OpenXR explained

OpenXR
Developer:	Khronos Group
Latest Release Version:	1.1.38
Latest Release Date:	^[1]
Operating System:	Cross-platform
Platform:	Cross-platform
Genre:	Virtual reality and augmented reality API
License:	Apache License 2.0^[2]

OpenXR is an open-source, royalty-free standard for access to virtual reality and augmented reality platforms and devices. It is developed by a working group managed by the Khronos Group consortium. OpenXR was announced by the Khronos Group on February 27, 2017, during GDC 2017.^{[3] [4] [5]} A provisional version of the standard was released on March 18, 2019, to enable developers and implementers to provide feedback on it.^[6] On July 29, 2019, OpenXR 1.0 was released to the public by Khronos Group at SIGGRAPH 2019^[7] and on April 15, 2024, OpenXR 1.1 was released by Khronos.^[8]

Reviewers of the 0.90 provisional release considered that the aim of OpenXR was to "Solve AR/VR Fragmentation".^[9]

Architecture

The standard provides an API aimed for application developers targeting virtual reality or augmented reality hardware. This enables developers to build applications that will work across a wide variety of devices.^[10]

The fundamental elements of this API are:

• • XrSpace: a representation of the 3D space XrInstance: a representation of the OpenXR runtime
• System and XrSystemId: a representation of the devices, including the Virtual reality or Augmented reality devices and controllers
• XrActions: used to handle user inputs
• XrSession: represents the interaction session between the application and the user

The full specification can be found via the OpenXR Registry on GitHub.

Implementations

The Khronos Group maintains the list of OpenXR-conformant platforms and products.^[11]

Currently conformant OpenXR platforms are:

• Acer's Spatial Display Series^[12]
• Bytedance's Neo3 and PICO4 ^[13]
• Canon's MREAL platform display and headsets^[14]
• Collabora Monado Runtime for GNU/Linux, with the release of version 21.0.0 in February 2021^[15]
• HTC VIVE Cosmos and VIVE Focus 3, part of HTC's VIVERSE ecosystem^[16]
• Magic Leap 2^[17]
• Meta's PC platform and its Quest line of devices, with full support OpenXR 1.0 added in July 2021^{[18] [19]}
• Microsoft HoloLens 2 and the Windows Mixed Reality headsets ^[20]
• Qualcomm Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform^[21]
• Sony's Spatial Reality Displays (ELF-SR1 & ELF-SR2)^[22]
• Valve SteamVR, since version 1.16 in February 2021 ^[23]
• Varjo headsets

Game and rendering engine support

Support for OpenXR application development can be found in the following engines:

• Unreal Engine, with initial support in the 4.24 ^[24]
• Blender, with initial support in the 2.83 LTS release from June 2020^[25]
• Unity, with initial support in the 2020.2 release from December 2020^[26]
• Godot, with initial support in the 4.0^[27]
• Autodesk VRED^[28]
• StereoKit, developed around OpenXR^[29]
• Nvidia Omniverse^[30]
• Unigine since version 2.19 from August 2024.^[31]

Browser support

• Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge web browsers both enable WebXR support using OpenXR by default using the Chromium code base^[32]

Roadmap

After the release of OpenXR 1.0, progress will likely be driven through the development of extensions to the core API.^[33] This can be seen in the subsequent release of extensions for support of hand tracking and eye gaze tracking.^[34] As implementers and developers get more experience with the extensions, they could get integrated into the core OpenXR API in future releases.

Contributors

The following companies are listed by Khronos as public supporters of OpenXR:^[35]

See also

• OpenVR
• WebXR

External links

• OpenXR 1.0 specification

Notes and References

1. Web site: Version. .
2. Web site: LICENSE. .
3. Web site: Khronos Reveals API Updates & New Working Groups at GDC. 2017-02-27. Khronos Group. The Khronos Virtual Reality Initiative announced in December is making rapid progress in designing an open standard for portable Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality apps and devices. Today, Khronos releases the official name of the standard: OpenXR. 2017-03-08.
4. Web site: Khronos Bolsters VR, AR, MR Markets With OpenXR Working Group, API Updates, More. 2017-02-27. Tom's Hardware. 2017-03-08.
5. Web site: GDC 2017: Khronos Group Unveils VR/AR Standard OpenXR. 2017-02-27. UploadVR. 2017-03-09.
6. Web site: Khronos Releases OpenXR 0.90 Provisional Specification for High-performance Access to AR and VR Platforms and Devices . Khronos.org . 19 March 2020 . March 19, 2020. Khronos Group.
7. Web site: Khronos Releases OpenXR 1.0 Specification Establishing a Foundation for the AR and VR Ecosystem. 2019-07-29. The Khronos Group. en. 2019-07-31.
8. Web site: 2024-04-16 . OpenXR 1.1 Brings Foveated Rendering & More Into The Spec . 2024-06-13 . UploadVR . en.
9. Web site: OpenXR 0.90 Aims to Solve AR/VR Fragmentation . 2019-03-23. InfoQ. With Monday’s release of the OpenXR provisional specification, Khronos’ open source working group wants to create a world where developers can code their VR/AR experience for a single API, with the confidence that the resulting application will work on any OpenXR-compliant headset.. 2019-06-20.
10. Web site: The OpenXR Working Group is Here!. 2017-02-27. Khronos Group. The OpenXR standard comes in two parts. First, the Application Interface, which application developers and middleware providers write to, and which serves to define and combine common, cross-platform functionality(...)Next, the Device Layer allows VR/AR runtimes to interface with various devices. 2017-03-08.
11. Web site: Conformant Products. 2020-10-26. Khronos Group. 2020-10-26.
12. Web site: Computex 2023 Acer SpatialLabs Pro developer devices are now compatible with OpenXR and SteamVR .
13. Web site: Bezmalinovic . Tomislav . 2023-04-14 . Pico 4: Bytedance pays top dollar for VR ports . 2024-04-03 . MIXED Reality News . en-US.
14. Web site: Canon MREAL S1 vs VRgineers XTAL 3 Mixed Reality (Comparison) . 2024-04-03 . VRcompare . en.
15. Web site: 2021-02-15 . Monado 21.0.0, an officially conformant OpenXR implementation! . 2021-02-15 . Collabora.
16. Web site: Conformant Products . 14 March 2022 . Khronos Group.
17. Web site: OpenXR Overview MagicLeap Developer Documentation . 2024-04-03 . developer-docs.magicleap.cloud . en.
18. Web site: 2019-09-13 . Oculus Rift Has Hidden Preliminary Support For OpenXR . 2020-01-05 . uploadvr.com.
19. News: VR . Oculus . OpenXR for Oculus . 2021-08-25 . developer.oculus.com . en.
20. Web site: OpenXR now available on the Microsoft Store for Windows Mixed Reality. 2019-07-23. windowscentral.com. 2020-01-05.
21. Web site: Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform Launches to Create Headworn AR Experiences that Adapt to the Spaces Around Us Qualcomm . 2022-08-11 . www.qualcomm.com . en.
22. Web site: PROVANTAGE: Sony ELFSR2 27-inch 4K Spatial Reality Display . 2024-04-03 . www.provantage.com.
23. Web site: Introducing SteamVR 1.16.8 - Now with full OpenXR support. 2021-02-25. Valve. 2021-03-17.
24. Web site: 2019-09-04 . Unreal Engine 4.24 Preview now available . 2020-10-26 . Epic Games.
25. Web site: 2.83 LTS - blender.org. 2020-06-03. Blender Foundation. 2020-10-26.
26. Web site: OpenXR Plugin OpenXR Plugin 0.1.2-preview.2 . 2022-06-18 . docs.unity3d.com.
27. Web site: Olij . Bastiaan . 4 July 2021 . Godot XR Update - September 2023 . 2022-06-18 . Godot Engine.
28. Web site: Help . 2024-04-03 . help.autodesk.com.
29. Web site: StereoKit . 2024-04-17 . stereokit.net.
30. Web site: Schreiner . Maximilian . 2023-08-08 . Nvidia Omniverse gets spatial computing update with OpenXR support . 2024-04-03 . MIXED Reality News . en-US.
31. Web site: UNIGINE SDK 2.19 Release UNIGINE: real-time 3D engine . unigine.com . 20 August 2024.
32. Web site: OpenXR Might Open The Door To Minecraft On Oculus Quest. 2020-07-28. Road to VR. 2020-10-26.
33. Web site: 2019-07-29 . Khronos Releases OpenXR 1.0 Specification Establishing a Foundation for the AR and VR Ecosystem . 2022-11-19 . The Khronos Group . en.
34. Web site: Multiple Conformant OpenXR Implementations Ship Bringing to Life the Dream of Portable XR Applications. 2020-07-28. Khronos Group. 2020-10-26.
35. Web site: OpenXR. 2019-10-26. Khronos Group. 2020-10-26.