Joseph Simpson
@vrhermit.com
Learning, sharing, and teaching visionOS development at Step Into Vision
https://stepinto.vision
https://stepinto.vision
Nine years ago I took my first step into VR development. I started with HTC Vive. My journey to visionOS went through Unreal, Unity, Swift, and WebXR. I learned concepts that formed the foundation that I'm building on with native visionOS development using SwiftUI and RealityKit.
January 17, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Nine years ago I took my first step into VR development. I started with HTC Vive. My journey to visionOS went through Unreal, Unity, Swift, and WebXR. I learned concepts that formed the foundation that I'm building on with native visionOS development using SwiftUI and RealityKit.
We can use volumeWorldAlignment to specify if volumes should stay aligned with the ground or if users can tilt them.
stepinto.vision/example-code...
stepinto.vision/example-code...
January 16, 2026 at 3:56 PM
We can use volumeWorldAlignment to specify if volumes should stay aligned with the ground or if users can tilt them.
stepinto.vision/example-code...
stepinto.vision/example-code...
When Apple released Stage Manager on macOS and iPadOS, I thought it would play a part in their Spatial Computing platform. When visionOS 1.0 arrived, I was surprised that it was nowhere to be seen.
#visionOS #SwiftUI
stepinto.vision/labs/stage-m...
#visionOS #SwiftUI
stepinto.vision/labs/stage-m...
January 12, 2026 at 10:39 PM
When Apple released Stage Manager on macOS and iPadOS, I thought it would play a part in their Spatial Computing platform. When visionOS 1.0 arrived, I was surprised that it was nowhere to be seen.
#visionOS #SwiftUI
stepinto.vision/labs/stage-m...
#visionOS #SwiftUI
stepinto.vision/labs/stage-m...
I don’t know why I find these preview/WIP images so hilarious
January 11, 2026 at 5:17 PM
I don’t know why I find these preview/WIP images so hilarious
Revisit Lab 005 - Pseudo 3D layouts
We can use SwiftUI rotations and offset to add a bit of 3D to our windows and interfaces.
#SwiftUI #visionOS #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/labs/pseudo-...
We can use SwiftUI rotations and offset to add a bit of 3D to our windows and interfaces.
#SwiftUI #visionOS #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/labs/pseudo-...
January 11, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Revisit Lab 005 - Pseudo 3D layouts
We can use SwiftUI rotations and offset to add a bit of 3D to our windows and interfaces.
#SwiftUI #visionOS #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/labs/pseudo-...
We can use SwiftUI rotations and offset to add a bit of 3D to our windows and interfaces.
#SwiftUI #visionOS #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/labs/pseudo-...
Revisit Lab 004 - Cover Flow Demo
One of these days I would like to update this using the new Spatial Layout features in visionOS 26. There is a lot of room for improvement here.
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/labs/lab-004...
One of these days I would like to update this using the new Spatial Layout features in visionOS 26. There is a lot of room for improvement here.
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/labs/lab-004...
January 10, 2026 at 12:56 PM
Revisit Lab 004 - Cover Flow Demo
One of these days I would like to update this using the new Spatial Layout features in visionOS 26. There is a lot of room for improvement here.
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/labs/lab-004...
One of these days I would like to update this using the new Spatial Layout features in visionOS 26. There is a lot of room for improvement here.
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/labs/lab-004...
We already covered how to open a new volume by ID and how to open a window with a value. Opening a volume with an ID is no different than with a window.
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
January 7, 2026 at 5:15 PM
We already covered how to open a new volume by ID and how to open a window with a value. Opening a volume with an ID is no different than with a window.
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
Check out the 2025 Yearbook from Step Into Vision. We snapped a few screenshots throughout the month of December. See anyone you know?
January 6, 2026 at 4:29 PM
Check out the 2025 Yearbook from Step Into Vision. We snapped a few screenshots throughout the month of December. See anyone you know?
Today marks 2 years since I started working on Project Graveyard for visionOS. I shipped a basic v1 on launch day with Apple Vision Pro less than a month later. Since then I've been improving it as time allows.
January 4, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Today marks 2 years since I started working on Project Graveyard for visionOS. I shipped a basic v1 on launch day with Apple Vision Pro less than a month later. Since then I've been improving it as time allows.
🫡 I decommissioned my M1 Mac mini today. Five years of continuous use as a database server and development resource is a pretty good run for an M1 with 8GB of RAM.
January 3, 2026 at 9:52 PM
🫡 I decommissioned my M1 Mac mini today. Five years of continuous use as a database server and development resource is a pretty good run for an M1 with 8GB of RAM.
Starting the first book of the year: The Stuff of Bits by Paul Dourish
January 1, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Starting the first book of the year: The Stuff of Bits by Paul Dourish
A year ago I set an ambitious goal: Publish on Step Into Vision every day of 2025. Today I reached that goal! It has been an enormous amount of work, but it has been worth every second. I'm proud of what I've accomplished, but I know there is a lot of work ahead. 2026 is going to be awesome!
December 31, 2025 at 7:40 PM
A year ago I set an ambitious goal: Publish on Step Into Vision every day of 2025. Today I reached that goal! It has been an enormous amount of work, but it has been worth every second. I'm proud of what I've accomplished, but I know there is a lot of work ahead. 2026 is going to be awesome!
I finally installed macOS Tahoe. One of the first things I did was turn on "Increase contrast" (Settings > Accessibility > Display). Not only is it more usable for me, I genuinely think it looks better than the default design.
December 29, 2025 at 8:12 PM
I finally installed macOS Tahoe. One of the first things I did was turn on "Increase contrast" (Settings > Accessibility > Display). Not only is it more usable for me, I genuinely think it looks better than the default design.
"Most Likely to Rage‑Quit RealityKit" I don't know, that seems like a crowded category to me
December 29, 2025 at 2:24 PM
"Most Likely to Rage‑Quit RealityKit" I don't know, that seems like a crowded category to me
We can use Scene Phase keep track of open Windows. Using this at the app-level can be a bit confusing. When used inside scenes this becomes a simple and powerful way to know if a window, volume, or space is open/active.
#SwiftUI #visionOS #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
#SwiftUI #visionOS #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
December 29, 2025 at 1:58 PM
We can use Scene Phase keep track of open Windows. Using this at the app-level can be a bit confusing. When used inside scenes this becomes a simple and powerful way to know if a window, volume, or space is open/active.
#SwiftUI #visionOS #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
#SwiftUI #visionOS #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
A cat is in charge of the weather control system over Ohio. That’s the only reasonable explanation for this
December 27, 2025 at 1:52 PM
A cat is in charge of the weather control system over Ohio. That’s the only reasonable explanation for this
Lab 087 documents a workaround for using SwiftUI Spatial Layouts in Immersive Spaces.
The short version is that we can't be inside a SwiftUI view. My hack was to raise the view above me, the offset the content to hang from the view.
stepinto.vision/labs/lab-087...
The short version is that we can't be inside a SwiftUI view. My hack was to raise the view above me, the offset the content to hang from the view.
stepinto.vision/labs/lab-087...
December 24, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Lab 087 documents a workaround for using SwiftUI Spatial Layouts in Immersive Spaces.
The short version is that we can't be inside a SwiftUI view. My hack was to raise the view above me, the offset the content to hang from the view.
stepinto.vision/labs/lab-087...
The short version is that we can't be inside a SwiftUI view. My hack was to raise the view above me, the offset the content to hang from the view.
stepinto.vision/labs/lab-087...
pushWindow allows us to temporarily replace one window with another. Useful for splash screens, complex pickers, or when we need to show a content that requires a different window style (Photos app vs. single photo view)
stepinto.vision/example-code...
stepinto.vision/example-code...
December 23, 2025 at 4:54 PM
pushWindow allows us to temporarily replace one window with another. Useful for splash screens, complex pickers, or when we need to show a content that requires a different window style (Photos app vs. single photo view)
stepinto.vision/example-code...
stepinto.vision/example-code...
Join us for Step Into Vision Office Hours every Friday at 2:00 PM (Eastern US)
Learn more and find out how to join
stepinto.vision/about-office...
Learn more and find out how to join
stepinto.vision/about-office...
December 18, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Join us for Step Into Vision Office Hours every Friday at 2:00 PM (Eastern US)
Learn more and find out how to join
stepinto.vision/about-office...
Learn more and find out how to join
stepinto.vision/about-office...
444 posts covering visionOS is an arbitrary milestone that I’ll happily celebrate
December 18, 2025 at 12:51 AM
444 posts covering visionOS is an arbitrary milestone that I’ll happily celebrate
I still have a few more posts to add to the RealityKit Basics series that I started in January.
Some topics covered: ModelEntity, Entity, Components, Materials, RealityView, Attachments, Interactions, Events, Animations, and Entity Actions.
stepinto.vision/learn-vision...
Some topics covered: ModelEntity, Entity, Components, Materials, RealityView, Attachments, Interactions, Events, Animations, and Entity Actions.
stepinto.vision/learn-vision...
December 17, 2025 at 7:48 PM
I still have a few more posts to add to the RealityKit Basics series that I started in January.
Some topics covered: ModelEntity, Entity, Components, Materials, RealityView, Attachments, Interactions, Events, Animations, and Entity Actions.
stepinto.vision/learn-vision...
Some topics covered: ModelEntity, Entity, Components, Materials, RealityView, Attachments, Interactions, Events, Animations, and Entity Actions.
stepinto.vision/learn-vision...
We can open value-scoped windows in visionOS, in much the same way as macOS and iPadOS. Each combination of id and value results in a unique window.
#SwiftUI #visionOS #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
#SwiftUI #visionOS #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
December 15, 2025 at 4:19 PM
We can open value-scoped windows in visionOS, in much the same way as macOS and iPadOS. Each combination of id and value results in a unique window.
#SwiftUI #visionOS #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
#SwiftUI #visionOS #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
When opening new windows, we can specify a default placement.
Relative to an existing window: leading, trailing, above, and below.
Relative to the user: utility
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
Relative to an existing window: leading, trailing, above, and below.
Relative to the user: utility
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
December 13, 2025 at 9:01 PM
When opening new windows, we can specify a default placement.
Relative to an existing window: leading, trailing, above, and below.
Relative to the user: utility
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
Relative to an existing window: leading, trailing, above, and below.
Relative to the user: utility
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
Take a look at some methods to size windows in visionOS. We cover defaultSize, contentSize with windowResizability and frame, and fixed size.
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
December 12, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Take a look at some methods to size windows in visionOS. We cover defaultSize, contentSize with windowResizability and frame, and fixed size.
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
The first article on Step Into Vision was posted weeks before the site went live. I kicked things off with a series of examples covering Windows, Volumes, and Spaces. This one was about openWindow and dismissWindow
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
December 11, 2025 at 12:43 PM
The first article on Step Into Vision was posted weeks before the site went live. I kicked things off with a series of examples covering Windows, Volumes, and Spaces. This one was about openWindow and dismissWindow
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...
#visionOS #SwiftUI #AppleVisionPro
stepinto.vision/example-code...