Mixed reality
Note: you are currently viewing documentation for a beta or an older version of Varjo
The Varjo XR headsets combine VR and video pass-through capabilities into one device. Two cameras on the front plate of the headset allow you to see the real world with virtual objects placed inside it. Conversely, you can choose to place a smaller portion of the real world into a larger virtual environment.
To provide a crisp image and avoid overwhelming data transfer, Varjo XR devices downscale the image in those areas that the user is not focussed on. When eye tracking is calibrated, the area where you are looking is always displayed at maximum resolution. If eye tracking is disabled, the area displayed at maximum resolution is fixed in the center of the view. This works independently from the physical focus and peripheral displays, which remain static.
We refer to the real-world image inside the headset as video pass-through. Find out more under Defining camera render position.
Learn more about the main mixed reality features:
- Masking
- Varjo Markers
- Chroma Key
- Camera render position
- Environment setup for mixed reality
- 3D Reconstruction
Developing for Unreal and Unity
Varjo currently provides implementations for its XR devices for Unreal, Unity, and our native SDK. To start development with Unreal or Unity engine, follow the installation instructions for Unreal and Unity. You can find code examples of implementations in the corresponding sections for Unreal and Unity. Any code included in these examples is freely reusable. Check the API documentation for API endpoints related to video pass-through development.
If your existing project is written in Unreal or Unity, you can also port it to Varjo’s XR devices since both engines are supported. However, if your application was developed natively, you will need to rewrite it to support the Varjo API.
Aligning the physical world with the virtual world
On a high level, the Real-world view is blended as a background layer in Varjo compositor. If the virtual content from the VR application is transparent, the video signal from the real world will be visible instead.
You can align the virtual and real worlds using a Varjo Marker or SteamVR Tracker that you associate with your virtual model. If you don’t have a reference point, you can simply move your virtual object into place using the controls in your application or use the world origin as reference.
To have a static physical object occlude virtual content, first create a model of the real object (for example, a plane cockpit or car) on a 1:1 scale. You can then align this model with the real world and make it transparent to see the real world in its place.