Unity developed a new architecture that improves the support for existing and future augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) platforms. Learn about the technology under the hood, the consequent benefits, and improvements to the platform, and how it impacts your workflows in creating AR/VR experiences. Speakers: Mike Durand, Matt Fuad - Unity Watch the session on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Stqk1GxlSK0

2. Unity XR Platform:
New Architecture
Matt Fuad, Product Manager for AR/VR
Michael Durand, Lead Engineer, R&D XR Platforms

3. Agenda
3
— History of Unity’s XR support
— Learnings
— New Architecture
— Impact to Workflow

4. Today, Unity supports all major AR/VR platforms.
4

5. 5
• Started working w/
Oculus for Rift +
GearVR support
• Started working w/
Microsoft for HoloLens
support
2014
2015 2017 2019
2016 2018• “One-click integration” --
landed support for
Oculus, HoloLens, and
PSVR
• Direct platform
implementations
• Landed VR multi-device
support, including
Cardboard / Daydream
• Added shared
implementation
• Landed ARKit and
ARCore support
• New plugin architecture
• Migrated platform
implementations as
packages using plugin
architecture
• AR Foundation
released, first user of
plugin architecture
• Landed Magic Leap
support
• VR abstraction for
display

6. What we’ve learned…
6
Flexibility with Packages
Increased flexibility through
packages, updates decoupled
from Unity core engine
releases.
New AR/VR Features
New AR/VR features are
released at an accelerated
pace.
New AR/VR Hardware
Market will see continued
stream of new devices from
more vendors.
…and our plan to improve.
“Build once, deploy anywhere”
Single framework for using
common features across
multiple platforms (AR
Foundation).
Plugin Architecture
Standardized set of APIs
designed to improve
community’s access to AR/VR
devices and features.
Common Functionalities
Devices share common set of
features across AR and VR –
display, input, etc.

7. New Plugin Architecture
7
— Provides a native API to HMD manufacturers and exposes a high level managed
(C#) APIs to Unity developers
— Multiple backend plugins (providers), implementing individual engine
features (subsystems), exposed as common developer-facing C# APIs
— Runtime discoverable, runtime activation
– Common life-cycle across all subsystems / providers
— Backwards compatibility

8. Subsystems
8
A subsystem is a logical group of hardware and/or software
functionality like display, rendering, input, and more.
It fundamentally improves how we deliver and manage SDKs for
our XR platform integrations.

9. Each subsystem contains…
9
Common engine code
which handles
communicating with the
C# interface, the native
interface, and the rest of
the engine
A native interface which
is implemented by
multiple backends
(Providers) via dynamic
libraries
A developer facing C#
interface

10. Unity XR Platform
10
Provider
Framework
AR Provider
Mesh
Input
Display
Low Level
(c++ modules)
Unity Core Engine
(rendering, player loop, etc.)
Mesh Input
Display
Native (c++)
Planes
Camera Input
Display
Low-level Managed API
Planes
Developer
Framework
High Level
(Public C# API, components, prefabs )
Camera Input
Display Planes
Environment Faces
Image Track. Obj. Track.
Raycast Meshing
VR Provider
Input
Display

11. Supported Subsystems
11
— Camera
— Depth
— Display
— Environment Probes
— Face Tracking
— Gesture
— Human Body
— Image Tracking
— Input
— Meshing
— Object Tracking
— Planes
— Raycast
— Reference Points
— Session

12. Getting Started
12
— All officially supported platforms are now implemented as
packages
– Provider releases now decoupled from Unity core engine releases
— Entry Point: “XR Plugin Management” Package

13. 13

14. What’s Next?
14
— Migration of platform SDK implementations as packages
with new plugin architecture landing as verified in 2019.3
— Direct platform implementations will be marked as
deprecated in 2019.3
— Continued improvements in UI/UX experience with “XR
Plugin Management” package
Join the conversation on Unity’s XR forum!
— “XR Plugins & Subsystems”