Getting started with Apple Vision Pro: How to develop, build and deploy apps for Apple Vision Pro?
Recently, I had the opportunity to experience the exceptional immersion and seamless interaction offered by Apple Vision Pro. This left me curious about how to develop apps for this platform in Unity. However, I found that the resources were scattered, and the learning path seemed challenging.
My colleague Arijit Debnath presented experienced designer take:
I gathered all my learnings from developer perspective, to help fellow developers navigate through the process of developing apps for Apple Vision Pro using Unity, with all the necessary resources conveniently available here.
In this blog, we’ll embark on a journey starting with setting up Unity, macOS, and Apple Vision Pro, all essential steps to construct XR apps tailored for Apple Vision Pro.
Hardware Requirements:
- Apple Mac Book with M1 or higher chipset.
- WI-FI with Bonjour, also known as zero-configuration networking.
Software Requirements:
- XCode version 15.x or higher.
- Unity version 2022.3.x with Vision OS build module (Preferably install the LTS Version).
- Unity Pro or Enterprise License.
Device Setup:
- Connect your Mac and Apple Vision Pro to the same network.
Vision Pro
- Navigate to Settings > General > Remote Devices and remove any computer listed.
XCode
- Navigate to Window > Devices and Simulators.
- Find the Vision Pro in the list on the left-hand side of this window.
- Select it and hit pair.
- Enter the code provided by Vision Pro when prompted in your XCode.
When you attempt to compile and run, you’ll likely get a message about needing to enable developer mode.
Vision Pro
- Navigate to Settings > Privacy & Security.
- Find and enable “Developer Mode”.
- Restart Vision Pro.
During the initial setup, XCode will try to copy shared cache symbols to Apple Vision Pro. Spoiler Alert: It will take a lot of time.
Let’s explore the variety of apps you can create in Apple Vision Pro.
- Virtual Reality - Fully Immersive Space.
- Mixed Reality - Volume or Immersive Space.
- Unbounded app with AR Kit.
- Unbounded app without AR Kit.
- Bounded app. - Windowed - 2D Window.
Virtual Reality - Fully Immersive Space:
“Virtual Reality - Fully Immersive Space” is precisely what its name implies: a Virtual Reality application that operates independently, without the ability to run concurrently with other apps or with Apple Vision Pro’s virtual environment.
Mixed Reality - Volume or Immersive Space:
In Apple Vision Pro, you can build multiple types of Mixed reality experiences such as Bounded and Unbounded apps.
Bounded Apps:
Bounded apps, also referred to as volumes, are applications where you define a specific volume within the immersive space that the app will occupy. Because the device is cognisant of this designated volume, Bounded apps can operate alongside other apps, panels and Apple Vision Pro’s virtual environment.
Unbounded Apps:
Unbounded apps fully occupy the immersive space without a predefined volume. Due to the absence of a designated volume, unbounded apps cannot function alongside other apps. Additionally, unbounded apps offer the flexibility to incorporate AR Kit for supplementary perception features, leveraging the capabilities that AR Kit provides.
Windowed - 2D Window:
In a Windowed app, the camera’s perspective within the Unity Scene is directly rendered onto the window. The scene can contain 3D Content, not just the canvas.
Project Setup:
The first steps for setting up Unity are the same no matter what type of app you’re creating.
- Start by creating an empty 3D Unity project.
- Open Build Setting and switch the platform to Vision OS.
- Once the platform is changed click on Player Settings.
- In Project Settings Window, Select Burst AOT Settings and uncheck Enable Burst Compilation Option.
- Click on XR Plugin Management and click Install XR Plugin Management.
- Select Apple VisionOS check box in plugin providers. This will install all the necessary packages, and Unity will ask you to restart. Go ahead and let it restart.
- Select Apple VisionOS sub section under XR Plugin Management.
- Close the Project Settings.
- In Hierarchy window open options.
- In the XR section, you’ll find the options are limited. To access a wider range of options for building XR rigs, install the XR Interaction Toolkit from Package Manager.
After installing the XR Interaction Toolkit, the XR Menu will be populated with various options.
These steps are the same for any kind of app you want to build for Apple Vision Pro. The process will vary depending on the specific type of app you’re creating. I’ll cover the next steps for different types of applications in Part 2.
References
- https://developer.apple.com/documentation
- https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.polyspatial.visionos@1.0/manual/GettingStarted.html
- AVP Picture Neelarghya
That wraps up the first part of our guide on building apps for Apple Vision Pro. We’ve covered the essential initial steps that apply to all types of apps. In the next part, we’ll dive into the specifics of different kinds of applications. Stay tuned for more detailed guidance on bringing your vision to life!
