VRDisplay: getFrameData() method

Deprecated: This feature is no longer recommended. Though some browsers might still support it, it may have already been removed from the relevant web standards, may be in the process of being dropped, or may only be kept for compatibility purposes. Avoid using it, and update existing code if possible; see the compatibility table at the bottom of this page to guide your decision. Be aware that this feature may cease to work at any time.

Non-standard: This feature is not standardized. We do not recommend using non-standard features in production, as they have limited browser support, and may change or be removed. However, they can be a suitable alternative in specific cases where no standard option exists.

The getFrameData() method of the VRDisplay interface accepts a VRFrameData object and populates it with the information required to render the current frame.

Note: This method was part of the old WebVR API. It has been superseded by the WebXR Device API.

This includes the VRPose and view and projection matrices for the current frame.

js
const frameData = new VRFrameData();
let vrDisplay;

navigator.getVRDisplays().then((displays) => {
  vrDisplay = displays[0];
  console.log("Display found");
  // Starting the presentation when the button is clicked: It can only be called in response to a user gesture
  btn.addEventListener("click", () => {
    vrDisplay.requestPresent([{ source: canvas }]).then(() => {
      drawVRScene();
    });
  });
});

// WebVR: Draw the scene for the WebVR display.
function drawVRScene() {
  // WebVR: Request the next frame of the animation
  vrSceneFrame = vrDisplay.requestAnimationFrame(drawVRScene);

  // Populate frameData with the data of the next frame to display
  vrDisplay.getFrameData(frameData);

  // You can get the position, orientation, etc. of the display from the current frame's pose
  // curFramePose is a VRPose object
  const curFramePose = frameData.pose;
  const curPos = curFramePose.position;
  const curOrient = curFramePose.orientation;

  // Clear the canvas before we start drawing on it.

  gl.clear(gl.COLOR_BUFFER_BIT | gl.DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT);

  // WebVR: Create the required projection and view matrix locations needed
  // for passing into the uniformMatrix4fv methods below

  const projectionMatrixLocation = gl.getUniformLocation(
    shaderProgram,
    "projMatrix",
  );
  const viewMatrixLocation = gl.getUniformLocation(shaderProgram, "viewMatrix");

  // WebVR: Render the left eye's view to the left half of the canvas
  gl.viewport(0, 0, canvas.width * 0.5, canvas.height);
  gl.uniformMatrix4fv(
    projectionMatrixLocation,
    false,
    frameData.leftProjectionMatrix,
  );
  gl.uniformMatrix4fv(viewMatrixLocation, false, frameData.leftViewMatrix);
  drawGeometry();

  // WebVR: Render the right eye's view to the right half of the canvas
  gl.viewport(canvas.width * 0.5, 0, canvas.width * 0.5, canvas.height);
  gl.uniformMatrix4fv(
    projectionMatrixLocation,
    false,
    frameData.rightProjectionMatrix,
  );
  gl.uniformMatrix4fv(viewMatrixLocation, false, frameData.rightViewMatrix);
  drawGeometry();

  function drawGeometry() {
    // draw the view for each eye
  }

  // …

  // WebVR: Indicate that we are ready to present the rendered frame to the VR display
  vrDisplay.submitFrame();
}

Note: You can see this complete code at raw-webgl-example.

Specifications

This method was part of the old WebVR API that has been superseded by the WebXR Device API. It is no longer on track to becoming a standard.

Until all browsers have implemented the new WebXR APIs, it is recommended to rely on frameworks, like A-Frame, Babylon.js, or Three.js, or a polyfill, to develop WebXR applications that will work across all browsers. Read Meta's Porting from WebVR to WebXR guide for more information.