openxr

Purpose

OpenXR provides a standardized API for developing AR and VR applications that work across different hardware platforms, abstracting low-level device specifics to enable cross-platform compatibility.

When to Use

Use OpenXR when building AR/VR apps that must run on multiple devices (e.g., Oculus, HTC Vive, or Hololens) without rewriting code for each platform, or when you need hardware-agnostic input handling and rendering.

Key Capabilities

• Hardware abstraction for AR/VR devices, allowing runtime selection of backends.
• Session management for creating and destroying VR sessions.
• Input handling via action sets for controllers and gestures.
• Rendering integration with graphics APIs like Vulkan or OpenGL.
• Spatial tracking and pose management for headsets and controllers.

Usage Patterns

To use OpenXR, first initialize an instance with required extensions, then create a session for the target device, set up action maps for inputs, and enter a render loop. Always poll for events in the main loop and handle session state changes. For cross-platform builds, link against the OpenXR loader and specify the runtime via environment variables or configuration files.