Published on
May 17, 2024
The XR Interaction Toolkit, or XRI is a package within Unity's XR development platform that provides a set of tools and components to help developers create immersive and interactive XR experiences. The XRI package includes features such as interactor components, which allow for object interaction within virtual environments, and an input system for handling user input from different types of devices.
XRI 3.0 brings significant updates, focusing on enhancing navigation and manipulation. In this post, we will explore these advancements. For detailed technical information and to understand the breaking changes, please refer to our XRI 3.0 Migration Guide.
XRI 3.0 introduces a new Input Reader architecture supporting a wide range of input sources, including legacy inputs, actions from the Input System package, and custom hardware platforms. These changes make a full upgrade to XRI more complex but positively impact many areas of XRI.
The new Near-Far Interactor combines functionalities that previously required multiple components, like the DirectInteractor and RayInteractor, into a single, efficient component. This allows fluid interactions with objects at varying distances, significantly enhancing the user's ability to manipulate virtual objects either by grabbing them directly or with telekinesis-style abilities.
The integration of XR Body Transformers and the Locomotion Mediator are simplifying the code and allowing greater flexibility when extending the locomotion system as a whole. As a result, the toolkit’s climbing and teleportation functionalities now support more complex movements, particularly vertical navigation, making it easier to create multi-level environments. The Starter Assets provide excellent examples to try out these improvements.
XRI 3.0 introduces a new feedback system to handle visuals, audio and haptic feedback. It will replace the previous Affordance system that was deprecated with XRI 3.0. We are covering the new feedback system more in-depth in our XRI 3.0 Migration Guide.
Trying it out is straightforward. The XRI 3.0 Package includes multiple well-crafted examples. For guidance on installing the XRI 3.0 refer to the detailed Installation Guide from Unity.
