What is MixedRealityToolkit-vNext
The V1 Mixed Reality Toolkit is a collection of scripts and components intended to accelerate development of applications targeting Microsoft HoloLens and Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
This new version of the MixedRealityToolkit aims to further extend the capabilities of the toolkit and also introduce new features, including the capability to support more VR/AR/XR platforms beyond Microsoft's own Mixed Reality setup.
The vNext branch is taking all the best lessons learned from the original Mixed Reality Toolkit and refactoring / restructuring it to both:
-
Support a wider audience, allowing solutions to be built that will run on multiple VR / AR / XR platforms such as Mixed Reality, Steam/Open VR and OpenXR (initially)
-
Provide an easier to use SDK, to enable rapid prototyping and ease adoption for new users (or users of previous frameworks)
-
Ensure an extensive framework for advanced integrators, with the ability to swap out core components with their own should they wish to, or simply extend the framework to add new capabilities.
Learn more about Windows Mixed Reality here.
Learn more about the architecture behind Windows Mixed Reality - vNext here.
Learn more about the approach behind the Windows Mixed Reality - vNext SDK here.
Feature areas
The Mixed Reality Toolkit vNext will includes many APIs to accelerate the development of MR / XR / VR / AR projects for a range of supported devices, including (but not limited to)
- Microsoft HoloLens
- Microsoft Immersive headsets (IHMD)
- Steam VR (HTC Vive / Oculus Rift)
- OpenXR platforms
Required Software
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
---|---|---|---|
To develop apps for mixed reality headsets, you need the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update | The Unity 3D engine provides support for building mixed reality projects in Windows 10 | Visual Studio is used for code editing, deploying and building UWP app packages | The Emulators allow you test your app without the device in a simulated environment |
Getting started with MRTK-vNext
MRTK-vNext is currently under heavy development, utilizing the current state of the Dev_Working_Branch as a starting point. Refer to this branch for working examples and experimental code.
Learn more about the approach behind the Windows Mixed Reality - vNext SDK here. Which aims to help on-board developers quicker when building solutions.
Examples and QuickStart scenes
One radical change to the Mixed Reality Toolkit vNext, will be the standards and approaches to real world example scenes.
New examples will follow strict guidelines, such as:
- Each example must have a use and demonstrate a real world test case (no tests).
- Each example will use a standardized template, so all examples have the same look and feel.
- Each sample will be fully documented, detailing both the use case it is demonstrating and how to implement the features demonstrated.
Check the "Work In Progress" section of the Windows Mixed Reality - vNext SDK for a peek at the first new example.
External\How To docs folder is meant to help everyone with migrating forward or any simple doubts they might have about the process. Please feel free to grow all these sections. We can't wait to see your additions!
This project has adopted the Microsoft Open Source Code of Conduct. For more information see the Code of Conduct FAQ or contact opencode@microsoft.com with any additional questions or comments.
Useful resources on Microsoft Windows Dev Center
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
---|---|---|---|
See code examples. Do a coding tutorial. Watch guest lectures. | Get design guides. Build user interface. Learn interactions and input. | Get development guides. Learn the technology. Understand the science. | Join open source projects. Ask questions on forums. Attend events and meetups. |
Building the Artifacts
Requirements
NuGet
NuGet is the package manager for .Net and you'll need to have it available in the PATH.
UnitySetup
The build process leverages UnitySetup, an OSS PowerShell Module from Microsoft.
Install from PowerShell:
Install-Module UnitySetup -Scope CurrentUser
Git
If you do not specify a version, then Git is used to find relevant tags. In this case it will need to be available in the PATH.
Run the Build
Simply execute the build script as such:
.\build.ps1 -Version '1.2.3'
For help and examples simply use the PowerShell help command:
help .\build.ps1 -Detailed
Note: If you don't specify
-Version <version>
the script will try to infer it from tags pointing to the current git commit. An error is produced if you don't have a tag and no version is provided. | See code examples. Do a coding tutorial. Watch guest lectures. | Get design guides. Build user interface. Learn interactions and input. | Get development guides. Learn the technology. Understand the science. | Join open source projects. Ask questions on forums. Attend events and meet-ups. |