Get started developing mixed reality for Meta Quest 3 with Unity (2024)

We’re excited to unveil a new way for you to create captivating, cross-platform, immersive experiences for Meta Quest. In this blog, we detail a brand-new preview of mixed reality development tools for Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 2, and Meta Quest Pro, powered by Open XR and Unity’s AR Foundation. With this release, get ready to revolutionize the way we interact with the world around us.

Get started developing mixed reality for Meta Quest 3 with Unity (1)

The power of mixed reality

Mixed reality enables you to interact with digital content in the real world, enhancing your surroundings with virtual objects, characters, and experiences. Advanced sensors and tracking technologies allow for precise mapping of the physical environment and accurate placement of virtual content within it. Mixed reality also enhances the way we perceive and engage with our surroundings, offering a truly transformative and immersive user experience. Unity’s new toolset aims to provide you with the resources you need to create compelling cross-platform mixed reality experiences for Quest devices.

OpenXR and AR Foundation

OpenXR is a royalty-free standard that simplifies AR and VR development by enabling applications to reach a wide range of hardware without the need to rewrite code. Developed by a consortium of industry leaders, OpenXR’s interoperability makes it easier to create content that reaches a wide audience.

Unity’s AR Foundation is a cross-platform framework, purpose-built for creating applications across mobile and headworn AR/VR devices. It allows developers to create experiences and deploy them to multiple platforms. By leveraging features from common SDKs, such as ARCore, ARKit, and the OpenXR standard, AR Foundation provides a seamless workflow in Unity so you can focus on unleashing your creativity.

Get started developing mixed reality for Meta Quest 3 with Unity (2)

In preview

We are introducing a preview of AR Foundation support for Quest through a new Meta OpenXR package.

This preview release offers Quest support for essential features such as passthrough, plane detection, device tracking, raycasting, and anchors. It also includes Quest-specific updates for samples like Simple AR, which demonstrates basic plane detection and raycasting, and Anchors, which demonstrate how to create an object that specifies the position and orientation of an item in a physical environment.

Let’s take a closer look at passthrough and plane detection.

Blend the real world with digital content

With passthrough support, developers can now seamlessly blend the virtual and real worlds, allowing users to see and interact with their physical environment while engaging with virtual content.

Imagine creating games where players can navigate their living rooms or offices while battling virtual enemies, or designing applications that overlay virtual objects onto real-world surfaces with unmatched precision. The possibilities are truly limitless.

Understand physical space

Plane detection in AR Foundation opens up a realm of possibilities for developers seeking to create context-aware experiences for Meta Quest. With plane detection, your applications can analyze and interpret the physical environment, allowing virtual objects to interact intelligently with the real world.

Imagine building games where characters navigate obstacles in real time, or designing levels that adapt to different room layouts. AR Foundation’s plane detection for Quest will give you the data you need to understand physical space and push the boundaries of immersion.

Start building for Quest 3

Get started developing mixed reality for Meta Quest 3 with Unity (3)

We know that having robust templates, sample content and pre-defined interactions can save you a lot of time. That's why we’re adding new XR templates and samples to Unity. You'll be able to streamline your project setup, explore complex object interactions and see examples of user interfaces. Stay tuned for the release of these templates in Unity Hub.

You can get started building apps for Quest 3 with AR Foundation and OpenXR today by downloading Unity 2022 LTS or later. You will also need to download the experimental Meta OpenXR package. To do this, open the Unity Package Manager from inside the Unity Editor, click the plus (➕) symbol in the top left, then select “Add package by name” and type com.unity.xr.meta-openxr. Once downloaded, it will automatically trigger other required packages, such as the OpenXR Plugin and AR Foundation packages, to download. For sample content, check out Simple AR and Anchors on Github.

Share feedback on the Meta OpenXR package and documentation.

The Unity XR team is continuously improving AR Foundation. As we carry on with development, we want to hear from you and would love to see what you build with these tools. Feel free to include the hashtag #unityARF when posting about your project on social media.

Get started developing mixed reality for Meta Quest 3 with Unity (2024)

FAQs

Will Quest 3 be mixed reality? ›

Meta Quest 3 also comes with a number of mixed reality apps and experiences pre-installed. Select the Meta Toybox in your Horizon Home to check them out. You can find more mixed reality experiences in the Meta Quest Store by searching for apps with the Mixed Reality tag.

How to use meta quest 3 with unity? ›

Creating a Mixed Reality App for Meta Quest 3 Using Unity: A Step-by-Step Guide
  1. Step 1: Setting Up Your Unity Project. ...
  2. Step 2: Integrating Meta OpenXR. ...
  3. Step 3: Configuring XR Plugin Management. ...
  4. Step 4: Creating an XR Rig. ...
  5. Step 5: Optimizing and Preparing the Scene. ...
  6. Step 6: Building and Deploying the App.
Dec 25, 2023

How to develop mixed reality? ›

Developing mixed reality applications often involves working with 3D objects and environments. Gaining proficiency in 3D Modelling and Design is essential. Familiarise yourself with: 3D modelling software: such as Blender, Maya, or 3DS Max for creating 3D models to be used in your mixed reality applications.

How to setup a reality mixer? ›

Instructions
  1. Start the app once from your Steam Library. ...
  2. Open the SteamVR dashboard.
  3. Click the icon for the Reality Mixer app. ...
  4. Follow instructions on screen.
  5. If you use it on a Quest, Pico or Vive XR Elite, you need to turn on passthrough in the Virtual Desktop app on your Quest/Pico/Vive XRE.

What software does Quest 3 use? ›

Meta Quest 3
Meta Quest 3 with controllers
Codename"Stinson" "Eureka"
Introductory priceUS$499 (128GB)/US$649 (512GB)
Operating systemMeta Horizon OS, based on Android source code
System on a chipQualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2
17 more rows

Is Meta Quest 3 selling well? ›

Using Steam Hardware Survey data for January 2024 (four months after its launch) and data from January 2021 (four months after the Quest 2's launch) – as well as average Steam player counts for these months based on SteamDB data – it appears that the Quest 3 has sold about 87% as many units as the Quest 2 did at the ...

Does Meta Quest 3 have LiDAR? ›

Meta Quest 3: Tracking. The Vision Pro, according to The Verge, has 12 cameras, a LIDAR sensor, a TrueDepth camera, and IR flood illuminators (allows your hands to be "seen" in low-light conditions). Quest 3 also has a depth projector that helps improve depth perception for mixed reality experiences.

Can I build metaverse with Unity? ›

Unity Gaming Services (UGS) helps developers create, operate, scale, and monetize their live game using a single modular platform. While UGS was built for game developers, it is also widely used by industrial clients to create custom metaverse and digital twin solutions.

How do I turn my Unity game into VR? ›

Enabling Unity VR support

To enable VR for your game builds and the editor, open the Player Settings (menu: Edit > Project Settings > Player). Select Other Settings and check the Virtual Reality Supported checkbox. Set this for each build target.

Are meta files needed for Unity? ›

Unity meta files contain valuable information about the Assets in your project. You should check them into your version control system (VCS). If you omit the . meta files, the version of your project in source control will be incomplete and broken, with missing settings, and broken references between objects.

What is the most challenge for mixed reality? ›

The most technical challenge of Mixed Reality (MR) is the realization of MR systems, which involves various interdisciplinary fields such as signal processing, computer vision, computer graphics, user interfaces, human factors, wearable computing, mobile computing, information visualization, and the design of displays ...

What is a simple example of mixed reality? ›

Built on these two realities, mixed reality apps allow you to manipulate and interact with elements of both the real and the digital world. For example, you can take a virtual box from your real bedside table, open it, and see what's inside. MR is a kind of immersive AR, no longer tied to a limited screen or viewer.

How do you run mixed reality? ›

Windows Mixed Reality motion controllers: Press and hold the Windows button on each controller for approximately 2 seconds to turn on the controllers. The controllers are pre-paired with the headset via Bluetooth. Xbox controller or mouse and keyboard: Click Use a gamepad or mouse instead, and then click Next.

How do you turn on a mixed reality portal? ›

Select Start > Mixed Reality Portal on your desktop, then select Run setup. You can also temporarily turn off the boundary from Mixed Reality Portal: select Menu, then use the toggle to turn off the boundary. When the boundary is turned off, you'll need to stay in one spot to avoid obstacles.

How to enable passthrough on Quest 3? ›

  1. Press / on your right Touch controller to pull up your universal menu.
  2. Hover over the clock on the left side of the universal menu. ...
  3. Select Settings in the top right corner.
  4. Select Physical Space.
  5. Select Passthrough from the left menu.
  6. Select the toggle next to Double Tap for Passthrough to turn this feature on.

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