Getting Started with CubeVi C1: A Developer Introduction to Spatial Applications

Getting Started with CubeVi C1: A Developer Introduction to Spatial Applications

CubeVi C1 is a compact glasses-free spatial display designed for developers who want to experiment with multi-view light-field rendering on the desktop.

This guide introduces:

  • What the C1 display is

  • How it works with CubeStage

  • How developers can start building spatial applications

1. What is CubeVi C1?

The CubeVi C1 is a small glasses-free 3D display that produces spatial depth using multi-view light-field interlacing. Unlike VR headsets, the C1 allows users to see spatial depth directly on a desktop display without glasses or tracking devices.

Conceptually, it is similar to other multi-view spatial displays such as Looking Glass, but in a compact form factor designed for experimentation and development.

Key characteristics:

  • Glasses-free spatial depth

  • Multi-view light-field display

  • Multiple viewing angles simultaneously

  • Compact desktop developer device

Note: Because the display renders multiple views simultaneously, it requires a discrete GPU.

For detailed setup instructions and hardware requirements, see the official user guide.

2. CubeStage — Platform Software

CubeVi devices work together with CubeStage, the CubeVi desktop platform software, which provides several essential functions.

Download CubeStage here

Device Optical Parameters: Each C1 unit has slightly different optical characteristics. CubeStage automatically downloads device-specific optical parameters from the backend. These parameters are required to correctly perform light-field interlacing.

Calibration: CubeStage also allows users to perform manual calibration to improve the viewing experience.

Application Platform: CubeStage acts as the app library for CubeVi devices, supporting the C1 (developer display), P1 (professional monitor), and PLAY (entertainment display).

It supports multiple hardware models:

- C1 – compact developer display

- P1 – 4K 15.6'' spatial monitor

- PLAY – 5K 27'' spatial display

 

Applications inside CubeStage include:

- official CubeVi applications

- developer-created applications

 

3. Developing Applications for C1

There are two main ways to build applications for the CubeVi C1:

  1. Using the Unity plugin

  2. Implementing native rendering

Both approaches rely on the same core concept: multi-view rendering combined with light-field interlacing.

The Rendering Pipeline

      → Multi-view camera rendering(Multiple cameras render the scene from slightly different viewpoints)

      → Optical parameters from CubeStage(CubeStage provides the device-specific optical parameters required for interlacing.)

      → Light-field interlacing(The rendered views are interlaced into a single light-field image)

      → Output to C1 display(The final interlaced image produces the glasses-free spatial depth effect)

3.1 Unity Development

For developers using Unity, a ready-to-use plugin is available for spatial rendering.

The Unity plugin demonstrates how to:

- retrieve optical parameters from CubeStage

- render multiple camera views

- perform view swizzling (light-field interlacing)

- output the final image to the CubeVi display

3.2 Native Rendering Development

For full control, developers can implement spatial rendering directly.

This project demonstrates how to:

- retrieve optical parameters from CubeStage

- render multi-view images

- perform multi-view light-field interlacing

- output the final image to the C1 displa

4. Early Developer Experiments

Developers have already begun exploring creative application ideas, including:

  • AI desk pets

  • Spatial dashboards

  • Stock trackers

  • Small 3D tools

  • UI experiments

All kinds of apps are welcome!

5. Publishing Applications

If you build an application and want to share it with other users, you can publish it through CubeStage.

Currently application publishing is manual.

If you would like to publish your app:

1. Join the CubeVi Discord

2. Send a DM to Kermit

3. We will review and manually list your app in CubeStage

6. Join the Developer Community

CubeVi C1 is designed as a developer exploration device. We are excited to see what you build with spatial displays! Our Discord.

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