'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

ipad blue

It's a Bad Time to Buy the Low-Cost iPad

Thursday May 14, 2026 2:12 pm PDT by
Apple's iPad that's just an iPad with no Air or Pro attached is its most appealing tablet because of the affordable starting $349 price tag, but if you've been thinking about buying one, you should wait. Apple refreshed the iPad in March 2025, so it's over a year old. That's reason enough not to buy when there's a new model on the horizon, but this year, there's even more to lose by...
macOS 27 on MacBook Pro

Apple Says macOS 27 Won't Be Compatible With These Macs

Wednesday June 3, 2026 8:29 am PDT by
During WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that macOS 26 Tahoe would be the final major macOS version for Intel-based Macs. macOS 27 will be compatible with Apple silicon Macs only, meaning that you will need a Mac with an M-series chip or a MacBook Neo with an A18 Pro chip in order to install the software update. Apple will unveil macOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote this Monday, June 8, and the...
MacBook Neo on Yellow Feature

MacBook Neo is So Popular That Apple Reportedly Doubled Production

Wednesday June 3, 2026 9:24 am PDT by
On an earnings call in late April, Apple's CEO Tim Cook said that customer response to the MacBook Neo was "off the charts," and the popularity of the laptop has reportedly led the company to significantly boost production. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo this week said he believes that MacBook Neo shipments to Apple were doubled from an initial target of 5 million units to 10...

Top Rated Comments

Trius Avatar
196 months ago
Cool concept... but it doesn't work very well yet..
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
guzhogi Avatar
196 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
196 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)
196 months ago

What is the music from ??

A piano. ;)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
196 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
196 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)