We are pleased to announce the release of the Hololight Stream SDK and Hololight Stream Clients, version 2024.0.0. In this release you will find everything you need to get streaming with Hololight Stream. To get started, we recommend reviewing the README.md file, which contains comprehensive guidance and information.
Note: Documentation for all features, including upgrade guides, are available in the “Docs” folder in the Hololight Stream package. Most features also come with examples for how to use the feature in a project. To import an example, import the “Hololight Stream Examples” package into your Unity project and load from the “Samples” section in the “Package Manager” window. Unity will then copy the example into the “Assets” folder.
New features and improvements
New Clients
There are now two additional clients supporting two more device types.
Lenovo VRX client
The new Lenovo VRX client features basic streaming, controller input, and controller haptics.
Windows client
The new Windows client allows for streaming to a computer running Windows. The Windows client simulates head pose movement, controller tracking, and hand tracking.
Controller haptics
The new haptics API enables haptic feedback through Hololight Stream so long as the feedback is set up in your application. It works with any Hololight Stream client that provides haptic feedback to the user. Haptic feedback is available for:
- Meta Quest 2/Pro/3
- Magic Leap 2
- Lenovo VRX
Eye-gaze-based interaction
When you activate eye-gaze-based interaction, you can control an application with your eyes. This is available for implementation on the following devices:
- HoloLens 2
- Meta Quest Pro
- Magic Leap 2
Hololight Stream also supports eye tracking in combination with the Mixed Reality Toolkit.
DirectX 12 support
Hololight Stream now supports DirectX 12. To use DirectX 12 in Unity, set it as the supported graphics backend in the Unity “Project Settings”.
The minimum Unity version to officially support DirectX 12 is 2022.2.0a17.
NVIDIA RTX support
With the option to use DirectX 12, you can also use real-time ray tracing for photorealistic 3D graphics. To enable ray tracing-based rendering or to upgrade an existing project to use it, follow Unity’s upgrade guide.
Mixed Reality Toolkit 3 support
Hololight Stream now has a new package for Mixed Reality Toolkit 3 (MRTK3). The integration is handled via the Unity Package Manager.
We added a guide for upgrading Hololight Stream from MRTK2 to MRTK3 in our documentation.
DNS connection
It is now possible to set up a DNS and use a domain name instead of entering specific IP addresses. Once set up, a DNS connection is possible with all Hololight Stream clients.
Hologram stability
With the newly added head pose estimation, we’ve minimized the effects of latency, resulting in more stable XR content when the client device is in motion.
Known issues and workarounds
- Issues can arise when upgrading a project to the newest version of Hololight Stream. We cover this process in more detail in the documentation. Please read this documentation before upgrading any existing project to the new version.
- Color banding in linear color space can occur with Unity’s High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP).
- When using passthrough mode, black outlines appear around objects. Also, transparencies only render as completely transparent or fully opaque in passthrough mode.
- When using the desktop client, screen tearing can occur when using monitors with a frequency of more than 60 Hz.
- NVIDIA RTX can cause visual problems when using single-pass instanced rendering. These problems do not occur with multi-pass instanced rendering.
- When using the Hololight Stream desktop client application, the application may briefly stop responding when you try to connect to an invalid IP address. This will only last a matter of seconds before the application works again on its own. You don’t need to close the application and reopen it.
This problem occurs more frequently when the disconnection timeout setting is set to a shorter interval.
SDK requirements
| Feature | Supported Versions/Devices |
|---|---|
| Supported DirectX versions | • 11 • 12 |
| Supported Unity versions | 2021.3.x or later |
| Supported Mixed Reality Toolkit versions | • 2.8.x • 3 |
| Supported client devices | • HoloLens 2 • iPhone and iPad • Lenovo VRX • Magic Leap 2 • Meta Quest 2 • Meta Quest Pro • Meta Quest 3 • Windows PC |
Stream application requirements
Server machine requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | • Windows 10 (10.0.17763 Build) • Windows 11 • Windows Server 2019 |
• Windows 10 (10.0.17763 Build) • Windows 11 • Windows Server 2019 |
| Memory | 16 GB | 64 GB |
| CPU | • Intel i5 8th Gen. 6 Cores • AMD Ryzen 7 3700X |
• Intel i7 12th Gen. 12 Cores • AMD Ryzen 9 3900X |
| GPU | • NVIDIA GTX 1070Ti • NVIDIA GRID for VMs |
• NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti • NVIDIA GRID for VMs |
| Storage | SSD or NVMe | SSD or NVMe |
Hololight Stream is designed for NVIDIA GPUs only. Memory usage and storage depends on the demands of the application. The requirements can also vary between different devices, depending on the resolution and target framerate.
Network Requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Network | Wi-Fi 5Ghz | Wi-Fi 5Ghz |
| Bandwidth | 20 Mbit | 40 Mbit |
| Round trip time (latency) | - | max. 50 ms |
The local network of the XR device must be capable of using STUN (Session Traversal Utilities for NAT) in case the rendering server is not located in the same network as the client. Another option is to set up TURN (Traversal Using Relays around NAT) servers.