Microsoft continues to invest in HoloLens 2 and the broader Mixed Reality program. So far this year, we’ve brought new immersive collaboration tools to industrial metaverse customers and updates to Dynamics 365 Guides. We are building on this innovation with the rollout of a few other highly anticipated features that will benefit our developer community.
We are thrilled to announce that Microsoft Mixed Reality Toolkit 3 (MRTK3) will reach General Availability (GA) in Q3 of this calendar year. MRTK3 is the third generation of Microsoft’s open-source project designed to accelerate cross-platform mixed reality development in Unity.
MRTK3 is the third generation of Microsoft Mixed Reality Toolkit for Unity and is built on top of Unity's XR Management system and XR Interaction Toolkit.
What’s significant about the MRTK3 framework is that it draws from the industry standard OpenXR, making it easier for developers to create apps that seamlessly work across devices. It is also built on Unity’s XR Management System and XR Interaction Toolkit to ensure continued compatibility with Unity releases. These essential integrations deliver the following core benefits to developers:
- Faster performance: Developers can improve the performance of HoloLens 2 and resource-constrained mobile platforms.
- Smaller memory footprint: By utilizing OpenXR, developers can better reduce the memory footprint of their cross-platform apps.
- Modern user interface: Support for new Unity features like Unity 3D Canvas reduces the time it takes to code and launch apps into production.
Near Menu prefabs are made with the following MRTK components.
Azure Communication Services Calling SDK for Windows UWP and Windows UI Library (WinUI) 3 is now available
Another exciting collaboration has been growing between Microsoft’s Mixed Reality group and the Azure Communication Services (ACS) team. At Microsoft Build, we shared that the Windows Calling SDK is now available. ACS Calling SDK for UWP and WinUI 3 give ISVs opportunities to streamline end-user workflows on HoloLens 2, such as bringing apps like Microsoft Teams to metaverse platforms for easy access. Developers can now use these SDKs to integrate voice and video communications into their Unity or custom-built native apps, helping ISVs provide their end users with a contiguous experience that allows them to stay productive by eliminating context switching on HoloLens 2.
Azure Communication Services Calling SDK for Unity will be available in Public Preview this calendar year
While the ACS Calling SDK for UAP is currently available, we want to call attention to a similar, more advanced SDK designed to further enhance the developer experience. We are happy to announce that the Azure Communication Services Calling SDK for Unity will be available in Public Preview in Q2 of this calendar year. Not only can developers benefit from all the features inherent in the ACS Calling SDK for UAP, but they also can leverage Unity Editor. This gives developers access to a visual interface that significantly reduces the time it takes to create, design, and build HoloLens 2 applications.
Microsoft continues to empower our developer community by introducing updates to core products and features foundational to our Mixed Reality program. Stay tuned for future updates as we collaborate with our customers, partners, and developers to innovate in this critical space.