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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123
May ’25
Human pose detection failing on Vision Pro
Hi! I attempted to run a sample project for detecting human pose in photos, which can be found here: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/vision/detecting-human-body-poses-in-3d-with-vision The project works perfectly when run on my Macbook Pro M1, but it fails on Apple Vision Pro. After selecting the photo an endless loading screen is presented and the following output is produced in the console: Failed to initialize 2D Detection Algorithm. Failed to initialize 2D Pose Estimation Algorithm. Failed to initialize algorithm modules Network path is nil: (null) Failed to initialize 2D Detection Algorithm. Failed to initialize 2D Pose Estimation Algorithm. Failed to initialize algorithm modules Unable to perform the request: Error Domain=com.apple.Vision Code=9 "Async status object reported as failed but without an error" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Async status object reported as failed but without an error}. de-activating session 70138 after timeout It seems that VNDetectHumanBodyPose3DRequest is failing on Vision Pro for some reason. Are there any additional requirements for running Vision framework on VisionOS, that I might be missing?
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191
Mar ’25
Barcode Anchor Jitter in Vision Pro due to Invalid enterprise api for barcode scanning Values
We’re using the enterprise API for spatial barcode/QR code scanning in the Vision Pro app, but we often get invalid values for the barcode anchor from the API, leading to jittery barcode positions in the UI. The code we’re using is attached below. import SwiftUI import RealityKit import ARKit import Combine struct ImmersiveView: View { @State private var arkitSession = ARKitSession() @State private var root = Entity() @State private var fadeCompleteSubscriptions: Set = [] var body: some View { RealityView { content in content.add(root) } .task { // Check if barcode detection is supported; otherwise handle this case. guard BarcodeDetectionProvider.isSupported else { return } // Specify the symbologies you want to detect. let barcodeDetection = BarcodeDetectionProvider(symbologies: [.code128, .qr, .upce, .ean13, .ean8]) do { try await arkitSession.requestAuthorization(for: [.worldSensing]) try await arkitSession.run([barcodeDetection]) print("Barcode scanning started") for await update in barcodeDetection.anchorUpdates where update.event == .added { let anchor = update.anchor // Play an animation to indicate the system detected a barcode. playAnimation(for: anchor) // Use the anchor's decoded contents and symbology to take action. print( """ Payload: \(anchor.payloadString ?? "") Symbology: \(anchor.symbology) """) } } catch { // Handle the error. print(error) } } } // Define this function in ImmersiveView. func playAnimation(for anchor: BarcodeAnchor) { guard let scene = root.scene else { return } // Create a plane sized to match the barcode. let extent = anchor.extent let entity = ModelEntity(mesh: .generatePlane(width: extent.x, depth: extent.z), materials: [UnlitMaterial(color: .green)]) entity.components.set(OpacityComponent(opacity: 0)) // Position the plane over the barcode. entity.transform = Transform(matrix: anchor.originFromAnchorTransform) root.addChild(entity) // Fade the plane in and out. do { let duration = 0.5 let fadeIn = try AnimationResource.generate(with: FromToByAnimation<Float>( from: 0, to: 1.0, duration: duration, isAdditive: true, bindTarget: .opacity) ) let fadeOut = try AnimationResource.generate(with: FromToByAnimation<Float>( from: 1.0, to: 0, duration: duration, isAdditive: true, bindTarget: .opacity)) let fadeAnimation = try AnimationResource.sequence(with: [fadeIn, fadeOut]) _ = scene.subscribe(to: AnimationEvents.PlaybackCompleted.self, on: entity, { _ in // Remove the plane after the animation completes. entity.removeFromParent() }).store(in: &fadeCompleteSubscriptions) entity.playAnimation(fadeAnimation) } catch { print("Error") } } }
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Jan ’25
Reading scenePhase from custom Scene
Hi, I've encountered a thread where an Apple engineer points out that there are 2 possible ways to anchor scenePhase, either App or View implementation: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/757429 This thread also links to documentation which states If you read the phase from within a custom Scene instance, the value similarly reflects an aggregation of all the scenes that make up the custom scene: This doesn't seem to be the case on visionOS 2, I tried the following code starting from an empty app template: import SwiftUI @main struct SceneTestApp: App { var body: some Scene { MyScene() WindowGroup(id: "extra") { Text("Extra window") } } } struct MyScene: Scene { @Environment(\.scenePhase) private var scenePhase @Environment(\.openWindow) private var openWindow var body: some Scene { WindowGroup { ContentView() .onAppear { openWindow(id: "extra") } } .onChange(of: scenePhase) { oldValue, newValue in print("scenePhase changed") } } } The result was that I didn't get onChange callback if I only closed the extra window, the callback only came after I closed both windows and the whole app was suspended. Is this expected behavior?
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376
Feb ’25
MainActor attribute on RealityKit APIs is causing problems
Hello, A lot of the RealityKit APIs (Ex. LowLevelMesh, LowLevelTexture, etc.) are marked with MainActor so they needed to be accessed on the main thread. This creates issues when we need to perform expensive GPU related operations since now we need to perform those on the main thread. This results in bottlenecks and hangs in our application. We would like to use a multi-threaded approach to solve these problems which is difficult to do here. We are constantly streaming data whether the app is just appearing or the user is interacting with our application so we need to be able to perform these operations on a separate thread. Any advice on how to achieve this using RealityKit? Thank you.
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211
Mar ’25
Rendering scene in RealityView to an Image
Is there any way to render a RealityView to an Image/UIImage like we used to be able to do using SCNView.snapshot() ? ImageRenderer doesn't work because it renders a SwiftUI view hierarchy, and I need the currently presented RealityView with camera background and 3D scene content the way the user sees it I tried UIHostingController and UIGraphicsImageRenderer like extension View { func snapshot() -> UIImage { let controller = UIHostingController(rootView: self) let view = controller.view let targetSize = controller.view.intrinsicContentSize view?.bounds = CGRect(origin: .zero, size: targetSize) view?.backgroundColor = .clear let renderer = UIGraphicsImageRenderer(size: targetSize) return renderer.image { _ in view?.drawHierarchy(in: view!.bounds, afterScreenUpdates: true) } } } but that leads to the app freezing and sending an infinite loop of [CAMetalLayer nextDrawable] returning nil because allocation failed. Same thing happens when I try return renderer.image { ctx in view.layer.render(in: ctx.cgContext) } Now that SceneKit is deprecated, I didn't want to start a new app using deprecated APIs.
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1.1k
Sep ’25
Unity on VisionOS development - best practice on structuring a project
Hello, I am experimenting with Unity to develop a mixed reality (MR) application for visionOS. I would like to understand the best approach for structuring my project: Should I build the entire experience in Unity (both Windows and Volumes)? Or is it better to create only certain elements (e.g., Volumes) in Unity while managing Windows separately in Xcode? Also, how well do interactions (e.g pinch, grab…) created in Unity integrate with Xcode? If I use the PolySpatial plugin, does that allow me to manage all interactions entirely within Unity, or would I still need to handle/integrate part of it in Xcode? What's worked best for you? Please let me know if you have any recommendations, Thanks!
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154
Apr ’25
[WWDC25] For GuessTogether, can you initiate a FaceTime call via the custom SharePlay button?
Hello, For GuessTogether source code, it seems like the code assumes that you're already in a FaceTime call before pressing the custom SharePlay button (labeled "Play Guess Together"). If not already on a FaceTime call, my Apple Vision Pro and the visionOS simulator both do nothing after throwing warnings. Is this intended behavior? If so, how do I make it so that pressing the button can also initiate FaceTime calls? Is this allowed? Thank you!
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Sep ’25
Unable to Create a Fully Immersive Experience That Hides Other Windows in visionOS App
Description: I'm developing a travel/panorama viewing app for visionOS that allows users to view 360° panoramic images in an immersive space. When users enter panorama viewing mode, I want to provide a fully immersive experience where the main interface window and Earth 3D globe window are hidden. I've implemented the app following Apple's documentation on Creating Fully Immersive Experiences, but when users enter the immersive space, both the main window and the Earth 3D window remain visible, diminishing the immersive experience. Implementation Details: My app has three main components: A main content window showing panorama thumbnails A 3D globe window (volumetric) showing locations An immersive space for viewing 360° panoramas I'm using .immersionStyle(selection: $panoImageView, in: .full) to create a fully immersive experience, but other windows remain visible. Relevant Code: @main struct Travel_ImmersiveApp: App { @StateObject private var appModel = AppModel() @State private var panoImageView: ImmersionStyle = .full var body: some Scene { WindowGroup { ContentView() .environmentObject(appModel) } .windowStyle(.automatic) .defaultSize(width: 1280, height: 825) WindowGroup(id: "Earth") { Globe3DView() .environmentObject(appModel) .onAppear { appModel.isGlobeWindowOpen = true appModel.globeWindowOpen = true } .onDisappear { if !appModel.shouldCloseApp { appModel.handleGlobeWindowClose() } } } .windowStyle(.volumetric) .defaultSize(width: 0.8, height: 0.8, depth: 0.8, in: .meters) .windowResizability(.contentSize) ImmersiveSpace(id: "ImmersiveView") { ImmersiveView() .environmentObject(appModel) } .immersionStyle(selection: $panoImageView, in: .full) } } Opening the Immersive Space: func getPanoImageAndOpenImmersiveSpace() async { appModel.clearMemoryCache() do { let canView = appModel.canViewImage(image) if canView { let downloadedImage = try await appModel.getPanoramaImage(for: image) { progress in Task { @MainActor in cardState = .loading(progress: progress) } } await MainActor.run { appModel.updateCurrentImage(image, panoramaImage: downloadedImage) } if !appModel.immersiveSpaceOpened { try await openImmersiveSpace(id: "ImmersiveView") await MainActor.run { appModel.immersiveSpaceOpened = true cardState = .normal } } else { await MainActor.run { appModel.updateImmersiveView = true cardState = .normal } } } else { await MainActor.run { appModel.errorMessage = "You do not have permission to view this image." cardState = .normal } } } catch { // Error handling } } Immersive View Implementation: struct ImmersiveView: View { @EnvironmentObject var appModel: AppModel var body: some View { RealityView { content in let rootEntity = Entity() content.add(rootEntity) Task { if let selectedImage = appModel.selectedImage, appModel.canViewImage(selectedImage) { await loadPanorama(for: rootEntity) } } } update: { content in if appModel.updateImmersiveView, let selectedImage = appModel.selectedImage, appModel.canViewImage(selectedImage), let rootEntity = content.entities.first { Task { await loadPanorama(for: rootEntity) appModel.updateImmersiveView = false } } } .onAppear { print("ImmersiveView appeared") } .onDisappear { appModel.resetImmersiveState() } } // loadPanorama implementation... } What I've Tried Set immersionStyle to .full as recommended in the documentation Confirmed that the immersive space is properly opened and displaying panoramas Verified that the state management for the immersive space is working correctly Questions How can I ensure that when the user enters the immersive panorama viewing experience, all other windows (main interface and Earth 3D globe) are automatically hidden? Is there a specific API or approach I'm missing to properly implement a fully immersive experience that hides all other windows? Do I need to manually dismiss the windows when opening the immersive space, and if so, what's the best approach for doing this? Any guidance or sample code would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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Apr ’25
Perspective problem
Hi, I called it "perspective problem", but I'm not quite sure what it is. I have a tag that I track with builtin camera. I calculate its pose, then use extrinsics and device anchor to calculate where to place entity with model. When I place an entity that overlaps with physical object and start to look at it from different angles, the virtual object begins to move. Initially I thought that it's something wrong with calculations, or some image distortion closer to camera edges is affecting tag detection. To check, I calculated the position only once and displayed entity there, the physical tracked object is not moving. Now, when I move my head, so the object is more to the left, or right in my field of view, the virtual object becomes misaligned to the left, or right. It feels like a parallax effect, but distance from me to entity and to physical object are exactly the same. Is that expected, because of some passthrough correction magic? And if so, can I somehow correct it back, so the entity always overlaps with object? I'm currently on v26 beta 5. I also don't quite understand the camera extrinsics, because it seems that I need to flip it around X by 180 degrees to make it work in deviceAnchor * extrinsics.inverse * tag (shouldn't it be in same coordinates as all other RealityKit things?).
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244
Aug ’25
When placing a TextField within a RealityViewAttachment, the virtual keyboard does not appear in front of the user as expected.
Hello, Thank you for your time. I have a question regarding visionOS app development. When placing a SwiftUI TextField inside RealityView.attachments, we found that focusing on the field does not bring up the virtual keyboard in front of the user. Instead, the keyboard appears around the user’s lower abdomen area. However, when placing the same TextField in a regular SwiftUI layer outside of RealityView, the keyboard appears in the correct position as expected. This suggests that the issue is specific to RealityView.attachments. We are currently exploring ways to have the virtual keyboard appear directly in front of the user when using TextField inside RealityViewAttachments. If there is any method to explicitly control the keyboard position or any known workarounds—including alternative UI approaches—we would greatly appreciate your guidance. Best regards, Sadao Tokuyama
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634
Jul ’25
Loading USDZ asset into Model3D causes visionOS 2.0 beta 5 to crash
We've recently discovered that our app crashes on startup on the latest visionOS 2.0 beta 5 (22N5297g) build. In fact, the entire field of view would dim down and visionOS would then restart, showing the Apple logo. Interestingly, no app crash is reported by Xcode during debug. After investigation, we have isolated the issue to a specific USDZ asset in our app. Loading it in a sample, blank project also causes visionOS to reliably crash, or become extremely unresponsive with rendering artifacts everywhere. This looks like a potentially serious issue. Even if the asset is problematic, loading it should not crash the entire OS. We have filed feedback FB14756285, along with a demo project. Hopefully someone can take a look. Thanks!
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571
Jul ’25
ARKit Planes do not appear where expected on visionOS
I'm using ARKitSession and PlaneDetectionProvider to detect planes. I have a basics process to create an entity for each detected plane. Each one will get a random color for the material. Each plane is sized based on the bounds of the anchor provided by ARKit. let mesh = MeshResource.generatePlane( width: anchor.geometry.extent.width, depth: anchor.geometry.extent.height ) Then I'm using this to position each entity. entity.transform = Transform(matrix: anchor.originFromAnchorTransform) This seems to be the right method, but many (not all) planes are not where they should be. The sizes look OK, but the X and Y positions off. Take this large green plane on the wall. It should span the entire wall, but it is offset along the X position so that it is pushed to the left from where the center of the anchor is. When I visualize surfaces using the Xcode debugging tools, that tool reports the planes where I'd expect them to be. Can you see what I'm getting wrong here? Full code below struct Example068: View { @State var session = ARKitSession() @State private var planeAnchors: [UUID: Entity] = [:] @State private var planeColors: [UUID: Color] = [:] var body: some View { RealityView { content in } update: { content in for (_, entity) in planeAnchors { if !content.entities.contains(entity) { content.add(entity) } } } .task { try! await setupAndRunPlaneDetection() } } func setupAndRunPlaneDetection() async throws { let planeData = PlaneDetectionProvider(alignments: [.horizontal, .vertical, .slanted]) if PlaneDetectionProvider.isSupported { do { try await session.run([planeData]) for await update in planeData.anchorUpdates { switch update.event { case .added, .updated: let anchor = update.anchor if planeColors[anchor.id] == nil { planeColors[anchor.id] = generatePastelColor() } let planeEntity = createPlaneEntity(for: anchor, color: planeColors[anchor.id]!) planeAnchors[anchor.id] = planeEntity case .removed: let anchor = update.anchor planeAnchors.removeValue(forKey: anchor.id) planeColors.removeValue(forKey: anchor.id) } } } catch { print("ARKit session error \(error)") } } } private func generatePastelColor() -> Color { let hue = Double.random(in: 0...1) let saturation = Double.random(in: 0.2...0.4) let brightness = Double.random(in: 0.8...1.0) return Color(hue: hue, saturation: saturation, brightness: brightness) } private func createPlaneEntity(for anchor: PlaneAnchor, color: Color) -> Entity { let mesh = MeshResource.generatePlane( width: anchor.geometry.extent.width, depth: anchor.geometry.extent.height ) var material = PhysicallyBasedMaterial() material.baseColor.tint = UIColor(color) let entity = ModelEntity(mesh: mesh, materials: [material]) entity.transform = Transform(matrix: anchor.originFromAnchorTransform) return entity } }
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183
Apr ’25
Transparent Material Turning into Occlusion Material
I am trying to create an object in immersive space that is partially transparent (~50% opacity). I have implemented this in a few different ways including creating a model entity and setting its opacity component to 0.5, and creating a custom material with blending set to a transparent opacity of 0.5. These both work partially, as they behaved as intended for many cases, but seemingly randomly would act like occlusion material and block any other immersive content behind them, showing the real world instead. Some notes: I am using RealityKit to render the semi-transparent object and an opaque object that is behind the semi-transparent object. I am using VisionOS 2.1, and am updating the location of the semi-transparent object often. Both objects are ModelEntities. I would appreciate any guidance on how to implement this. Please let me know if there are any other questions.
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165
May ’25
RealityView Not Refreshing With SwiftData
Hi, I am trying to update what entities are visible in my RealityView. After the SwiftData set is updated, I have to restart the app for it to appear in the RealityView. Also, the RealityView does not close when I move to a different tab. It keeps everything on and tracking, leaving the model in the same location I left it. import SwiftUI import RealityKit import MountainLake import SwiftData struct RealityLakeView: View { @Environment(\.modelContext) private var context @Query private var items: [Item] var body: some View { RealityView { content in print("View Loaded") let lakeScene = try? await Entity(named: "Lake", in: mountainLakeBundle) let anchor = AnchorEntity(.plane(.horizontal, classification: .any, minimumBounds: SIMD2<Float>(0.2, 0.2))) @MainActor func addEntity(name: String) { if let lakeEntity = lakeScene?.findEntity(named: name) { // Add the Cube_1 entity to the RealityView anchor.addChild(lakeEntity) } else { print(name + "entity not found in the Lake scene.") } } addEntity(name: "Island") for item in items { if(item.enabled) { addEntity(name: item.value) } } // Add the horizontal plane anchor to the scene content.add(anchor) content.camera = .spatialTracking } placeholder: { ProgressView() } .edgesIgnoringSafeArea(.all) } } #Preview { RealityLakeView() }
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527
Jan ’25
Getting to MeshAnchor.MeshClassification from MeshAnchor?
I am working with MeshAnchors, and I am having troubles getting to the classification of the triangles/faces. This post references the MeshAnchor.Geometry, and that struct does have a property named "classifications", but it is of type GeometrySource. I cannot find any classification information in GeometrySource. Am I missing something there? I think I am looking for something of type MeshAnchor.MeshClassification, but I cannot find any structs with this as a property.
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1.3k
Feb ’25
Reality View argument type does not conform to protocol view
I'm working on creating a panorama view in AVP. When I got to this line of code Xcode says that "Type 'Entity' does not conform to protocol 'View'": private var realityView: RealityView! as well as this line, with the same error message: private func setupPanoramaScene(for content: RealityView.Content) What should I put as a argument for reality view? It doesn't work without arguments either.
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498
Jan ’25