware compression strategy for .ktx textures in Reality Composer Pro?
In my Reality Composer Pro workflow for Vision Pro development, I’m using xcrun realitytool image to pre-compress textures into .ktx format, typically using ASTC block compression. These textures are used for cubemaps and environment assets. I’ve noticed that regardless of the image content—whether it’s a highly detailed photo or a completely black image—once compressed with the same ASTC block size (e.g., ASTC_8x8), the resulting .ktx file size is nearly identical. There appears to be no content-aware logic that adapts the compression ratio to the actual texture complexity. In contrast, Unreal Engine behaves differently: even when all cubemap faces are imported at the same resolution as DDS textures, the engine performs content-aware compression during packaging: Low-complexity images are compressed more aggressively The final packaged file size varies based on content complexity Since Reality Composer Pro requires textures to be pre-compressed as .ktx, there’s no opportunity for runtime optimization or per-image compression adjustment. Just wondering: is there any recommended way to implement content-aware compression for .ktx textures in Reality Composer Pro? Or any best practices to optimize .ktx sizes based on image complexity? Thanks!
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175
Jun ’25
visionOS 3d interactions like the native keyboard when no longer observed in passthrough
While using apple's vision pro, we noticed that we can continue to use the visionOS keyboard when we no longer actually see it in passthrough. In other words, when we focus on a field to type, visionOS displays the keyboard for us in such a way that we actually see it. Then, we noticed if we look away a little bit, either up, or down, or left, or right, in such a way that the keyboard is no longer visible by us in the passthrough, the keyboard still remains responsive to taps from our fingers at the location where it is. It seems the keyboard remains functional and responsive to taps even though we can no longer observe/see it. We are trying to figure out how to implement similar functionality in our app whereby the user can continue to manipulate a 3d entity when the user can no longer actually observe it in passthrough (like the visionOS keyboard appears to allow). I assume the visionOS keyboard has this functionality thanks to the downward facing sensors on the hardware that allow hand tracking even though the hands can no longer be observed by the user. That is likely how we can rest our hands on our lap is still be able to interact with visionOS. How can we implement a similar functionality for 3D entities? Is there a way to tap in, or to allow hand tracking, from those toward facing cameras? Is it possible to manipulate a 3D entity when it is no longer observed by the user for example when they shift their attention somewhere else in the field of vision? How does the visionOS keyboard achieve this?
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315
Nov ’25
RealityView camera feed not shown
I have two RealityView: ParentView and When click the button in ParentView, ChildView will be shown as full screen cover, but the camera feed in ChildView will not be shown, only black screen. If I show ChildView directly, it works with camera feed. Please help me on this issue? Thanks. import RealityKit import SwiftUI struct ParentView: View{ @State private var showIt = false var body: some View{ ZStack{ RealityView{content in content.camera = .virtual let box = ModelEntity(mesh: MeshResource.generateSphere(radius: 0.2),materials: [createSimpleMaterial(color: .red)]) content.add(box) } Button("Click here"){ showIt = true } } .fullScreenCover(isPresented: $showIt){ ChildView() .overlay( Button("Close"){ showIt = false }.padding(20), alignment: .bottomLeading ) } .ignoresSafeArea(.all) } } import ARKit import RealityKit import SwiftUI struct ChildView: View{ var body: some View{ RealityView{content in content.camera = .spatialTracking } } }
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168
Jun ’25
High CPU with ARWorldTrackingConfiguration vs. ARBodyTrackingConfiguration using AREnvironmentTexturing
In a simple test, I'm observing ~30% higher CPU usage with the ARWorldTrackingConfiguration compared to the ARBodyTrackingConfiguration when both configurations have AREnvironmentTexturing enabled. In Instruments, I observe Recon3D consuming ~5.5 seconds of CPU time with the ARWorldTrackingConfiguration vs <0.3 second with the ARBodyTrackingConfiguration in two separate 30 seconds samples. This is on an iPhone 12 Pro equipped with lidar. Is there a reason why two separate configurations, both having the same features enabled would have a different CPU overhead?
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177
Aug ’25
Issue: Closing Bounded Volume Never Re-Opens
Greetings. I am having this issue with a Unity Polyspatial VisionOS app. We have our main Bounded Volume for our app. We have other Native UI windows that appear when we interact with objects in our Bounded Volume. If a user closes our main Bounded Volume...sometimes it quits the app. Sometimes it doesn't. If we go back to the home screen and reopen the app, our main Bounded Volume doesn't always appear, and just the Native UI windows we left open are visible. But, we can sometimes still hear sounds that are playing in our Bounded Volume. What solutions are there to make sure our Bounded Volume always appears when the app is open?
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105
Jun ’25
For a third year, no screenshot capability for immersive visionOS apps... here's a workaround?
Since only the user can take a screenshot using the Apple Vision Pro's top buttons, the only workaround available to an immersive app that needs a screenshot to document the user's creative interior design choices is ask the user to take a screenshot wait until the user taps a button indicating the screenshot has been taken then the app asks the user to select the screenshot when the app opens the PhotoPicker when the user presses Done, the screenshot is handed off to the app. One wonders why there is no Apple Api for doing this in a simple privacy protective way such as: When called, the Apple api captures the screenshot in Apple secured memory The api displays the screenshot to the user with appropriate privacy warnings and asks if the user wants to a. share this screenshot with the app, or b. cancel, c. retake the screenshot If the user approves, the app receives the screenshot
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Jun ’25
VisionOS Unity - VR Mode - Control Render Resolution?
I'm using Unity 2022.3.56f, with Apple VisionOS App Mode set to 'Virtual Reality - Fully Immersive Space'. It seems that the render resolution of my game in the Apple Vision Pro when I build is well below the native resolution of the AVP displays. I can't see a setting in XR Plug-in Management Apple visionOS options, or in Quality settings, to increase the render resolutions. Is this possible? I tried setting: UnityEngine.XR.XRSettings.eyeTextureResolutionScale= 2.0f For example, but this doesn't seem to do anything to the render resolution in the build.
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362
Feb ’25
How to mix Animation and IKRig in RealityKit
I want an AR character to be able to look at a position while still playing the characters animation. So far, I managed to manually adjust a single bone rotation using skeletalComponent.poses.default = Transform( scale: baseTransform.scale, rotation: lookAtRotation, translation: baseTransform.translation ) which I run at every rendering update, while a full body animation is running. But of course, hardcoding single joints to point into a direction (in my case the head) does not look as nice, as if I were to run some inverse cinematic that includes, hips + neck + head joints. I found some good IKRig code in Composing interactive 3D content with RealityKit and Reality Composer Pro. But when I try to adjust rigs while animations are playing, the animations are usually winning over the IKRig changes to the mesh.
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512
Aug ’25
ARSkeleton3D modelTransform always return nil
I use ARKit for motion tracking. I get the skeleton joint coordinates and use them for animation. I didn't make any changes to the code, but I updated the iOS version from 18 to 26, and modelTransform now always returns nil. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/arkit/arskeleton3d/modeltransform(for:) For example bodyAnchor.skeleton.modelTransform(for: .init(rawValue: "head_joint")) bodyAnchor is ARBodyAnchor. I see the default skeleton on the screen, but now I can't get the coordinates out of it. I'm using an example from Apple's WWDC presentation. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/arkit/capturing-body-motion-in-3d Are there any changes in the API? Or just bug?
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788
Nov ’25
ARKit / visionOS - handtracking with 3D objects attached on hand
I use ARKit's hand tracking to attach a 3D model of a remote control to the left hand. The user is supposed to press buttons on the remote control. In the Vision Pro settings, I have removed the left hand from Hands & Eye Tracking. Only the right hand is used. The problem now is that the left hand appears and the 3D model of the remote control fades out. I want the remote control to be completely visible. The user should feel like they really have the remote control in their hand. Can I prevent the fading out?
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Nov ’25
iOS needs to allow for background bluetooth scanning. I can't fully build my app.
iOS currently restricts background Bluetooth advertising and scanning in order to preserve battery life and protect user privacy. While these restrictions serve important purposes, they also limit legitimate use cases where users have explicitly opted in to proximity-based experiences. The core challenge is that modern social applications need a way to detect when users are physically present at the same location or event without requiring every participant to keep their app in the foreground. Under the current system, background BLE advertising is heavily throttled and can only transmit a limited payload, background scanning intervals are sparse and unpredictable, peer-to-peer proximity detection cannot be maintained reliably when apps are in the background, and Background App Refresh is non-deterministic, making any kind of time-based proximity validation impossible. A proposed enhancement would be to introduce an “Enhanced Proximity Permission.” This would allow developers to enable reliable background BLE advertising and scanning for declared time windows, such as a maximum of eight hours. It would also allow devices running the same app to detect each other’s proximity using ephemeral, rotating identifiers that preserve privacy, with clear user consent and prominent indicators whenever the feature is active. Unlocking this capability would open up new categories of applications. Live events could offer automatic attendance tracking at concerts, conferences, or sports venues. Retail environments could support opt-in foot traffic analysis and dwell-time insights. Social apps could allow users to find friends at festivals, campuses, or other large venues. Safety applications could extend to crowd density monitoring and contact tracing beyond COVID-era needs. Gaming could offer real-world multiplayer experiences based on physical proximity, and transportation providers could verify rideshare pickups or measure public transit flows automatically. Privacy safeguards would remain central. Permissions would be time-boxed and expire after an event or session. A mandatory visual indicator would be displayed whenever proximity tracking is active. A user-facing dashboard would show all apps granted enhanced proximity access. Permissions would automatically be revoked after a period of non-use, and only ephemeral tokens not permanent identifiers would be broadcast. The industry impact would be significant. With this enhancement, iOS could power the next generation of location-aware social platforms while maintaining Apple’s leadership in privacy through explicit user control and transparency. Current alternatives, such as requiring users to keep apps in the foreground or deploying dedicated hardware beacons, produce poor user experiences and constrain innovation in spatial computing and social applications. Can anyone from Apple consider this change? Having to buy iBeacons is brutal and means slower adoption. Please reconsider this for users who opt in.
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1.1k
Sep ’25
Immersive environment learning material
I really love the immersive environments, but I don’t have experience with creating them. Do you have resources or tutorials you can recommend for creating these from scratch? I’ve seen the sample projects and videos, but they usually start in the middle, assuming you already have the assets created.
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84
Jul ’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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96
Jun ’25
.glassEffect() view modifier in visionOS 26 beta 1 generates an error
.glassEffect(.regular, in: .rect(cornerRadius: 24)) error; 'glassEffect(_:in:isEnabled:)' is unavailable in visionOS This is not surprising since visionOS already has a native glass interface that formed a model for the other OS's, but this error will create additional overhead for developers creating multi-platform apps that include visionOS.
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Jun ’25
How to create a MultiplayerDelegate and use TabletopNetworkSession features?
When building a multiplayer Tabletop game, the documentation includes how to attach a custom TabletopNetworkSessionCoordinator, which could be used in addition to TabletopGame.MultiplayerDelegate. But so far, we have been unable to create these types of custom coordinators or have a delegate that works. Our current setup with our generic GroupActivity works by sending the session to TabletopGame's coordinateWithSession method (like in the current sample project), but we didn't find a way to access and control, for example, the arbiter, seats, player events, among other features mentioned on https://developer.apple.com/documentation/tabletopkit/tabletopnetworksession. Is correct to expect having access to the participants, messenger, or journal without having to maintain a parallel coordinator?   possibly we are missing something here; any suggestions?
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271
Apr ’25