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 It has been superseded by the WebXR Device API.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.

Syntax

js
getFrameData(frameData)

Parameters

frameData

The VRFrameData object you want to populate.

Return value

A boolean value — a value of true is returned if the VRFrameData object was successfully populated, or false if it wasn't.

Examples

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.

Browser compatibility

desktop mobile
Chrome
Edge
Firefox
Opera
Safari
Chrome Android
Firefox for Android
Opera Android
Safari on iOS
Samsung Internet
WebView Android
WebView on iOS
getFrameData
Deprecated Non-standard
Chrome – No support
Chrome
footnote No support
Edge – No support
Edge 15 – 18 (Release date: 2017-04-05)
footnote Removed in 79 and later
Firefox – No support
Firefox 55 – 63 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Only on Windows.
Firefox – No support
Firefox 64 – 97 (Release date: 2018-12-11)
footnote Only on macOS and Windows.
Firefox – No support
Firefox 98 (Release date: 2022-03-08)
disabled
disabled From version 98 users must explicitly set the dom.vr.enabled preference to true. To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.
Opera – No support
Opera
footnote No support
Safari – No support
Safari
footnote No support
Chrome Android – No support
Chrome Android
footnote No support
Firefox for Android – No support
Firefox for Android 55 – 97 (Release date: 2017-08-08)
footnote Removed in 98 and later
Opera Android – No support
Opera Android
footnote No support
Safari on iOS – No support
Safari on iOS
footnote No support
Samsung Internet – Full support
Samsung Internet 6 (Release date: 2017-08-23)
footnote
footnote Google Cardboard supported in Samsung Internet 7.0.
WebView Android – No support
WebView Android
footnote No support
WebView on iOS – No support
WebView on iOS
footnote No support

Legend

Tip: you can click/tap on a cell for more information.

Full support
Full support
No support
No support
Non-standard. Check cross-browser support before using.
Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.
See implementation notes.
User must explicitly enable this feature.
Has more compatibility info.

See also