Introducing Looking Glass Unity Plugin 4.0 Beta

Looking Glass

• 2 min read
Introducing Looking Glass Unity Plugin 4.0 Beta

We are excited to announce the beta of the newest version of our plugin that focuses on driving increased performance for real-time applications across all of our supported platforms. Using a range of new rendering methods, we have been able to achieve 2-4x the performance of our current version.

The new plugin has a range of features.

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You can:

  • Easily visualize your 3D Unity scenes in the Looking Glass
  • Build fully interactive 3D applications for Looking Glass on PC, Mac, or iOS
  • Preview scenes with live editor view in a Looking Glass 
  • Pre-render and export images and video for playback in Looking Glass
  • Build from example scenes and guidance.

And supports: 

  • Unity 6000.0.39f1 to Unity 6000.1.4f + Universal Render Pipeline v17.0.4 to 17.1
  • Newest Looking Glass displays including the new Looking Glass 27" Light Field Display.
  • Applications that can run on:
    • PC’s with dedicated graphics card
    • Apple Silicon Mac
    • iPhone 15/16 Pro or Pro Max
    • iPad Pro (M4)

Let’s run through the key features.

Easily visualize your 3D Unity scenes in the Looking Glass

The Looking Glass requires a specialized camera system to capture the views for the broad view cone. Our Unity plugin does all the work for you, no code required. Drop it into your scene and the cameras are set up appropriately to capture for the display.

Your Unity setup will automatically work with any connected display from our latest line up. Our software determines the appropriate number of cameras, orientation, and resolution output required. (all adjustable if you would like). No need to figure out any custom parameters. 

Build fully interactive 3D applications for Looking Glass on PC, Mac, or iOS

Building Unity applications is just like building for any normal display. Simply set your target platform between Windows, iOS, or MacOS, and build your scenes. Our Unity plugin handles the configuration and ensures it works with Looking Glass displays. It has been optimized to support real time interactive applications on Looking Glass connected PC’s, Mac’s, and iOS devices. 

With deep research and implementation of the latest rendering methods available in Unity 6, the Looking Glass Unity Plugin 4.0 beta can achieve frame rates and rendering speeds  2-3x greater than our previous plugin, enabling the development of real time interactive applications with complex models and lighting.

Preview scenes with live editor view in a Looking Glass 

Speed up development by testing while you’re building. Preview scenes from the editor in the connected Looking Glass for a quick impression of what your app, image, or video will look like before building or rendering in full. 

Pre-render and export images and video for playback in Looking Glass

It’s not just for real time applications. You can export images and video pre-rendered for the Looking Glass for playback on Looking Glass Studio. This makes it easy to set up and create visuals for your presentation, event, or exhibition.

Example scenes and guidance

In the plugin, you’ll find framing devices, clipping planes, and a range of effects built in to provide guidance on how to optimize your scene for the Looking Glass. All adjustable while providing an easy onboarding experience to render for this new kind of multiview display.

In addition, prebaked templates come along with the plugin for turnkey application building. Get your first app off the ground and in 3D in minutes.

This is a beta, so please check it out and provide feedback! We’re excited to hear what you think and how you use it.