demo · v139

Raw vs Smooth

v139 lets WebXR sessions request the raw or smoothed depth buffer per frame, and start/stop the runtime's depth pipeline mid-session. Pick the mode and watch a simulated depth render: raw is noisier and faster, smoothed is cleaner and costlier. Either way you save the frames where depth isn't needed.

Live WebXR sessions need a headset. This page simulates the two depth buffers on a synthetic scene so the cost / quality tradeoff is interactive everywhere. The WebXR API call shape is shown below.

scene (RGB)

depth buffer (false-colour)

—

depth fps

—

per-frame cost (rel.)

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noise floor

the code

const session = await navigator.xr.requestSession("immersive-ar", {
  requiredFeatures: ["depth-sensing"],
  depthSensing: {
    usagePreference:  ["gpu-optimized"],
    dataFormatPreference: ["luminance-alpha"],
    depthType: "smooth",   // v139: request raw or smooth
  },
});

// v139: start / stop runtime depth mid-session to save power
session.pauseDepthSensing();   // when entering a UI menu
session.resumeDepthSensing();  // when leaving

the code

see also