OpenXR/OpenVR: HMDs and Controllers

OpenXR support was added in 2023.4, as it is the new open standard for XR (VR/AR/MR) applications and boosts your experience and works with VR devices, tethered or not. It also includes hand tracking to controller input simulation, so that devices using OpenXR can also use hand tracking directly in VRED.

Though not every OpenXR extension is implemented, with each VRED release, you can find additional OpenXR supported features. For example, we currently support several controllers and hand tracking. And, as of 2024, the controller-based blue hands can be used, instead of the 3D controller model.

• In 2024.1, support was added for HTC VIVE trackers in OpenXR.

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• As of 2024.2, you can use your own scripts to add custom functionality to VRED for OpenXR, similar to what can be done for OpenVR and other VR modes. Connect signals that are triggered by actions, for example when you teleport. Bind buttons to actions. Do this through the extended OpenXR support for vrdVRDevice, vrdDeviceInteraction, and vrdDeviceAction.

• In 2025, we added better support for Varjo's headsets in OpenXR, which includes depth testing, foveated rendering, quad views, and MR/VR toggling.

• In 2025.1, we added haptic feedback support for controllers. Use vrdVRDevice.vibrate(milliseconds, axisId) to activate the vibration and milliseconds for setting its duration. We also added a generic controller model for yet unsupported XR controllers, MR hand tracking to display virtual hands over your real hands to help with VR Menu selection, Varjo marker tracking in OpenXR, and hand tracking for XR-4 in Varjo mode.

We have yet to implement the following:

• Eye tracking (Eye tracking is only supported for Varjo foveated rendering)
• AR for OpenXR (AR is supported for Varjo XR headsets)
• Python support for controller interaction is not fully supported (Unsupported functions are marked as such in the Python documentation)

To use OpenXR, simply select the appropriate display mode in the View settings (View > Display > OpenXR HMD).

The following controllers are supported for OpenXR use in VRED. Click the links to see the default controller bindings for each controller. For people with unlisted controllers, see the Unsupported Controllers section that follows.

Supported Controllers	For OpenXR Use
HTC VIVE
HTC VIVE Cosmos
HP MR (HP G2+ MS Motion 2nd generation)
MS MR Motion (Windows Mixed Reality 1st generation)
Oculus Touch

As of 2025.1, we implemented a backup controller model those of you with controllers that aren't yet supported by VRED in OpenXR. This enables you to use VRED with these.

To use OpenXR, you must be using the correct runtime. If you are not, a notification is displayed. In this case, use SteamVR as the runtime, if your HMD is supported by SteamVR.

To change the runtime, do the following:

SteamVR

1. In SteamVR Settings, select Show Advanced Settings.
2. Select Developer, then Set SteamVR as OpenXR Runtime.

Oculus

1. In the Oculus App, select Settings.
2. Select More and General.
3. Under OpenXR-Rutime set Oculus App as active.

Varjo

1. In Varjo Base, select System.
2. Scroll to compatibility and activate OpenXR.

VIVE

1. In VIVE Console, select Settings.
2. Go to Advanced.
3. Select VIVE OpenXR as current OpenXR runtime.

VRED comes with a set of basic tools: VR Menu, Teleport, Tooltips, and the Pointer. By default, these are mapped to the controls on your controllers. See the links that follow for the bindings specific to your HMD's controllers:

• HP Reverb G2
• HTC VIVE
• Logitech VR Ink Stylus
• Oculus Rift
• Varjo
• WinMR

Managing Controller Bindings for SteamVR

For OpenXR, you can now manage your controller bindings in the SteamVR settings.

1. Go to Settings > Manage Controller Bindings > select VREDPro from the drop-down menu.

2. Set the active controller binding to Custom.

3. Edit the binding.

   Note:

   For the customization of VRED settings to work as expected, it is important that the settings in SteamVR are reset to default (Active Controller Binding = Default). Otherwise, they will overwrite the controller binding setting in VRED

For the customization in VRED controller settings to work as expected, it is important that the SteamVR settings are reset to default (Active Controller Binding = Default). Otherwise, they will overwrite the controller bindings setting in VRED.

Resetting Controller Bindings

To reset all controller bindings to their default values, in the Extended Reality > OpenXR preferences, press Set To Default.

To configure your controller buttons, do the following:

1. In the Extended Reality > OpenXR preferences, select your controller from the Controller Type drop-down menu.

2. If you want each controller to have different bindings, enable the Left = Right checkbox; otherwise, ensure it is disabled.

3. Open the drop-down menu next to each action and select an option.

   Tip:

   Actions can be disabled, so they are not accessing. For instructions, see Disabling an Action. Controller buttons can also be disabled. For instructions, see Disabling a Controller Button.

4. When finished, press Apply and Save.

Setting Independent Controllers

It is possible to set the left and right controllers independent of one another when setting your controller bindings.

To do this, in the Extended Reality > OpenXR preferences, enable the Left = Right checkbox.

Adding Additional Controllers

You can add other controllers and set their bindings.

1. In the Extended Reality > OpenXR preferences, press Add Controller, then select a controller type from the drop-down menu.
2. Set the controller bindings.
3. When finished, press Apply and Save.

Disabling an Action

To disable an action, so it is not accessible in a session, do the following:

1. In the Extended Reality > OpenXR preferences, select the desired action from the list.
2. Open the drop-down menu next to the action and select None. Now, the action cannot be triggered during a session.

In the future, to make the action accessible, select a target from its drop-down, such as Menu Click or X Touch.

Disabling a Controller Button

Any controller button can be disabled through the Extended Reality > OpenXR preferences. In the controller bindings list, ensure the button is not assigned to an action. If it is, select another option from the action's drop-down menu.

In VR and MR, use the Extend Reality > HMD preferences to set your viewing preferences. Set eye tracking, foveated rendering, and depth estimation (occlusion).

Varjo Default Mode

For Varjo users, determine the mode you'll be working in using the Default Mode in the Varjo section.

1. In the Extend Reality > HMD preferences > Varjo section, using the Default Mode dropdown menu, choose from VR and MR.
2. Click Apply and Save.

Eye Tracking

Use Eye Tracking for tracking your eye movement when wearing an HMD. This is used by Foveated Rendering when it is enabled to determine which areas need high-resolution rendering.

1. In the Extend Reality > HMD preferences > Eye Tracking section, enable Eye Tracking.
2. Click Apply and Save.

Foveated and Native Foveated Rendering

VRED offers foveated rendering for setting eye-tracked high resolution rendered areas and peripheral in low resolution areas.

For Varjo users, use native foveated rendering with OpenXR to reduce peripheral resolution (image quality), while setting tracking areas to be rendered at high resolution. This improves performance in scenes with compute intensive materials, and when using real-time antialiasing.

1. In the Extend Reality > HMD preferences > Foveated Rendering section, enable Foveated Rendering, then use Foveal Region Size to set the default size of the foveal region and Shading Quality to set the default level used for foveated rendered shading.

   For Varjo users in MR, in the Extend Reality > HMD preferences > Varjo section, enable Native Foveated Rendering.

2. Click Apply and Save.

Quad Views

Varjo's quad views enable rendering to all four Varjo viewports to take advantage of Varjo’s human eye resolution displays for two viewports per eye.

To use the quad view, do the following:

1. In the Extend Reality > HMD preferences > Eye Tracking section, enable Eye Tracking.
2. In the Varjo section, enable Native Foveated Rendering.
3. Click Apply and Save.