🏃Creating real-time apps

Bring your application to life and add increased immersion with Hololuminescent™ Displays

General Setup

Create interactive applications and immersive experiences for Hololuminescent™ Displays (HLD) using game engines like Unity or Unreal.

To run interactive applications on Hololuminescent Displays you'll need to use a Windows or Mac computer. To do so, you'll need to disconnect the HDMI connection from the HLD to the demo media player on the back of the device and connect your Windows or Mac computer via an HDMI cable or DisplayPort cable.

For the best performance we recommend using a computer with at least an RTX 3060 or an M1 processor.

Connecting to a computer

While the HLD comes with a demo media player that can play video content, you can also connect it to a PC or Mac to run real-time apps. To do so, unplug the HDMI cable from the back of the HLD and demo media player, then connect it to your computer. The display will show up as a normal extended monitor, ensure that the correct resolution is set in display settings and that the display is set to portrait orientation.

Display	Resolution	Orientation
Looking Glass 16" Hololuminescent Display	1080 x 1920	Portrait
Looking Glass 27" Hololuminescent Display	2160 x 3840	Portrait
Looking Glass 86" Hololuminescent Display	2160 x 3840	Portrait

Templates and guides

We have created templates for select tools that allow you to get up and running quickly to render your content. These templates include a camera with alcove reference, a shadow-catcher floor, and a compositor setup for the solid background.

We have specific guides and templates for the following tools:

Unity

Unreal Engine | coming soon.

What you’ll make

An interactive application using Unity or Unreal where a person, character, or product sits inside the alcove:

• Solid background so the display’s optical stack can layer your application into the hologram cleanly—no alpha channel needed. Don't render the alcove, it's just a reference.

• Grounded shadows to make the content feel like it lives within the holographic alcove. Avoid shadows on side walls and heavy back-wall shadows. See more here and here.

• Subtle floor reflections (optional) for content close to the ground to enhance presence.

• Subject placement within the safe area of the alcove; do not overlap the roof or sit outside the box.

Example Scenes:

Our Unity HDRP template allows for high fidelity interactive applications

Our Unreal Engine template allows for cinematic quality immersive experiences.

Resources

• Creative guidelines: framing, motion, and lighting tips for characters and products.

• Media specs and encoding: details on how to encode video content.

• Video editor workflows: Premiere Pro / After Effects templates (safe areas, shadows, reflections).

• General information: See more about Hololuminescent Displays on our main website.

Feedback

Need help bringing your vision to life or have some template feedback? We're here to help! Send us an email at [email protected] and we'll be happy to assist!