I'm working on an iOS app using ARKit and RealityKit where I scan QR codes and want to place 3D models at the exact position of the QR code in the real world.
Is it possible to accurately place a 3D model at the exact position of a QR code in AR using ARKit and RealityKit? Specifically, I want the model to appear at the precise location where the QR code is detected, rather than just somewhere in the AR space.
If this is possible, could you point me in the right direction or recommend the best approach to achieve this?
Thank you for your help!
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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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!
Here is the sample project from apple of Object Tracking.
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/visionOS/exploring_object_tracking_with_arkit
can we improve it tracking accuracy and tracking when object is moving little faster, so the 3d object that draw still follow it and make it more accurate.
Hi guys,
In visionOS, when using a ZStack decorated with .glassBackgroundEffect(), you can see the 3D glass background from the front, but when viewed from the side, the view appears to have no thickness.
However, I noticed that in an app built by Apple, when viewing a glass background view from the side, it appears to have thickness.
I tried adding .frame(depth:) to a glass background view, but it appears as two separate layers spaced by the depth value.
My question is:
Is there a view modifier that adds visual thickness to a glass background view, as shown in the picture?
Or, if not, how should I write a custom view modifier to achieve this effect? Thanks!
Is there any interest in this forum for those developing for the spatial web and safari. I can't seem to find any posts that are relevant here.
I want to select a sub model under a large model in a mixed space, and when I select this sub model, I will add a stroke to it, similar to the effect of selecting a model in Reality Composer Pro ,How to create entity strokes similar to this effect
Hello,
I'm developing a visionOS application for Apple Vision Pro that aims to scan unknown physical objects, capture their 3D data (such as meshes or point clouds), and export them as 3D models. Ideally, I'd also like to visualize these reconstructions in real-time within the headset.
This functionality is similar to what's available in Reality Composer on iPad and iPhone, but I'm seeking to implement it natively on Vision Pro.
I've reviewed the visionOS documentation but haven't found clear guidance on accessing LiDAR depth data or performing scene reconstruction.
Specifically, I'm interested in:
1.Accessing LiDAR or depth data from Vision Pro's sensors.
2.Utilizing ARKit's scene reconstruction capabilities on visionOS.
3.Exporting captured 3D data as models (e.g., USDZ or OBJ formats).
Are there APIs or frameworks in visionOS that support these features?
Topic:
Spatial Computing
SubTopic:
General
Hi Apple Team,
I’m working on a human portrait scanning application using PhotogrammetrySession, and I’ve been very impressed by the results. Thank you for building such a powerful and accessible photogrammetry solution into macOS!
I do, however, have a question regarding mesh detail limitations on different Mac hardware configurations.
When using PhotogrammetrySession.Request.Detail.custom and trying to set maximumPolygonCount = 1000000, I see the following log message:
Clamped max poly count: 1000000 to device limit. 250000 is used.
This is on an M1 Max with 32 GB RAM.
I’m aware that PhotogrammetrySession.limits can report values like maximumInputImageDimension and maximumNumberOfInputImages, but I haven’t found documentation on how the maximumPolygonCount is determined, and what hardware specs influence it.
Is it tied more to:
• GPU performance (e.g. neural/graphics cores)?
• CPU architecture?
• Memory size or bandwidth?
• Or is it fixed per SoC generation?
I’d love to understand what kind of hardware upgrades (e.g. moving to M4 Pro or increasing RAM) could allow me to increase mesh complexity and generate more detailed models.
Any insights would be greatly appreciated—and if this is covered in upcoming WWDC sessions or documentation, I’d be happy to tune in.
Thanks in advance!
KitCheng
I have an entity that was created using Mixamo, and it has an animation.
after the animation completes the mesh of the robot is not where the entity is positioned.
I want to do something like when the animation finishes, I set the root entity's transform to the mesh's transform. There are no transformations applied to any of the children of this root of the model, which means that the transformations are applied to the skeleton due the the playing of animations.
Is there a way where I can apply the final position of the root of the skeleton to the root entity to make sure to position the entity where the animation has ended just before the next animation plays?
In my Reality Composer Pro workflow for Vision Pro development, I’m using xcrun realitytool image to pre-compress textures into .ktx format, typically using ASTC block compression. These textures are used for cubemaps and environment assets.
I’ve noticed that regardless of the image content—whether it’s a highly detailed photo or a completely black image—once compressed with the same ASTC block size (e.g., ASTC_8x8), the resulting .ktx file size is nearly identical. There appears to be no content-aware logic that adapts the compression ratio to the actual texture complexity.
In contrast, Unreal Engine behaves differently: even when all cubemap faces are imported at the same resolution as DDS textures, the engine performs content-aware compression during packaging:
Low-complexity images are compressed more aggressively
The final packaged file size varies based on content complexity
Since Reality Composer Pro requires textures to be pre-compressed as .ktx, there’s no opportunity for runtime optimization or per-image compression adjustment.
Just wondering: is there any recommended way to implement content-aware compression for .ktx textures in Reality Composer Pro?
Or any best practices to optimize .ktx sizes based on image complexity?
Thanks!
Hi Apple Developer Community,
I'm developing an eye-tracking application using ARKit's ARFaceTrackingConfiguration and ARFaceAnchor.blendShapes for gaze detection using Xcode. I'm experiencing several calibration and accuracy issues and would appreciate insights from the community.
Current Implementation
Using ARFaceAnchor.blendShapes (.eyeLookUpLeft, .eyeLookDownLeft, .eyeLookInLeft, .eyeLookOutLeft, etc.)
Implementing custom sensitivity curves and smoothing algorithms
Applying baseline correction and coordinate mapping
Using quadratic regression for calibration point mapping
Issues I'm Facing
1. Calibration Mismatch
Red dot position doesn't align with where I'm actually looking
Significant offset between intended gaze point and actual cursor position
Calibration seems to drift or become inaccurate over time
2. Extreme Eye Movement Requirements
Need to make exaggerated eye movements to reach screen edges/corners
Natural eye movements don't translate to proportional cursor movement
Difficulty reaching certain screen regions even with calibration
3. Sensitivity and Stability Issues
Cursor jitters or jumps around when looking at center
Too much sensitivity to micro-movements
Inconsistent behavior between calibration and normal operation
4. I also noticed that tracking on calibration screen as well as tracking on reading screen works better as expected when head movement is there, but I do not want much head movement. I want tracking with normal eye movement while reading an Ebook.
Primary Question: Word-Level Eye Tracking Feasibility
Is word-level eye tracking (tracking gaze as users read through individual words in an ebook) technically feasible with current iPhone/iPad hardware?
I understand that Apple's built-in eye tracking is primarily an accessibility feature for UI navigation. However, I'm wondering if the TrueDepth camera and ARKit's eye tracking capabilities are sufficient for:
Tracking natural reading patterns (left-to-right, line-by-line progression)
Detecting which specific words a user is looking at
Maintaining accuracy for sustained reading sessions (15-30 minutes)
Working reliably across different users and lighting conditions
Questions for the Community
Hardware Limitations: Are iPhone/iPad TrueDepth cameras capable of the precision needed for word-level tracking, or is this beyond current hardware capabilities?
Calibration Best Practices: What calibration strategies have worked best for accurate gaze mapping? How many calibration points are typically needed?
Reading-Specific Challenges: Are there particular challenges when tracking reading behavior vs. general gaze tracking?
Alternative Approaches: Are there better approaches than ARKit blend shapes for this use case?
Current Setup
Devices: iPhone 14 Pro
iOS Version: iOS 18.3
ARKit Version: Latest available
Any insights, experiences, or technical guidance would be greatly appreciated. I'm particularly interested in hearing from developers who have worked on similar eye tracking applications or have experience with the limitations and capabilities of ARKit's eye tracking features.
Thank you for your time and expertise!
Wondering if this is even possible without using CVImageBuffer and passing each frame as an image which I imagine will be very expensive.
Have a PoC of a shader graph that applies a radial zoom effect to an image. In RealityKit I'm passing the image as a resource:
if let textureResource = try? await TextureResource(named: "fuji") {
let value = MaterialParameters.Value.textureResource(textureResource)
try? material.setParameter(name: "MyImage", value: value)
model.model?.materials = [material]
}
Thanks in advance
Topic:
Spatial Computing
SubTopic:
Reality Composer Pro
Tags:
Reality Composer Pro
Shader Graph Editor
visionOS
I noticed that when I drag the menu window in an Immersive View, the entities behind it becomes semi-transparent, and the boundary between virtual and real-world objects is very pronounced.
May I ask how does VisionOS implement this effect? Is there any API or technique I can use in my own code to enable the same semi-transparent overlay - even when I am not dragging the menu window?
Hi,
I'm looking to build something similar to the header blur in the App Store and Apple TV app settings. Does anyone know the best way to achieve this so that when there is nothing behind the header it looks the same as the rest of the view background but when content goes underneath it has a blur effect. I've seen .scrollEdgeEffect on IOS26 is there something similar for visionOS?
Thanks!
The AR based app I am working on right now is experiencing an issue. Sometimes, the AR session fails with a call to my ARSessionObserver's session(_ session: ARSession, didFailWithError error: Error)
with the following error:
Error Domain=com.apple.arkit.error
Code=102 "Required sensor failed."
NSLocalizedFailureReason="A sensor failed to deliver the required input.,"
NSLocalizedRecoverySuggestion="Make sure that the application has the required privacy settings."
The underlying error seems to point to the CoreMotion framework:
Domain=CMErrorDomain
Code=102 "(null)
Some people seem to have experienced this issue and solved it by making sure that the Compass Calibration switch is ON in Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services.
For context, the ARWorldTrackingConfiguration.worldAlignment is set to .gravity
The thing is it is already ON when I experience this issue.
I also noticed that this issue happens way more often on the iPhone 16e than in any other device.
Has anyone had similar experiences? I am looking for a way to prevent this error from happening (ideally) or handling in a way that does not affect the user. Any help is appreciated
Can we constrain or clamp translation with the new ManipulationComponent? For example, allow free movement within certain bounds.
Hello!
I'm a developer of Ping Pong for Apple Vision Pro (Ping Pong Club). I'm experiencing an issues with collisions between ball and paddle. Sometimes the ball just unexpectedly flying away like it has been hit to hard.
I believe this is happening because hand anchors are jittering (ping pong paddle has hand anchor component) and at the time of collision unnecessary micro motion produced.
I've build a demo app to demonstrate that: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gBh-DsXuVZdvDrrD7gJcbJ_hg7tvVKUV/view?usp=share_link
Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1poPbsJdBz87edqrWIfBt1eSVzfm5CTek/view?usp=sharing
Is there a way to add some threshold to prevent jittering?
Topic:
Spatial Computing
SubTopic:
ARKit
Hello everyone, I'm a new developer and I'm still learning the foundations of Swift and SwiftUI while building my first app. Today I wanted to ask you how to implement AR Quixck Views inside my app. I wanna be able to dynamically preview AR objects in a dedicated view, however, I don't seem to have understood where and how to locate AR objects inside my project. I tried including them in the Assets folder of the project, or in the Recources folder, or within the main folder of my project alongside the MyAppApp.swift file. None of the methods I used seemed have worked in that none of the objects was ever located. I made sure to specify the path to the files every time, but somehow the location isn't recognized. I also tried giving no path so that the app would search for the files in their default location (which I apparently haven't grasped yet), but still my attempt failed. I don't have the code sample on me at the moment, but I will write a followup comment on this post to show you what I wrote in case anyone was interested in debugging my code. Meanwhile, if anyone would be so kind to point me at the support article or to comment below the sample code they used in their app, I would very much appreciate it, so that I can start debugging. Thank you for reading this, I appreciate you.
Hi, I'm trying to place an object in front of AVPlayer that is docked in VideoDockingRegion, but when launched in immersive space, the video passes through the objects placed in front of. How do I make sure these objects are visible?
image for reference
Topic:
Spatial Computing
SubTopic:
Reality Composer Pro
Tags:
ARKit
RealityKit
Reality Composer Pro
Shader Graph Editor
I am running a Spatial Rendering App template demo, it shows “No People Found ” “There is no one nearby to share with”.
How can I stream videos rendered by Mac to my vision pro
I am using macOS 26.0, visionOS 26, Xcode 26
Topic:
Spatial Computing
SubTopic:
General