Table of Contents for 3D Models for furniture software - SketchUp / pCon.planner / furnplan
- What is Apple Vision Pro?
- What does "spatial computing" mean?
- Meaning: Expanded Perception
- How to Use Apple Vision Pro
- Who might be interested in the Apple Vision Pro?
- So, is Apple Vision Pro revolutionizing the way we work with mixed reality?
- No real footage—it's all camera work and CGI
- 3D Content and Mixed Reality—Users and Creators
- FAQ
With the Apple Vision Pro, the Cupertino-based company wants to launch mixed reality glasses on the market in the near future that can also be used without Apple devices. The market launch in the US is planned for 2024, with a few selected countries to follow. It will be a while before the glasses, which are expected to cost 3,500 US dollars, are available in Germany.
What can the Apple Vision Pro do? And what do tools like this mean for the future of CGI?
What is Apple Vision Pro?
If you’re expecting a pure AR headset, you’re mistaken. Apple is positioning Vision Pro as a “spatial computer” —a standalone system with visionOS, an M2 chip for apps, and an R1 chip for real-time sensor fusion. Two Micro-OLED displays deliver more than 4K resolution per eye—a total of ~23 million pixels—along with spatial audio. Control is via eye movements, hand gestures, and voice commands; apps float as windows in the room.
Vision Pro launched in the US on February 2, 2024 (from USD 3,499) and has been gradually rolled out internationally since summer 2024, including to Germany. Details, specifications and the product video can be found on the Apple product page for Vision Pro.
What does "spatial computing" mean?
Spatial computing connects digital content with the physical world: windows, volumes, and 3D objects behave in a “spatially logical” way, responding to depth, light, and surfaces. For designers and developers, this means that interfaces must function within a spatial context —including eye tracking, gesture, and voice interaction. Apple summarizes these principles in the visionOS Human Interface Guidelines ; for technical context, the visionOS Developer Overviewis also worth consulting.
The Importance of Expanded Perception
The “screen” is the room. You place apps, media, and 3D objects in your environment, scale them, and use them simultaneously—without a traditional display. Vision Pro complements this with Spatial Audio, which maps sound sources spatially. Externally, EyeSight shows others your line of sight and indicates how attentive you are to your surroundings (e.g., when someone enters the room). Apple explains the concept and behavior in “Use EyeSight with Apple Vision Pro”.
How to Use Apple Vision Pro
Keyboard? Mouse? You don’t need them. You focus with your eyes, confirm with a simple finger gesture, zoom in and out, and arrange windows freely in the space; Siri responds to voice commands. For eyeglass wearers, there are magnetic ZEISS inserts that are stored in the system. FaceTime calls use Personas —realistic 3D avatars generated from a face scan that stand “in the room” with Spatial Personas and collaborate via SharePlay. Apple explains how to set up and use this feature in “Set up your Persona (beta)” and “Use Spatial Persona (beta)”. For battery life: The external battery pack provides up to ~2 hours of use (plugging into a power source allows for longer sessions).
Who might be interested in the Apple Vision Pro?
Sure, the entertainment industry stands to benefit: For the launch, Disney has rolled out a visionOS app complete with immersive “environments” —a prime example of brand-aligned, spatial experiences. Check out the announcement on Disney’s Newsroom . At the same time, Vision Pro is an exciting tool for work: With Mac Virtual Display, you can extend your Mac onto a huge, sharp screen—including support for 32:9/ultrawide layouts and higher resolution, according to Apple Support. As noted by The Vergehighlights why this could become the “killer feature” for work.
So, is Apple Vision Pro revolutionizing the way we work with mixed reality?
Yes and no. A lot of it feels familiar: familiar apps, but now freely positionable, scalable, and usable simultaneously. The added value comes from ergonomic interaction, large virtual displays, and spatial collaboration. Since visionOS 2 (WWDC 2024), new features have been added, including new hand gestures, optimized workflows, and functions such as converting photos to Spatial Photos —the gap between this and “smooth” 2D software is gradually widening. Apple’s overview: “visionOS 2 brings new spatial experiences”.
No real footage—it's all camera work and CGI
Important to note: Vision Pro is not a pair of optically transparent AR glasses. You see the world via video passthrough —the cameras capture your surroundings, and visionOS overlays them onto the displays. This makes sense from a technological standpoint (latency, HDR, depth reconstruction), but it’s not the same as seeing directly through the glasses. At the same time, EyeSight projects your eyes outward to pick up on social cues. Apple openly explains this behavior and its limitations in the EyeSight documentation and provides safety and handling instructions .
3D Content and Mixed Reality—Users and Creators
Two perspectives, one goal: people want to be amazed, brands want to be experienced. This is exactly where CGI / 3D and Vision Pro meet. For home & living brands, this means virtual showrooms, configurable products and emotional brand experiences in space - consistent from render to real time.
If you're thinking end-to-end, you'll need high-quality 3D assets and a clear story. We can help with 3D augmented reality (from AR cutouts to in-room tryouts), interactive 3D viewers, and precise 3D animations and a 3D rendering studiothat brings out PBR materiality down to the finest detail. You can find examples from real projects in our CGI portfolio —and if you have specific ideas, feel free to contact us us directly.
Mixed reality needs not only users—but also creative makers
When it comes to the digital spatial experience, the Apple Vision Pro is undoubtedly an extremely interesting device. This naturally leads to the second scenario: Someone has to create the content. After all, as more and more people purchase this spatial computer, it won’t just be about the landscape photos from their last vacation or the next James Bond movie.
Apple is already promoting the device by highlighting that the visual content in the mindfulness app can be expanded to fill the entire room, making the relaxation exercises even more effective. These aren't images captured with cameras—they're CGI, or computer-generated images.
What Makes the Apple Vision Pro Really Exciting for 3D Artists
What’s truly new and interesting isn’t the Apple Vision Pro product itself, but the approach to mixed reality it takes. The spatial computer—as Apple calls the headset—is much more intuitive and natural to use than any other computer currently available on the market.
The natural body awareness is less disrupted, and the user experience is ergonomic in the truest sense of the word, thanks to the naturalness of the movements and interactions with the Vision Pro. The transition between real life and virtual reality is so seamless that it poses a challenge to CGI/3D. And we’re happy to take it on!
After all—and this is the third scenario—the Vision Pro is certainly an interesting tool for people who create CGI/3D images. While its various features may not revolutionize the way we work with currently available software, they do make the process much more enjoyable.
When the tiniest details can be transferred from the screen into the room and scaled to any size without losing their sharpness, it opens up a whole new way of working. When hand-eye coordination is no longer necessary for graphic work with a mouse or stylus—because built-in cameras track the minute movements of the pupil—it opens up entirely new possibilities.
In this overview, you'll learn how Adobe is setting new standards for immersive content with Mixed Reality and Substance 3D.
