Hi everyone! I am working on AR app and wanted to implement object occlusion because it removes drift pretty much from the object. This working great with RealityKit sample But I am unable to replicate such behaviour it with scenekit. Because scenekit does not offer object occlusion. Can we say scenekit is getting depricated, and we should re-write app in RealityKit (which is obviously a big task)?
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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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?
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?
Hi everyone,
I’m encountering a memory overflow issue in my visionOS app and I’d like to confirm if this is expected behavior or if I’m missing something in cleanup.
App Context
The app showcases apartments in real scale using AR.
Apartments are heavy USDZ models (hundreds of thousands of triangles, high-resolution textures).
Users can walk inside the apartments, and performance is good even close to hardware limits.
Flow
The app starts in a full immersive space (RealityView) for selecting the apartment.
When an apartment is selected, a new ImmersiveSpace opens and the apartment scene loads.
The scene includes multiple USDZ models, EnvironmentResources, and dynamic textures for skyboxes.
When the user dismisses the experience, we attempt cleanup:
Nulling out all entity references.
Removing ModelComponents.
Clearing cached textures and skyboxes.
Forcing dictionaries/collections to empty.
Despite this cleanup, memory usage remains very high.
Problem
After dismissing the ImmersiveSpace, memory does not return to baseline.
Check the attached screenshot of the profiling made using Instruments:
Initial state: ~30MB (main menu).
After loading models sequentially: ~3.3GB.
Skybox textures bring it near ~4GB.
After dismissing the experience (at ~01:00 mark): memory only drops slightly (to ~2.66GB).
When loading the second apartment, memory continues to increase until ~5GB, at which point the app crashes due to memory pressure.
The issue is consistently visible under VM: IOSurface in Instruments. No leaks are detected.
So it looks like RealityKit (or lower-level frameworks) keeps caching meshes and textures, and does not free them when RealityView is ended. But for my use case, these resources should be fully released once the ImmersiveSpace is dismissed, since new apartments will load entirely different models and textures.
Cleanup Code Example
Here’s a simplified version of the cleanup I’m doing:
func clearAllRoomEntities() {
for (entityName, entity) in entityFromMarker {
entity.removeFromParent()
if let modelEntity = entity as? ModelEntity {
modelEntity.components.removeAll()
modelEntity.children.forEach { $0.removeFromParent() }
modelEntity.clearTexturesAndMaterials()
}
entityFromMarker[entityName] = nil
removeSkyboxPortals(from: entityName)
}
entityFromMarker.removeAll()
}
extension ModelEntity {
func clearTexturesAndMaterials() {
guard var modelComponent = self.model else { return }
for index in modelComponent.materials.indices {
removeTextures(from: &modelComponent.materials[index])
}
modelComponent.materials.removeAll()
self.model = modelComponent
self.model = nil
}
private func removeTextures(from material: inout any Material) {
if var pbr = material as? PhysicallyBasedMaterial {
pbr.baseColor.texture = nil
pbr.emissiveColor.texture = nil
pbr.metallic.texture = nil
pbr.roughness.texture = nil
pbr.normal.texture = nil
pbr.ambientOcclusion.texture = nil
pbr.clearcoat.texture = nil
material = pbr
} else if var simple = material as? SimpleMaterial {
simple.color.texture = nil
material = simple
}
}
}
Questions
Is this expected RealityKit behavior (textures/meshes cached internally)?
Is there a way to force RealityKit to release GPU resources tied to USDZ models when they’re no longer used?
Should dismissing the ImmersiveSpace automatically free those IOSurfaces, or do I need to handle this differently?
Any guidance, best practices, or confirmation would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
For the M2 Apple Vision Pro, there's "a general guideline, we recommend no more than 500 thousand triangles for an immersive scene, with 250 thousand for applications in the shared space." --https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2024/10186/?time=147
Is there a revised recommendation for the M5 Apple Vision Pro?
Summary
After updating to visionOS 26, we’ve encountered severe transparency rendering issues in RealityKit that did not exist in visionOS 2.6 and earlier.
These regressions affect applications that dynamically control scene opacity (via OpacityComponent).
Our app renders ultra-realistic apartment environments in real time, where users can walk or teleport inside 3D spaces. When the user moves above a speed threshold, we apply a global transparency effect to prevent physical collisions with real-world objects.
Everything worked perfectly in visionOS 2.6 — the problems appeared only after upgrading to 26.
Scene Setup Overview
The environment consists of multiple USDZ models (e.g., architecture, rooms, furniture).
We manage LODs manually for performance (e.g., walls and floors always visible in full-res, while rooms swap between low/high-res versions based on user position and field of view).
Transparency is achieved using OpacityComponent, applied dynamically when the user moves.
Some meshes (e.g., portals to skyboxes, glass windows) use alpha materials
We also use OcclusionMaterials to prevent things to be seen through walls when scene is transparent
Observed Behavior by Scenario
(I can share a video showing the results of each scenario if needed.)
Scenario 1 — Severe Flickering (Root Opacity)
Setup:
OpacityComponent applied to the root entity
NO ModelSortGroupComponent used
Symptoms:
Strong flickering when transparency is active
Triangles within the same mesh render at inconsistent opacity levels
Appears as if per-triangle alpha sorting is broken
Workaround:
Moving the OpacityComponent from the root to each individual USDZ entity removes the per-triangle flicker
Pros:
No conflicts with portals or alpha materials
Scenario 2 — Partially Stable, But Alpha Conflicts
Setup:
OpacityComponent applied per USDZ entity
ModelSortGroupComponent(planarUIAlwaysBehind) applied to portal meshes
Other entities have NO ModelSortGroupComponent
Symptoms:
Frequent alpha blending conflicts:
Transparent surfaces behind other transparent surfaces flicker or disappear
Example: Wine glasses behind glass doors — sometimes neither is rendered, or only one
Even opaque meshes behind glass flicker due to depth buffer confusion
Alpha materials sometimes render portals or the real world behind them, ignoring other geometry entirely
Analysis:
Appears related to internal changes in alpha sorting or depth pre-pass behavior introduced in visionOS 26
Pros:
Most stable setup so far
Cons:
Still unreliable when OpacityComponent is active
Scenario 3 — Layer Separation Attempt (Regression)
Setup:
Same as Scenario 2, but:
Entities with alpha materials moved to separate USDZs
Explicit ModelSortGroupComponent order set (alpha surfaces rendered last)
Symptoms:
Transparent surfaces behind other transparent surfaces flicker or disappear
Depth is completely broken when there's a large transparent surface
Alpha materials sometimes render portals or the real world behind them, ignoring other geometry entirely
Workaround Attempt:
Re-ordering and further separating models did not solve it
Pros:
None — this setup makes transparency unusable
Conclusion
There appears to be a regression in RealityKit’s handling of transparency and sorting in visionOS 26, particularly when:
OpacityComponent is applied dynamically, and
Scenes rely on multiple overlapping transparent materials.
These issues did not exist prior to 26, and the same project (no code changes) behaves correctly on previous versions.
Request
We’d appreciate any insight or confirmation from Apple engineers regarding:
Whether alpha sorting or opacity blending behavior changed in visionOS 26
If there are new recommended practices for combining OpacityComponent with transparent materials
If a bug report already exists for this regression
Thanks in advance!
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/arkit/arpointcloud
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/arkit/arframe/rawfeaturepoints
The point cloud (collection of points/features) main intention is a debug visualization to what the underlying tracking algorithm processes and is not designed for additional algorithms on top of that. But, we are utilizing information contained in the points/features collected by ARKit.
Currently, the range of rawfeaturepoints is limited to about 10 meter from the device.
We see a great chance if the range is unlock. The global localization will be more robust and accurate.
ARPointCloud - Apple ARKit - FindSurface
YouTube SIdQRiLj2jY
My app is getting video from UVC device, and I wish to display it in an Immersive Space. But when I open Immersive Space, the UVC capture will just stop.AI said it's due to confliction in Camera pipeline. But I don't really understand, I don't need to use any on device camera, why it conflict with my UVC...
I have a visionOS app where I instantiate ARKitSession and various providers (HandTrackingProvider and WorldTrackingProvider) in my appModel. That way, I can pass these providers to a Task which runs a gRPC server for sending the data from these providers to a client. When the users enters the immersive space of the app, the ARKitSession will run the providers if they are not running already.
I am now trying to implement the AccessoryTrackingProvider with the PSVR sense controllers but it does not fit with my current framework because the controllers may not be connected when the ARKitSession.run function is called. So I need to find a new place to start the session.
My question is, if I already have a session which is running the hand and world tracking providers, can I start another session to run the accessory tracking? Should they all be running on the same session?
Is there a way to stop the session and restart it when the controllers are connected? When I tried this, I get an error that says "It is not possible to re-run a stopped data provider (<ar_hand_tracking_provider_t: " but if I instantiate a new HandTrackingProvider, then the one that got passed to the gRPC task would no longer be the one running in the new session.
Any advice on how best to manage the various providers and ARKit sessions would be greatly appreciated.
Using the example code posted here:
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/visionOS/tracking-images-in-3d-space
I can register multiple ReferenceImage s with a ImageTrackingProvider, but only one updates at a time - to have realtime updating, I can only have one ImageAnchor in my field of view at a time.
Is it possible to track multiple imageAnchors at the same time in the same field of view? As in having several ImageAnchor's tracked and entities updated to the transforms of the anchor in the same frame/moment from the Apple Vision Pro?
Topic:
Spatial Computing
SubTopic:
ARKit
I’m currently developing a visionOS app that includes an RCP scene with a large USDZ file (around 2GB).
Each time I make adjustments to the CG model in Blender, I export it as USDZ again, place it in the RCP scene, and then build the app using Xcode.
However, because the USDZ file is quite large, the build process takes a long time, significantly slowing down my development speed.
For example, I’d like to know if there are any effective ways to:
Improve overall build performance
Reduce the time between updating the USDZ file and completing the build
Any advice or best practices for optimizing this workflow would be greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
Sadao
I have a question about Apple’s preinstalled visionOS app “Encounter Dinosaurs.”
In this app, the dinosaurs are displayed over the real-world background, but the PhysicallyBasedMaterial (PBM) in RealityKit doesn’t appear to respond to the actual brightness of the environment.
Even when I change the lighting in the room, the dinosaurs’ brightness and shading remain almost the same.
If this behavior is intentional — for example, if the app disables real-world lighting influence or uses a fixed lighting setup — could someone explain how and why it’s implemented that way?
Hi,
Few days ago, Apple had another "Meet with Apple" event regarding immersive video : Create immersive media experiences for visionOS | Meet with Apple days one and 2 and it is not appearing on my Developer app in Mac. The same happened to
IETF HLS Interest Day | Meet with Apple.
Any tip?
Kind regards ,
Bruno
Topic:
Spatial Computing
SubTopic:
General
Thank you again for pushing the web forward in VisionOS 2, super exciting!
The latest WWDC24 video touched on VR experiences for VisionOS2.0 using WebXR, however there was no mention of passthrough AR experiences.
Samples such as this one are not supported:
https://immersive-web.github.io/webxr-samples/immersive-ar-session.html
In Settings > Safari, there is a feature flag for the AR WebXR module, but enabling it did not seem to change anything.
Is this the expected behavior at this time? Any developer preview(s) we could try?
The new Mac virtual display feature on visionOS 2 offers a curved/panoramic window. I was wondering if this is simply a property that can be applied to a window, or if it involves an immersive mode or SceneKit/RealityKit?
Game Controller Input Limitations in visionOS Volumetric Windows
Hello Apple Developer Community,
I'm developing a game for visionOS and have encountered significant limitations with game controller input when using volumetric windows (WindowGroup with .volumetric style). I'd appreciate clarification on whether this is expected behavior and any guidance on best practices.
🧩 Issue Summary
When using a DualSense controller with a volumetric window in visionOS, only a subset of controller inputs are available to the app. The remaining inputs appear to be reserved by the system for UI navigation.
✅ Working Inputs (Volumetric Window)
D-Pad (all directions)
L3 (left thumbstick button click)
R3 (right thumbstick button click)
Menu button
Options button
❌ Not Working Inputs (Volumetric Window)
Left thumbstick analog movement (used for UI scrolling instead)
Right thumbstick analog movement (used for UI scrolling instead)
Face buttons (Cross, Circle, Square, Triangle / A, B, X, Y)
Shoulder buttons (L1, R1)
Triggers (L2, R2)
Key observation: When moving the left thumbstick in a volumetric window, the window's UI scrolls vertically instead of sending input to my app's GameController handlers. Similarly, face buttons seem to be reserved for system UI interactions.
⚙️ Implementation Details
I'm using the standard GameController framework:
Connect to controller via GCController.controllers()
Access extendedGamepad profile
Set up valueChangedHandler and pressedChangedHandler for all inputs
Handlers confirmed registered via logging
Working inputs (D-Pad, L3, R3) trigger immediately and consistently
Non-working inputs (thumbsticks, face buttons) never trigger
🧠 Critical Finding: ImmersiveSpace Works Perfectly
When testing the exact same code in an ImmersiveSpace (.mixed immersion style), all controller inputs work perfectly:
✅ Both thumbsticks provide full analog input
✅ All face buttons trigger their handlers
✅ All shoulder buttons and triggers work correctly
✅ 100% success rate with no intermittent issues
This suggests the issue isn't with my code, but rather how visionOS handles controller input differently between Volumetric Windows and ImmersiveSpace.
🧪 Test Environment
I created a minimal test project (Controller-Playground) to isolate the issue:
A simple ControllerTester class that registers all GameController handlers
A visual UI showing real-time input state
No game logic, RealityKit physics, or other complexity
Results
In volumetric window: Only D-Pad, L3, R3, Menu, Options work
In ImmersiveSpace: All inputs work perfectly
This confirms the limitation exists at the visionOS platform level, not in app code.
🧰 Attempted Workarounds
I tried the following without success:
Setting GCSupportsControllerUserInteraction = false in Info.plist
Setting UIRequiresFullScreen = true
Changing window styles (.plain, .volumetric)
Polling vs. handler-based input approaches
Various threading models (MainActor, separate thread)
Result: The only way to enable full controller support is to switch to ImmersiveSpace.
❓ Questions for Apple
Is this input reservation behavior in volumetric windows intended and documented?
Are game controllers expected to have limited functionality in volumetric windows while full functionality is reserved for ImmersiveSpace?
Is there a way to request full controller input access in a volumetric window, or is ImmersiveSpace the only option for complete controller support?
Where can I find official documentation about controller input differences between window types?
Are there any APIs or configuration options to disable system controller shortcuts in volumetric windows?
🎯 Impact
This limitation has a significant effect on game design and architecture:
Volumetric windows offer a multitasking-friendly, less immersive experience
ImmersiveSpace provides full controller support but may be more immersive than some games require
Games that only need basic D-Pad and button input can work fine in volumetric windows
Games requiring analog sticks or face buttons must currently use ImmersiveSpace
It would be very helpful if Apple could clarify or reference existing documentation regarding controller input handling in different visionOS window types. If such documentation doesn't exist yet, it might be valuable to include this information in future developer guides or best-practice documents.
🕹 Current Workaround
For now, I'm using:
D-Pad for character movement (digital 8-direction)
R3 (right stick click) as a substitute for the "X" button
This setup allows the game to function within a volumetric window, though full controller support still requires ImmersiveSpace.
📄 Request
If this is expected behavior, I may have simply missed the relevant documentation — could you please point me to any existing resources that explain this design?
If there isn't one yet, it would be great if future visionOS documentation could:
Clearly outline controller input behavior across window types
Provide guidance on when to use Volumetric Windows vs. ImmersiveSpace for games
Consider adding an API option to request full controller access when appropriate
If this is not expected behavior, I'm happy to file a detailed bug report with sample code.
💻 System Information
visionOS: Latest Simulator
Xcode: Latest version
Controller: Sony DualSense
Framework: GameController (standard extendedGamepad profile)
Test project: Minimal reproducible example available
Thank you for any clarification or guidance you can provide. This information would be valuable for many developers working on visionOS games.
Hi. I am mixing content destined for Vision Pro. Locked to video. I have the AAX installer and the ASAF video player demonstrated in the quicktimes is nit included in the install package for pro tools. Would it be possible to post a link ?
When assigning a ManipulationComponent to an Entity SceneEvents.WillRemoveEntity will be called for that Entity.
Expected Behavior: the Entity is not (even if temporarily) removed from the Scene and no SceneEvents will be triggered as a result of assigning a ManipulationComponent.
FB20872220
I want to let users place 2D/3D “artworks” on detected walls and have them reappear in exactly the same real‑world spot after quitting and relaunching the app (like widgets do, but for my own entities).Environment: Xcode 26, visionOS 2.0, RealityKit + ARKitSession/WorldTrackingProvider Entities are parented to a holder that’s aligned to a wall via plane/mesh raycasts.
What I’ve tried:
Create a WorldAnchor at placement, save UUID + full 4×4 transform On next launch, re-create the WorldAnchor (or set the saved transform) and attach the entity Gate restore on relocalization/mesh updates and disable all raycast/search after restore Issue: After relaunch, placement still resolves relative to current device pose, not the same wall position.
Questions:
Is there a public API in visionOS 2.0 to persist app‑managed world anchors across sessions (room‑fixed), e.g., AnchorStore or equivalent?
If not, what’s the recommended pattern to reliably restore wall‑anchored content?
Are persistence features mentioned for widgets/windows available to third‑party RealityKit entities?
I want to let users place 2D/3D “artworks” on detected walls and have them reappear in exactly the same real‑world spot after quitting and relaunching the app (like widgets do, but for my own entities).Environment:
Xcode 26, visionOS 2.0, RealityKit + ARKitSession/WorldTrackingProvider
Entities are parented to a holder that’s aligned to a wall via plane/mesh raycasts
What I’ve tried:
Create a WorldAnchor at placement, save UUID + full 4×4 transform
On next launch, re-create the WorldAnchor (or set the saved transform) and attach the entity
Gate restore on relocalization/mesh updates and disable all raycast/search after restore
Issue:
After relaunch, placement still resolves relative to current device pose, not the same wall position.
Questions:
Is there a public API in visionOS 2.0 to persist app‑managed world anchors across sessions (room‑fixed), e.g., AnchorStore or equivalent?
If not, what’s the recommended pattern to reliably restore wall‑anchored content?
Are persistence features mentioned for widgets/windows available to third‑party RealityKit entities?
Topic:
Spatial Computing
SubTopic:
General