Day Two (Tuesday, June 7th ’22) was all about updates to SwiftUI and Xcode, going into greater detail about the topics already covered during the Platforms State of the Union. Considering that this is 9to5Gamers, the top four spots in this list are gaming-related topics.
Metal 3: Apple’s latest version of its graphics and compute API can now better wield the full power of Apple silicon. Resources load quicker, shader binaries compile at build time, high-resolution graphics are rendered faster, and more.
Metal 3 & C++: Games already programed in C++ can now tap into the power of Metal via metal-cpp. Developers will be shown how object lifecycles are managed, as well as best practices for app design involving Objective-C and C++ integration.
Unity Accessibility: The new Accessibility plug-in will allow developers to make their Unity-based apps available on Apple platforms. Assistive technologies like VoiceOver and Switch Control have been added, automatic scaling can be achieved with Dynamic Type and more.
Unity & Apple Frameworks: Developers can now enhance their Unity-based projects with the following plug-ins: Apple.Core, Game Center, Game Controller, Accessibility, Core Haptics, and PHASE. These allow for new game mechanics, accessibility, and the ability to utilize Apple’s latest features.
Continuity Camera: iPhones can now be used as an external camera in any app using Continuity Camera. For developers working on video conferencing software and other projects involving cameras, Apple’s APIs will optimize all hardware involved.
Related: Apple WWDC ’22 Keynote & PSOTU Recap
Augmented Reality: Object Capture allows items to be captured and added to Reality Kit-based projects in Xcode. From there, developers can add shaders and animations to create unique AR experiences. It is recommended to review “Dive into RealityKit 2” and “Create 3D models with Object Capture” from last year’s WWDC.
Room Plan: Create 3D scans of a room within your app using Room Plan. Developers will be able to integrate the new API and explore its 3D parametric output. By following Apple’s best practices, apps will get their desired results with every scan.
Developer Mode: Android users will already be familiar with this concept but Apple is introducing Developer Mode. It will be required on iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and watchOS 9 in order to install, run, and debug apps during the development process.
iPad Desktop Class Apps: If the iPad truly wants to become a Mac replacement, Desktop Class Apps are a must. Apple is now giving developers the tools to do exactly that with updates to UIKit and UI Navigator Bar. Bringing iPad apps to the desktop has become even easier using Mac Catalyst.
macOS & Linux virtual machines: Developers can use the Virtualization framework to create virtual Macs to test apps and software in an isolated environment. Full Linux distributions also run on Apple silicon and Rosetta 2 can be used to run x86-64 Linux binaries.
