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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ARView vs RealityView (iOS, iPadOS)
I have been digging through the docs and the developer videos, and I have noticed a mention to RealityView having som potential limitations with anchors and world tracking. However, I haven’t been able to locate my answers. Does anyone know (or point me to) if RealityView supports everything ARView does, and if not what are the difference? I was fooling around with RealityView today with a simple plane anchor, and the stability of that anchor didn’t seem to be as steady as I recall ARView being In the past on iPhone. I’m trying to determine if I should be rolling over into RealityView or stay with ARView on this little educational project. I would imagine the answer is to go RealityView, but I want to make sure I’m not setting myself up for failure based on any current limitations For anchors and world data.
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Jan ’25
RoomPlan Framework v2 - Stairs missing
Hello Community, I'm encountering an issue with the latest iOS 17 update, specifically related to RoomPlan version-2. In iOS 16, when using RoomPlan version-1, we were able to display stairs in our app. However, after upgrading to iOS 17 and implementing RoomPlan version-2, the stairs are no longer visible. Despite thorough investigation, I couldn't find any option within the code to show or hide stairs, or any other objects for that matter. It seems like a specific issue with the update rather than a coding error on our part. Has anyone else encountered a similar problem? If so, I would greatly appreciate any insights or solutions you might have. It's crucial for our app functionality to have stairs displayed accurately, and we're currently at a loss on how to address this issue. Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide. Best regards
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1.1k
Sep ’25
How to combine Occlusion nodes with soft edges.
At a recent community meeting we were wondering how Apple creates this soft-edge effect around the occlusion cutouts. We see this effect on keyboard cutouts, iPhone cutouts, and in progressive spaces. An example: Notice the soft edged around the occlusion cutout for the keyboard One of our members created some Shader Graph materials to explore soft edges. These work by sending data into the opacity channel of the PreviewSurface node. Unfortunately, the Occlusion Surface nodes lack any sort of input. If you know how to blend these concepts with RealityKit Occlusion, please let us know!
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891
Sep ’25
Does Apple Spatial Audio Format documentation exist
The WWDC25 video and notes titled “Learn About Apple Immersive Video Technologies” introduced the Apple Spatial Audio Format (ASAF) and codec (APAC). However, despite references throughout on using immersive video, there is scant information on ASAF/APAC (including no code examples and no framework references), and I’ve found no documentation in Apple’s APIs/Frameworks about its implementation and use months on. I want to leverage ambisonic audio in my app. I don’t want to write a custom AU if APAC will be opened up to developers. If you read the notes below along with the iPhone 17 advertising (“Video is captured with Spatial Audio for immersive listening”), it sounds like this is very much a live feature in iOS26. Anyone know the state of play? I’m across how the PHASE engine works, which is unrelated to what I’m asking about here. Original quote from video referenced above: “ASAF enables truly externalized audio experiences by ensuring acoustic cues are used to render the audio. It’s composed of new metadata coupled with linear PCM, and a powerful new spatial renderer that’s built into Apple platforms. It produces high resolution Spatial Audio through numerous point sources and high resolution sound scenes, or higher order ambisonics.” ”ASAF is carried inside of broadcast Wave files with linear PCM signals and metadata. You typically use ASAF in production, and to stream ASAF audio, you will need to encode that audio as an mp4 APAC file.” ”APAC efficiently distributes ASAF, and APAC is required for any Apple immersive video experience. APAC playback is available on all Apple platforms except watchOS, and supports Channels, Objects, Higher Order Ambisonics, Dialogue, Binaural audio, interactive elements, as well as provisioning for extendable metadata.”
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Sep ’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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Mar ’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
Tracking multiple ImageAnchor simultaneously on VisionOS
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?
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Nov ’25
Persisting Anchors in RealityView with ARMode on iOS
Platform: iOS18 Tech: RealityView Hi! I was wondering if RealityView now provides ways for their session to persist Anchor data in a world such that the anchor locations in one session can be saved and loaded in a another session that persists the exact same anchor positions. I know that ARWorldMap in ARKit does that, but I was not able to find a way to use it with RealityView. I think it's because RealityView has ARKit under its hood but does not expose the ARKit session info publicly to the client code. So I was wondering if there's a SwiftUI + RealityView approach that can help me to achieve a similar goal: Come back to the same location and see the object in exactly the same place. Thanks!
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Jan ’25
Enterprise API with Education Account
Hello, I am trying to develop an app that broadcasts what the user sees via Apple Vision Pro. I am a graduate student studying at the university. And I have two problems, If I want to use passthrough in screen capture (in VisionOS), do I have to join Apple Developer Enterprise Program to get Enterprise API? and Can I buy Apple Developer Enterprise Program (Enterprise API) with my university account? Have any of you been able to do this? Thank you
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Jul ’25
Game Controller Input Limitations in visionOS Volumetric Windows - Need Clarification
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.
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Oct ’25
What causes »ARSessionDelegate is retaining X ARFrames« console warning?
Hi, since iOS 15 I've repeatedly noticed the console warning »ARSessionDelegate is retaining X ARFrames. This can lead to future camera frames being dropped« even for rather simple projects using RealityKit and ARKit. Could someone from the ARKit team please elaborate what causes this warning and what can be done to avoid it? If I remember correctly I didn't even assign an ARSessionDelegate. Thank you!
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3.4k
Feb ’25
How to update TextureResource with MTLTexture?
Hi I have a monitoring app, that will take input video from uvc and process it using Metal, and eventually get a MTLTexture. The problem I'm facing is I have to convert MTLTexture to CGImage then call TextureResource.replace, which is super slow. Metal processing speed is same as input frame rate(50pfs), but MTLTexture -> CGImage -> TextureResource only got 7fps... Is there any way I can make it faster?
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Oct ’25
Ground shadow and visibility
Hey, I'm building an interior design app In Vision OS 2.0. I'm fetching the planes detected by ARKit and I then proceed to add them with an "OcclusionMaterial" to make sure my object are occluded accordingly. However, I'm facing two problems with this: The ground shadows are completely disabled as soon as an occlusion material is added, even if I inset the planes doing the occlusion. I've looked into this: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/shadergraph/realitykit/shadow-receiving-occlusion-surface-(realitykit) but when I tried to use it, it behaved exactly as "OcclusionMaterial". The planes are also occluding all windows (mines and the system ones), which is a behavior I'd like to avoid. I only want to occluded the Entity I added. Is there a way to achieve this? Thanks in advance
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477
Jan ’25
Is ARGeoTrackingConfiguration always more accurate than ARWorldTrackingConfiguration for world scale AR?
We are working on a world scale AR app that leverages the device location and heading to place objects in the streets, so that they are correctly and stably anchored to certain locations. Since the geo-tracking imagery is only available in certain cities and areas, we are trying to figure out how to fallback when geo-tracking is not available as the device move away, to still retain good AR camera accuracy. We might need to come up with some algorithm using the device GPS, to line up the ARCamera with our objects. Question: Does geo-tracking always provide greater than or equal to the accuracy of world tracking, for a GPS outdoor AR experience? If so, we can simply use the ARGeoTrackingConfiguration for the entire time, and rely on the ARView keeping itself aligned. Otherwise, we need to switch between it and ARWorldTrackingConfiguration when geo-tracking is not available and/or its accuracy is low, then roll our own algorithm to keep the camera aligned. Thanks.
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Oct ’25
Xcode Cloud builds don't work with *.usdz files in a RealityComposer package
In courses like Compose interactive 3D content in Reality Composer Pro Realitykit Engineers recommended working with Reality Composer Pro to create RealityKit packages to embed in our Realitykit Xcode projects. And, comparing the workflow to Unity/Unreal, I can see the reasoning since it is nice to prepare scenes/materials/assets visually. Now when we also want to run a Xcode Cloud CI/CD pipeline this seems to come into conflict: When adding a basic *.usdz to the RealityKitContent.rkassets folder, every build we run on Xcode cloud fails with: Compile Reality Asset RealityKitContent.rkassets ❌realitytool requires Metal for this operation and it is not available in this build environment I have also found this related forum post here but it was specifically about compiling a *.skybox.
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Sep ’25
Partial Occlusion Material
I am looking for a material that functions in the same way that Occlusion Material does, except that it only partially occludes whatever is behind it. One way that I have thought of doing this was to change the opacity of the entity that was covered in Occlusion Material, however this did not change anything. Please let me know if this is possible.
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Apr ’25