I’m working with Reality Composer and noticed that images added directly to a scene appear significantly darker when viewed in AR. This seems different from how other objects in the scene respond to lighting, especially under varying real-world light conditions. Is this expected behavior? Are images treated with a different lighting model in Reality Composer? Is there any recommended way to get more consistent light response for image-based artworks?

Hi, I’m wondering whether RealityKit has its own scene management system, since it uses ARView (backed by ARKit) to present AR content. Does RealityKit manage scenes independently, or does it rely entirely on ARKit’s scene handling? Thank you.

Hi, we have been working on an application that attaches a hand model to the users hands. Apple provides an animating hand models in visionOS project that is a useful starting point. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/visionOS/animating-hand-models-in-visionOS We have been trying to create our own hand model to attach but have had some issues with how it is attaching to the hand. For our hand model we want to include the forearm all the way up to the users elbow. I have attached a sample project of what our code currently looks like so you can run it. Just select show immersive space to attach the models. The left hand model is the space glove that we were trying to mirror. The right hand model is our model that we have been using. I have mapped each of the joints to the pertaining joint name on our model. The first issue we are having seems to be based around the placement of the forearm. It attaches itself at the wrist. The second issue seems to be around rotation. Our team is looking for some guidance on what needs to change in order to map this model correctly. Thanks in advance!

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?

I want to: Run ARKit on the main rear camera, and while it's running shoot high resolution pictures on the wide camera, without disturbing the AR tracking. Is this possible?

Hi, is there a way to track feet in a visionOS app in an immersive space? I want the whole body to be visible in VR, and I want to know if the user touches an object with their foot.

I’ve seen, mainly in discussions with AIs, that ARFaceTrackingConfiguration uses the same technology as Face ID and therefore should work in complete darkness. However, I haven’t been able to achieve this. Does anyone know if this is actually true? I'm using an iPhone 16 to test, and the Face ID works well in darkness.

Recently, applications for the Swift Student Challenge opened up. I noticed, that when selected "where to run your app" (mine was developed in Xcode 26), and you select Xcode26, there is a note underneath it that basically says all Xcode projects will be run on the simulator. What if my project is dependent on AR? How would I let the judges test my submission?

Hi. I'm trying to show 3D or AR content in multiple pages on an iOS app but I have found that if a RealityView is used earlier in a flow then future uses will never display the camera feed, even if those earlier uses do not use any spatial tracking. For example, in the following simplified view, the second page realityView will not display the camera feed even though the first view does not use it not start a tracking session. struct ContentView: View { var body: some View { NavigationStack { VStack { RealityView { content in content.camera = .virtual // showing model skipped for brevity } NavigationLink("Second Page") { RealityView { content in content.camera = .spatialTracking } } } } } } What is the way around this so that 3D content can be displayed in multiple places in the app without preventing AR content from working? I have also found the same problem when wrapping an ARView for use in SwiftUI.

I am using AccessoryTrackingProvider from ARKit to get the transform of the PSVR2 controller via originFromAnchorTransform of the AccessoryAnchor. I also am trying to use AnchorEntity on the controller using RealityKit However, none of the three options for Accessory.LocationName, which should be used to define the AnchorEntity target, seem to match the position on the controller which is being sent from ARKit. The picture attached is showing two transforms: RealityKit - using .gripSurface to define the AnchoringComponent.Target.accesssory location. ARKit - using originFromAnchorTransform for AccessoryTrackingProvider. They are not aligned at the same point. As for the other options of Accessory.LocationName, using .aim is located at the tip of the controller and .grip is the same position as .gripSurface but with a different orientation. I am wondering why there is not an option for Accessory.LocationName that actually matches the transform captured by ARKit?

I have a ModelEntity with GroundingShadowComponent entity.enumerateHierarchy { child, stop in child.components.set(GroundingShadowComponent(castsShadow: true)) } When I set it on the table, I can see the shadow on the table, even if I disable plane detection. However, when I enable plane detection, and the plane's material is OcclusionMaterial. I can not see the shadow on the table. As far as I know, receivesDynamicLighting is not usable in VisionOS. So how can I cast shadow on OcclusionMaterial in VisionOS? Or rather, is it possible to have the shadow properly displayed on the tabletop while ensuring that I cannot see objects beneath the table through it?

ARSession provides video stream from the wide angle camera. If ARSession uses the ultra wide camera at the same time, ARSession may provide video stream from that camera, otherwise AVCaptureSession with an ultra wide camera should be allowed to launch. It would be very very useful if we can access different cameras while ARSession is running. We'd like to cooperate with you if possible. Steps to reproduce: run an AVCaptureSession and then run an ARSession. The AVCaptureSession stops.

We have developed an iPad application using the ARCL (AR + CoreLocation) library to render Point of Interest (POI) annotations in both an AR view and a standard MapView. The application performs as expected on standard devices. However, we have some iPad covered with strong magnet. This creates significant magnetic interference, resulting in a 90° to 180° heading offset, rendering the AR POI placement and MapView orientation unusable. Technical Challenges & Constraints: Hardware Lock: The magnetic cover is a mandatory business requirement and cannot be removed during field use. Sensor Failure: The internal magnetometer cannot provide an accurate North reference due to the proximity of the cover’s magnets. While CoreLocation and CoreMotion use sensor fusion, the magnetometer remains the primary source for absolute heading. Alternative Orientation Tracking: Is there a documented method to bypass the magnetometer and derive device orientation using only the Gyroscope and Accelerometer (e.g., relative tracking) while still maintaining alignment with geographic coordinates in CoreLocation? Programmatic Offsets: Are there known APIs or mathematical workarounds to programmatically "nullify" or offset a constant magnetic bias once the device is inside the cover? so we can use that offset for ARView and in Mapview as well.

I am creating an Augmented Reality iOS (Not VisionOS) app using scenes created in Reality Composer Pro. I'd like my code to send a notification to a RCP scene that plays a timeline. The RCP interface has the option to set up a behaviour for this purpose: This Forum thread https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/756978 suggests the code I need for sending a notification is: name: NSNotification.Name("RealityKit.NotificationTrigger"), object: nil, userInfo: [ "RealityKit.NotificationTrigger.Scene": scene, "RealityKit.NotificationTrigger.Identifier": "HideCharacter" ] ) but the 'scene' var needs to point to the relevant RCP scene, which is loaded within a UIViewRepresentable ARView (because even in iOS26 it seems RealityKit/RealityViews aren't quite ready for AR use) and I can't work out how to correctly access it. Examples in the link above are for working with RealityKit and VisionOS only. Code for loading the scene is as follows. How can I get the notification code above to be situated in a separate SwiftUI View and send the notification to the RCP scene? typealias UIViewType = ARView func makeUIView(context: Context) -> ARView { // Create an ARView let arView = ARView(frame: .zero) // Configure it let arConfiguration = ARWorldTrackingConfiguration() arConfiguration.planeDetection = [.horizontal] arView.session.run(arConfiguration) // Load in Reality Composer Pro scene let scene = try! Entity.load(named:"myScene)", in: realityKitContentBundle) // Create a horizontal plane anchor let anchor = AnchorEntity(.plane(.horizontal, classification: .any, minimumBounds: SIMD2<Float>(0.2, 0.2))) // Append the scene to the anchor anchor.children.append(scene) // Append the anchor to the ARView arView.scene.anchors.append(anchor) return arView } func updateUIView(_ uiView: ARView, context: Context) { } }

Error: RoomCaptureSession.CaptureError.exceedSceneSizeLimit Apple Documentation Explanation: An error that indicates when the scene size grows past the framework’s limitations. Issue: This error is popping up in my iPhone 14 Pro (128 GB) after a few roomplan scans are done. This error shows up even if the room size is small. It occurs immediately after I start the RoomCaptureSession after the relocalisation of previous AR session (in world tracking configuration). I am having trouble understanding exactly why this error shows and how to debug/solve it. Does anyone have any idea on how to approach to this issue?

Problem Summary After upgrading to iOS 26.1 and 26.2, I'm experiencing a particle positioning bug in RealityKit where ParticleEmitterComponent particles render at an incorrect offset relative to their parent entity. This behavior does not occur on iOS 18.6.2 or earlier versions, suggesting a regression introduced in the newer OS builds. Environment Details Operating System: iOS 26.1 & iOS 26.2 Framework: RealityKit Xcode Version: 16.2 (16C5032a) Expected vs. Actual Behavior Expected: Particles should render at the position of the entity to which the ParticleEmitterComponent is attached, matching the behavior on iOS 18.6.2 and earlier. Actual: Particles appear away from their parent entity, creating a visual misalignment that breaks the intended AR experience. Steps to Reproduce Create or open an AR application with RealityKit that uses particle components Attach a ParticleEmitterComponent to an entity via a custom system Run the application on iOS 26.1 or iOS 26.2 Observe that particles render at an offset position away from the entity Minimal Code Example Here's the setup from my test case: Custom Component & System: struct SparkleComponent4: Component {} class SparkleSystem4: System { static let query = EntityQuery(where: .has(SparkleComponent4.self)) required init(scene: Scene) {} func update(context: SceneUpdateContext) { for entity in context.scene.performQuery(Self.query) { // Only add once if entity.components.has(ParticleEmitterComponent.self) { continue } var newEmitter = ParticleEmitterComponent() newEmitter.mainEmitter.color = .constant(.single(.red)) entity.components.set(newEmitter) } } } AR Setup: let material = SimpleMaterial(color: .gray, roughness: 0.15, isMetallic: true) let model = Entity() model.components.set(ModelComponent(mesh: boxMesh, materials: [material])) model.components.set(SparkleComponent4()) model.position = [0, 0.05, 0] model.name = "MyCube" let anchor = AnchorEntity(.plane(.horizontal, classification: .any, minimumBounds: [0.2, 0.2])) anchor.addChild(model) arView.scene.addAnchor(anchor) Questions for the Community Has anyone else encountered this particle positioning issue after updating to iOS 26.1/26.2? Are there known workarounds or configuration changes to ParticleEmitterComponent that restore correct positioning? Is this a confirmed bug, or could there be a change in coordinate system handling or transform inheritance that I'm missing? Additional Information I've already submitted this issue via Feedback Assistant(FB21346746)

Problem Summary After upgrading to iOS 26.1 and 26.2, I'm experiencing a particle positioning bug in RealityKit where ParticleEmitterComponent particles render at an incorrect offset relative to their parent entity. This behavior does not occur on iOS 18.6.2 or earlier versions, suggesting a regression introduced in the newer OS builds. Environment Details Operating System: iOS 26.1 & iOS 26.2 Framework: RealityKit Xcode Version: 16.2 (16C5032a) Expected vs. Actual Behavior Expected: Particles should render at the position of the entity to which the ParticleEmitterComponent is attached, matching the behavior on iOS 18.6.2 and earlier. Actual: Particles appear away from their parent entity, creating a visual misalignment that breaks the intended AR experience. Steps to Reproduce Create or open an AR application with RealityKit that uses particle components Attach a ParticleEmitterComponent to an entity via a custom system Run the application on iOS 26.1 or iOS 26.2 Observe that particles render at an offset position away from the entity Minimal Code Example Here's the setup from my test case: Custom Component & System: struct SparkleComponent4: Component {} class SparkleSystem4: System { static let query = EntityQuery(where: .has(SparkleComponent4.self)) required init(scene: Scene) {} func update(context: SceneUpdateContext) { for entity in context.scene.performQuery(Self.query) { // Only add once if entity.components.has(ParticleEmitterComponent.self) { continue } var newEmitter = ParticleEmitterComponent() newEmitter.mainEmitter.color = .constant(.single(.red)) entity.components.set(newEmitter) } } } AR Setup: let material = SimpleMaterial(color: .gray, roughness: 0.15, isMetallic: true) let model = Entity() model.components.set(ModelComponent(mesh: boxMesh, materials: [material])) model.components.set(SparkleComponent4()) model.position = [0, 0.05, 0] model.name = "MyCube" let anchor = AnchorEntity(.plane(.horizontal, classification: .any, minimumBounds: [0.2, 0.2])) anchor.addChild(model) arView.scene.addAnchor(anchor) Questions for the Community Has anyone else encountered this particle positioning issue after updating to iOS 26.1/26.2? Are there known workarounds or configuration changes to ParticleEmitterComponent that restore correct positioning? Is this a confirmed bug, or could there be a change in coordinate system handling or transform inheritance that I'm missing? Additional Information I've already submitted this issue via Feedback Assistant(FB21346746)

I am developing an Augmented Reality (AR) navigation application for the iPad, utilizing the ARCL library to place Points of Interest (POIs) in the real world. The application's behavior varies significantly based on the device's networking configuration: Cellular Network (Expected Behavior): On an iPad with a cellular modem, when using the cellular network, all POIs are placed accurately with correct orientation. Wi-Fi Only (Expected Behavior): On a Wi-Fi-only model (no GPS chip), POI placement is inaccurate, confirming the need for an external GPS receiver for that hardware configuration. Cellular + Wi-Fi (Anomalous Behavior): The iPad is a cellular model (equipped with GNSS/GPS). The device is connected to a Wi-Fi network (enforced via an MDM profile, preventing the user from disabling Wi-Fi). When actively connected to this specific Wi-Fi network, the AR POIs consistently display with an incorrect orientation and placement, even though the device hardware has a dedicated GPS chip. The placement error strongly suggests that the device's determined location or heading is erroneous. It appears that the active Wi-Fi connection is somehow interfering with or overriding the high-accuracy GNSS/GPS data, leading to a flawed Core Location determination that negatively impacts the ARCL world tracking and anchor placement. Has anyone experienced a scenario where an active Wi-Fi connection on a cellular iPad model causes Core Location to prioritize less accurate location data (potentially Wi-Fi-based location services) over the device's built-in GNSS/GPS, resulting in severe orientation errors? We observed that on Apple map(native application) as well it is showing wrong location and orientation when it is connected to WiFi

Since updating to iOS 26.0 (and confirmed on 26.1), ARBodyTrackingConfiguration no longer detects a valid ARBodyAnchor on devices with LiDAR (e.g., iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max). This issue reproduces in custom projects and Apple’s official sample “Capturing Body Motion in 3D”. The AR session runs normally, but the delegate call: func session(_ session: ARSession, didUpdate anchors: [ARAnchor]) never yields an ARBodyAnchor with valid joint transforms. All joints return nil when calling: body.skeleton.modelTransform(for: jointName) resulting in 0 valid joints per frame. Environment • Device: iPhone 17 Pro Max (LiDAR) • iOS: 26.0 / 26.1 • Xcode: 16.0 (stable) • Framework: ARKit + RealityKit • Configuration used: config.worldAlignment = .gravityAndHeading config.isAutoFocusEnabled = true config.environmentTexturing = .none session.run(config) Also tested: with and without frameSemantics = .bodyDetection Expected Behavior ARBodyAnchor should be detected and body.skeleton should contain ~89 valid joints with continuous updates.

Hi there, I received an enterprise license file to include enhanced object tracking configuration for the Vision Pro. My account is part of the team which got the allowance from Apple to use this capability. Unfortunately, although I followed the guide, I do not find the Object Tracking capability when I try to add it to my project. There are other capabilities like Main Camera on the Vision Pro, but not for Object Tracking. I am using Xcode 26.1 and visionOS 26.1. What am I missing here? Thanks in advance, Matthias