Camera Sources

XRTracker supports multiple camera sources for different platforms and use cases. The camera source is configured via the Image Source setting on the XRTrackerManager component.

Image Source Modes

Mode	Description	Platform
Native	C++ native capture from a connected camera	Windows (desktop)
Injected	External code feeds frames to the tracker (AR Foundation, custom feeders)	iOS, Android, any
RealSense	Intel RealSense depth camera with color + depth	Windows (desktop)
Sequence	Plays back a pre-recorded frame sequence	All platforms

Note

Only one image source can be active at a time.

Native (Desktop)

The default for desktop development. XRTracker uses its native C++ backend to capture directly from a connected camera.

Setting	Description
Calibrations File	JSON file in StreamingAssets with camera calibration data
Auto Select Camera Name	Automatically select a camera by name at startup
Auto Select Fallback To First	If named camera not found, use the first available
Target FPS	Requested frame rate (10–60, default 30)

Camera intrinsics are loaded from the calibration file. If no calibration is provided, intrinsics are estimated from the camera's field of view.

Injected (AR Foundation / Custom Feeders)

In Injected mode, XRTracker does not capture frames itself. Instead, an external component feeds frames via manager.FeedFrame(). This is how AR Foundation integration works on mobile:

• An AR Foundation camera feeder captures frames from ARCameraManager and calls FeedFrame() each frame
• Camera intrinsics are passed along with each frame (provided by the AR subsystem)
• Depth frames from AROcclusionManager are fed separately when available

Use Injected mode for:

• AR Foundation on iOS and Android
• Custom camera sources (e.g., network cameras, video files)
• Any scenario where you control the frame pipeline

See the AR Foundation Integration guide for mobile AR setup.

RealSense (Desktop with Depth)

Connects directly to Intel RealSense depth cameras (D415, D435, D455, L515) via the RealSense SDK, providing synchronized color and depth streams.

Setting	Description
Color Resolution	640x480 @60fps, 960x540 @60fps, 1280x720 @30fps, 1920x1080 @30fps
Depth Resolution	480x270 @90fps, 640x480 @90fps, 848x480 @90fps, 1280x720 @30fps

Warning

The RealSense SDK must be installed on the system and the camera must be connected before starting the application.

Sequence (Recorded Playback)

Plays back a previously recorded sequence from disk, enabling offline testing without physical hardware.

Setting	Description
Sequence Directory	Path to the folder containing sequence.json and recorded frames

See the Recording & Playback guide for how to create and use recordings.

Camera Intrinsics

All tracking modalities depend on accurate camera intrinsics (focal length, principal point). How intrinsics are obtained depends on the source:

Source	Intrinsics
Native	Loaded from calibration JSON file, or estimated from FOV
Injected (AR Foundation)	Provided by the AR subsystem per frame (accurate)
RealSense	Read from the camera firmware (accurate)
Sequence	Stored in sequence.json alongside the recording

Camera Background Display

To show the live camera feed behind your tracked objects, you need a background component. The approach differs between mobile and desktop:

Mobile (AR Foundation)

AR Foundation handles camera background rendering automatically — add the AR Camera Background component to the AR camera. No XRTracker background component is needed. See the AR Foundation guide for details, including the URP renderer feature requirement.

Desktop (Native / RealSense)

On desktop, XRTracker provides two components for displaying the camera feed as a background:

TrackerBackgroundRenderer

Renders the camera feed on a 3D plane positioned in front of the camera. The plane is sized automatically to fill the camera's view.

• Add this component to the Main Camera GameObject
• The plane is created and managed automatically
• Works with perspective cameras

TrackerBackgroundUI

Renders the camera feed on a Unity UI Canvas using a RawImage. This approach uses the standard UI system.

• Add this component to a Canvas in your scene
• Uses a RawImage to display the camera texture
• Works with any canvas render mode (Screen Space or World Space)

Tip

Both components are for desktop use only. On mobile with AR Foundation, the AR Camera Background component handles everything.

Tips

• Use Native mode for quick desktop development with a USB camera
• Use Injected mode for AR Foundation on mobile — the AR camera feeder handles everything
• Use RealSense when you need depth on desktop — depth tracking significantly improves robustness
• Record sequences early in development to build a test suite you can replay without hardware
• If tracking quality is poor on a desktop camera, provide a proper calibration file rather than relying on estimated intrinsics