Qt 6.8 brings support for VR devices and 3D visualization

The cross-platform framework Qt has reached version 6.8. This is a release with Long-Term Support (LTS), which will be valid for commercial users for five years. Previously, the support period for LTS releases was three years. The new features include handling of new platforms and operating system versions as well as full support for three-dimensional data visualization with the Qt Graphs module.

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Qt for Windows on ARM and virtual reality devices

With Qt 6.8, the mobile operating systems in the new versions iOS 18 or Android 14 can be specified as targets. The supported devices include Raspberry Pi 5 and Nvidia AGX Orin. In addition, an additional architecture can be used: The release is compatible with Windows on ARM, which means that the new Microsoft Copilot+ PCs can be used as a target, for example. This means that Qt support for the ARM architecture is considered complete – for embedded, mobile and desktop development.

As a new device category, Qt can also handle the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3 XR headsets. In light of the increasing importance of virtual, augmented and mixed reality applications, according to the Qt team, the new Qt Quick 3D Xr module is now available. It is intended to make developers’ work easier when it comes to developing immersive experiences for platforms in the areas of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

3D data visualization with Qt Graphs

The Qt Graphs toolkit receives full support in the current release after it was previously available as a technology preview. Qt Graphs is used for interactive and dynamic data visualization in 2D and 3D and offers rendering functions and performance optimizations. It replaces the two older modules Qt Charts and Qt Data Visualization and is intended to enable more intuitive and convenient operation by combining their functions.

With the transition to the stable version, Qt Graphs has received new features, including transparency for Bars3D as well as greater control over label margins, title positioning and grid line rendering.

In total, the new release brings over 500 bug fixes and performance improvements since Qt 6.7. Not only Qt Graphs, but also the Qt HttpServer and Qt GRPC modules have made the leap from the technology preview to the fully supported version.

Qt is available in both an open source version and under commercial licenses and can be downloaded from the Qt website for Windows, macOS or Linux.

All other innovations can be found in the Qt blog.

(May)