I’m building a visionOS app that starts with a regular 2D SwiftUI window. From that 2D window, the user can enter a volumetric mode, where I want to open a large volumetric WindowGroup and have it appear centered around the same spatial position as the original 2D window.
The volumetric window is physically large, roughly over 1m × 1m × 30cm. Because of that, placement behavior is very noticeable.
My intended behavior is:
User is interacting with a regular 2D window.
User taps a button.
A large volumetric window opens.
The volumetric window appears in front of the user, ideally centered on or near the original 2D window’s position.
The original 2D window is dismissed or replaced.
My current workaround is to call openWindow(id:) for the volumetric window, then dismiss the original 2D window. This works in the sense that the volume is created, but its initial position is noticeably offset from the original 2D window.
I also tried using defaultWindowPlacement to control the placement of the volumetric window relative to the existing 2D window. I tested placements such as .below, .trailing, and other relative positions.
However, because the volumetric window is large, the result is worse: when I open the volume from the 2D window, the volumetric window appears to move instantly far away from the user’s view, almost as if it flies out of the visible workspace. After that, I can no longer see or interact with the volume.
Interestingly, if I then go back to the system Home View and tap the app icon again, the volumetric window appears normally in front of the user.
Here is a simplified version of my setup:
@main
struct MyApp: App {
var body: some Scene {
WindowGroup(id: "main") {
MainWindowView()
}
WindowGroup(id: "volume") {
VolumeView()
}
.windowStyle(.volumetric)
.defaultSize(width: 1.0, height: 1.0, depth: 0.3, in: .meters)
// I also tried defaultWindowPlacement here,
// using placements such as .below, .trailing, etc.
}
}
struct MainWindowView: View {
@Environment(.openWindow) private var openWindow
@Environment(.dismissWindow) private var dismissWindow
var body: some View {
Button("Open Volume") {
openWindow(id: "volume")
dismissWindow(id: "main")
}
}
}
What I would like to know:
Is there a supported way to open a large volumetric window from a 2D window while preserving or approximating the 2D window’s spatial center?
Is defaultWindowPlacement expected to work reliably for large volumetric windows, or can relative placements such as .below or .trailing cause the volume to be placed outside the user’s comfortable visible area?
Is there any API that exposes the current 2D window’s spatial position or center so I can place the volumetric window more precisely?
Can pushWindow(id:) be used to replace a 2D window with a volumetric window while preserving placement, or is this transition not currently supported?
Why would the same volumetric window appear far away when opened from the 2D window, but appear normally in front of the user when the app is reopened from the system Home View?
What is the recommended UX or technical pattern for transitioning from a regular 2D window into a large volumetric window without the volume jumping or appearing outside the user’s view?
I’m testing this on:
visionOS version: [26.5]
Xcode version: [26.4.1]
Device or Simulator: [vision pro m2 & m5]
SwiftUI app lifecycle
Source scene: regular WindowGroup
Destination scene: WindowGroup with .windowStyle(.volumetric)
Approximate volume size: over 1m × 1m × 30cm
Any guidance on the recommended placement strategy for large volumetric windows would be appreciated.