'i3D' Demo App Shows Off Head-Tracking 3D on iOS Devices - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

'i3D' Demo App Shows Off Head-Tracking 3D on iOS Devices


Last month, French researchers Jeremie Francone and Laurence Nigay posted a video showing off a method for using head tracking by a device's camera to simulate three-dimensional scenes for the iPad, a concept in which Apple has expressed some interest.

i3d targets
As noted by MacStories, a new demo app from Francone and Nigay known as i3D has appeared in the App Store, giving users the opportunity to test out the technology on their own devices.

i3D is a free universal app running on the iPad 2, iPhone 4, and fourth-generation iPod touch. It contains a sample video image displaying a bounding box as it tracks the user's head location, as well as five demos showing the simulated 3D perspective that can be generated using the tracking.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Don't Buy)
Related Forums: iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and iPod

Popular Stories

apple price hike

Apple Just Increased Prices on MacBooks, iPads, and More

Thursday June 25, 2026 5:44 am PDT by
Apple today dramatically increased device prices across multiple product lines. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. After temporarily taking it down earlier today, Apple's online store is back up with a series of product price increases. The changes are as follows: HomePod mini: $129, up from $99 (+$30) HomePod: $349, up from $299 (+$50) Apple TV: $199, up from...
iPhone 5c Yellow

Apple Pulls Ability to Restore iPhone 5c, iPad Mini, and More [Updated]

Thursday July 9, 2026 5:31 am PDT by
Apple has stopped signing several older versions of iOS for a group of legacy iPhone and iPad models, cutting off the paths to reinstall or downgrade the affected software. Apple will no longer validate over-the-air (OTA) or direct IPSW installs of the builds in question. Once a version is unsigned, there is no longer a way to restore or install it through Finder or iTunes. The change is...
m3 ipad air mint

Apple Adds 36-Month Carrier Financing for Cellular iPads

Wednesday July 15, 2026 7:41 am PDT by
Apple has introduced 36-month financing for cellular iPad purchases through AT&T and Verizon, adding to the 12-month option previously available via Apple Card. The new financing, first reported by 9to5Mac, replaces Apple Card Monthly Installments as the sole route to spreading out a cellular iPad purchase. That plan paid off the balance interest-free over 12 months; the new carrier options...

Top Rated Comments

Trius Avatar
198 months ago
Cool concept... but it doesn't work very well yet..
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
guzhogi Avatar
198 months ago
Just downloaded it and I have to agree - very cool stuff, but still needs a lot of work.


I just want to know how it works when no one is touching the ipad.. I can understand the technology with the accelerometer in place.
Actually, it doesn't use the accelerometer. According to the article, it uses the front camera to track where your head is in relation. Because of that, there's no need to touch the iPad.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Satori Avatar
198 months ago
Just downloaded this for my iP4. Some demos work better than others - and overall it is a bit jerky. I don't think the head tracking is quite right yet. Very promising though -it will be so cool when it's perfected.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
198 months ago

What is the music from ??

A piano. ;)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
198 months ago
Overall a pretty impressive prototype, considering the available hardware was not engineered with this as a use case. The initial demo that tracks your head with a red rectangle demonstrates that they're doing a pretty solid job with the tracking part.

I think the stuttering and hesitation on the subsequent demos might have more do with the graphics processing & rendering than the actual tracking algorithms.

Note: I tested on an iPhone 4.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EricStriffler Avatar
198 months ago
I've been so excited to try out this head tracking 3D, and after playing with this app for a few minutes I'm so underwhelmed. It doesn't feel anywhere near as cool as I expected it to. Maybe it will be better with some more development, but I'm definitely let down.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)