Discuss spatial computing on Apple platforms and how to design and build an entirely new universe of apps and games for Apple Vision Pro.

All subtopics
Posts under Spatial Computing topic

Post

Replies

Boosts

Views

Activity

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.”
4
0
705
Sep ’25
Scene not found after changes in Reality Composer Pro
randomly, the app does not work after small changes in Reality Composer. Small changes like scaling a object a tiny bit. to fix the error, i have to change another element in reality composer and hope for the best. if this does not help, i change (transform) something else, or deactive/activate something to get the project working again. I can't see a pattern why the Reality Composer Project sometimes gets in a state where it does not compile anymore.
3
0
1.9k
Jan ’26
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
4
1
1.2k
Sep ’25
Guided Access - Detect when setup (Eyes + Hands) is done
Hello, I am building a kiosk-style app for VisionOS which will be used in Guided Access mode, to be given to various visitors. So each of them will do hands + eyes setup, standard Guided Access thing. I want my experience to auto-start playing content when setup is done. I looked everywhere, but found no way do detect whether setup is complete? Also adding any kind of interface to start the app manually is risky, since buttons etc remain visible an interactable WHILE setup takes place. Delay-based approach also wont work, since setup can be skipped, or failed, or be done quickly, slowly... So it takes between 10 seconds and a few minutes. So the question is - is there any way to get notification, or check some bool or something that will tell me that Hands + Eyes setup in Guided mode is complete (or skipped)? Thanks in advance!
2
1
643
Feb ’26
onWorldRecenter memory leak and duplicate callbacks in ImmersiveSpace
Posting this here in case this information is helpful to other developers: As of visionOS 26.3 beta 1, onWorldRecenter has two significant issues: (FB21557639) Memory Leak: When onWorldRecenter is assigned to a RealityView within an ImmersiveSpace, it appears to retain a strong reference to the view's internal SwiftUI context. When the immersive space is dismissed, the view's @State objects will not be deallocated. Also, each time the immersive space view's body is executed, additional state storage will be allocated and leaked. Multiple Callbacks: When the user long-presses the Digital Crown, the onWorldRecenter closure will be called multiple times, once for each past view body execution, including those of immersive space views that have been previously dismissed. Although these issues seem to be most prevalent when onWorldRecenter is used with an ImmersiveSpace, they may also occur in the context of a WindowGroup under certain circumstances. It's possible to work around this problem by moving onWorldRecenter to an empty overlay view within the app's primary WindowGroup and forwarding the world recenter events to ImmersiveSpace views through a notification system, coupled with a debouncer as an extra precaution.
1
1
1k
Jan ’26
Reality Composer to Reality Composer Pro?
I sketched a idea for a project in Reality Composer on my iPad, thinking when I had a chance to sit down I would work it up in Xcode. However, when I got back to my computer, I discovered I cannot open a file created in Reality Composer (or the exported Reality file) in Reality Composer Pro. Am I missing something obvious here, because this seems like a huge oversight. If anyone, can let me know how to open a file created in Reality Composer in Reality Composer Pro, I would greatly appreciate it. Partly, because there seems to be objects available in Reality Composer that are not in Reality Composer Pro. Thanks Stan
2
1
366
Jun ’25
Bouncy ball in RealityKit - game
I'm developing a VisionOS app with bouncing ball physics and struggling to achieve natural bouncing behavior using RealityKit's physics system. Despite following Apple's recommended parameters, the ball loses significant energy on each bounce and doesn't behave like a real basketball, tennis ball, or football would. With identical physics parameters (restitution = 1.0), RealityKit shows significant energy loss. I've had to implement a custom physics system to compensate, but I want to use native RealityKit physics. It's impossible to make it work by applying custom impulses. Ball Physics Setup (Following Apple Forum Recommendations) // From PhysicsManager.swift private func createBallEntityRealityKit() -> Entity { let ballRadius: Float = 0.05 let ballEntity = Entity() ballEntity.name = "bouncingBall" // Mesh and material let mesh = MeshResource.generateSphere(radius: ballRadius) var material = PhysicallyBasedMaterial() material.baseColor = .init(tint: .cyan) material.roughness = .float(0.3) material.metallic = .float(0.8) ballEntity.components.set(ModelComponent(mesh: mesh, materials: [material])) // Physics setup from Apple Developer Forums let physics = PhysicsBodyComponent( massProperties: .init(mass: 0.624), // Seems too heavy for 5cm ball material: PhysicsMaterialResource.generate( staticFriction: 0.8, dynamicFriction: 0.6, restitution: 1.0 // Perfect elasticity, yet still loses energy ), mode: .dynamic ) ballEntity.components.set(physics) ballEntity.components.set(PhysicsMotionComponent()) // Collision setup let collisionShape = ShapeResource.generateSphere(radius: ballRadius) ballEntity.components.set(CollisionComponent(shapes: [collisionShape])) return ballEntity } Ground Plane Physics // From GroundPlaneView.swift let groundPhysics = PhysicsBodyComponent( massProperties: .init(mass: 1000), material: PhysicsMaterialResource.generate( staticFriction: 0.7, dynamicFriction: 0.6, restitution: 1.0 // Perfect bounce ), mode: .static ) entity.components.set(groundPhysics) Wall Physics // From WalledBoxManager.swift let wallPhysics = PhysicsBodyComponent( massProperties: .init(mass: 1000), material: PhysicsMaterialResource.generate( staticFriction: 0.7, dynamicFriction: 0.6, restitution: 0.85 // Slightly less than ground ), mode: .static ) wall.components.set(wallPhysics) Collision Detection // From GroundPlaneView.swift content.subscribe(to: CollisionEvents.Began.self) { event in guard physicsMode == .realityKit else { return } let currentTime = Date().timeIntervalSince1970 guard currentTime - lastCollisionTime > 0.1 else { return } if event.entityA.name == "bouncingBall" || event.entityB.name == "bouncingBall" { let normal = event.collision.normal // Distinguish between wall and ground collisions if abs(normal.y) < 0.3 { // Wall bounce print("Wall collision detected") } else if normal.y > 0.7 { // Ground bounce print("Ground collision detected") } lastCollisionTime = currentTime } } Issues Observed Energy Loss: Despite restitution = 1.0 (perfect elasticity), the ball loses ~20-30% energy per bounce Wall Sliding: Ball tends to slide down walls instead of bouncing naturally No Damping Control: Comments mention damping values but they don't seem to affect the physics Change in mass also doesn't do much. Custom Physics System (Workaround) I've implemented a custom physics system that manually calculates velocities and applies more realistic restitution values: // From BouncingBallComponent.swift struct BouncingBallComponent: Component { var velocity: SIMD3<Float> = .zero var angularVelocity: SIMD3<Float> = .zero var bounceState: BounceState = .idle var lastBounceTime: TimeInterval = 0 var bounceCount: Int = 0 var peakHeight: Float = 0 var totalFallDistance: Float = 0 enum BounceState { case idle case falling case justBounced case bouncing case settled } } Is this energy loss expected behavior in RealityKit, even with perfect restitution (1.0)? Are there additional physics parameters (damping, solver iterations, etc.) that could improve bounce behavior? Would switching to Unity be necessary for more realistic ball physics, or am I missing something in RealityKit? Even in the last video here: https://stepinto.vision/example-code/collisions-physics-physics-material/ bounce of the ball is very unnatural - stops after 3-4 bounces. I apply custom impulses, but then if I have walls around the ball, it's almost impossible to make it look natural. I also saw this post https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/759422 and ball is still not bouncing naturally.
9
0
941
Nov ’25
How to integrate Apple Immersive Video into the app you are developing.
Hello, Let me ask you a question about Apple Immersive Video. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/07/new-apple-immersive-video-series-and-films-premiere-on-vision-pro/ I am currently considering implementing a feature to play Apple Immersive Video as a background scene in the app I developed, using 3DCG-created content converted into Apple Immersive Video format. First, I would like to know if it is possible to integrate Apple Immersive Video into an app. Could you provide information about the required software and the integration process for incorporating Apple Immersive Video into an app? It would be great if you could also share any helpful website resources. I am considering creating Apple Immersive Video content and would like to know about the necessary equipment and software for producing both live-action footage and 3DCG animation videos. As I mentioned earlier, I’m planning to play Apple Immersive Video as a background in the app. In doing so, I would also like to place some 3D models as RealityKit entities and spatial audio elements. I’m also planning to develop the visionOS app as a Full Space Mixed experience. Is it possible to have an immersive viewing experience with Apple Immersive Video in Full Space Mixed mode? Does Apple Immersive Video support Full Space Mixed? I’ve asked several questions, and that’s all for now. Thank you in advance!
2
1
923
Nov ’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?
3
1
207
Mar ’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.
1
0
628
Oct ’25
Please provide access to face tracking blendshapes on vision os
Apple, please provide access to face tracking blend shapes on vision os, just like you do on iOS. You have the best eye and face tracking implementation on the market, please let us use it. There is a sizable audience who will buy the headset just for it. I personally know multiple people who are not buying the headset simply because you locked those features out. No raw camera access is needed, just abstracted blendshapes values. You will make the headset so much more useful if you do this simple thing.
1
1
144
Jun ’25
How to fix "Sample 0 missing LiDAR point cloud!" error?
I'm trying to run a PhotogrammetrySession based on photos taken in an AVCaptureSession and stored as .heic files. When I load the files I'm always seeing the error "Sample 0 missing LiDAR point cloud!" showing up for each individual sample. Debugging shows that sample.depthDataMap is populated, also the .heic contains depth data which can be extracted using e.g. heif-convert on my Mac. Comparing the .heic I created to one of the ObjectCaptureSession which doesn't show the LiDAR warning, I noticed the only difference being the HEIC information here: So my questions are: Are these the missing information in my manual capture causing this warning? Can I somehow add these information in an AVCaptureSession? Do these information allow better photogrammetry results?
2
0
371
Dec ’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.
3
0
1.1k
Oct ’25
Request File Access from Unity for Apple Vision Pro
Hi, I am trying to load files from the Apple Vision Pro's storage into a Unity App (using Apple visionOS XR Plugin and not PolySpatial package). So far, I've tried using UnitySimpleFileBrowser and UnityStandaloneFileBrowser (both aren't made for the Vision Pro and don't work there), and then implemented my own naive file browser that at least allows me to view directories (that I can see from the App Sandbox). This is of course very limited: Gray folders can't be accessed, the only 3 available ones don't contain anything where a user would put files through the "Files" app. I know that an app can request access to these "Files & Folders": So my question is: Is there a way to request this access for a Unity-built app at the moment? If yes, what do I need to do? I've looked into the generated Xcode project's "Capabilities", but did not find anything related to file access. Any help is appreciated!
5
0
416
Oct ’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!
0
1
923
Sep ’25
visualBounds ignores TextComponents set for Entity. Workarounds?
After adding TextComponents to my Entities on visionOS, I have observed that visualBounds will ignore the TextComponents. Documentation states that it should render a rounded rectangle mesh. These mashes are visible on the device, but not visible in the debugger ("Capture Entity Hierarchy") and ignored by visualBounds. Am I missing something? static func makeDirection(_ direction: Direction) -> Entity { let text = Entity() text.name = direction.rawValue text.setScale(SIMD3(repeating: 5), relativeTo: nil) text.transform.rotation = direction.rotation text.components.set(direction.textComponent) return text } My workaround is to add a disabled ModelEntity and take its bounds 😬
1
0
274
Dec ’25
Photogrammetry Session - new model?
Hi Apple Team, We noticed the following exciting changelog in the latest macOS 26 beta: A new algorithm significantly improves PhotogrammetrySession reconstruction quality of low-texture objects not captured with the ObjectCaptureSession front end. It will be downloaded and cached once in the background when the PhotogrammetrySession is used at runtime. If network isn’t available at that time, the old low quality model will be used until the new one can be downloaded. There is no code change needed to get this improved model. (145220451) However after trying this on the latest beta and running some tests we do not see any differences on objects with low textures such as single coloured surfaces. Is there anything we are missing? the machine is definitely connected to the internet but we have no way of knowing from the logs if the new model is being used? thanks
5
1
653
Jul ’25