Apple Vision Pro - Media Viewer XR
[ NOV 2023 - FEB 2024 ]Development of an immersive online article reading application, based on the Apple Vision Pro designed by Apple. This project enhances traditional media content with 360° videos and 3D objects.
ROLE : Advanced web technologies student at TU Berlin
CLIENT : For TU Berlin
In collaboration with Mr. Steffen Büschking and Mr. Sarp Güven, I contributed to the development of a digital media viewer tailored for the Apple Vision Pro, alongside authoring a scientific report that dives deeper into our process and findings. I invite you to explore it here.
Project Overview
We built a SwiftUI-based application that blends traditional 2D media with immersive 3D content, showcasing the capabilities of the Apple Vision Pro and the visionOS platform.
The application provides two distinct environments:
- Main Window – A traditional 2D space for displaying text, images, and videos.
- Immersive Space – A mixed reality environment designed for 3D models, interactive scenes, and spatial storytelling.
This dual-environment design allows for an engaging and layered media experience, bridging the gap between standard media formats and immersive content.
Technical Implementation
- Tech Stack: SwiftUI, Xcode 15.1 Beta, Reality Composer Pro, visionOS Simulator.
- Platform: Apple Silicon (tested on MacBook M1 Pro).
- 3D Content Integration: Built using Reality Composer Pro and imported seamlessly into the SwiftUI codebase.
- Testing: The project utilizes the visionOS Simulator, enabling developers to preview the app in various virtual environments like a living room or kitchen.
Architecture Breakdown
The application is structured into three modular components:
- Windowed Application – The primary interface for 2D content consumption.
- Immersive Space – For interactive and static 3D objects, offering a rich spatial experience.
- Content Management System – A backend layer to organize and access the media content.
Challenges and Insights
Originally, we intended to anchor the 2D view onto a real-world surface using plane and image detection. However, due to limitations in the beta version of the visionOS Simulator, such tracking was not yet available. This led us to creatively rework the UI to simulate spatial depth using only the main application window.
This project stands as a hands-on exploration of mixed reality development in its early stages on Apple Vision Pro. It showcases not only technical execution but also adaptability in a rapidly evolving ecosystem.