VRDisplay: cancelAnimationFrame() method

Deprecated

Avoid using this feature in new projects. Development of the WebVR API halted in favor of WebXR. This feature may be a candidate for removal from web standards or browsers.

Consider using the following features instead: WebXR.

Non-standard: This feature is not standardized. We do not recommend using non-standard features in production, as they have limited browser support, and may change or be removed. However, they can be a suitable alternative in specific cases where no standard option exists.

The cancelAnimationFrame() method of the VRDisplay interface is a special implementation of Window.cancelAnimationFrame that unregisters callbacks registered with VRDisplay.requestAnimationFrame().

Note: This method was part of the old WebVR API. It has been superseded by the WebXR Device API.

Syntax

js
cancelAnimationFrame(handle)

Parameters

handle

The handle returned by the VRDisplay.requestAnimationFrame() call that you want to unregister.

Return value

None (undefined).

Examples

js
canvas.width = window.innerWidth;
canvas.height = window.innerHeight;
drawScene();

// WebVR: Check to see if WebVR is supported
if (navigator.getVRDisplays) {
  console.log("WebVR 1.1 supported");
  // Then get the displays attached to the computer
  navigator.getVRDisplays().then((displays) => {
    // If a display is available, use it to present the scene
    if (displays.length > 0) {
      vrDisplay = displays[0];
      console.log("Display found");
      // Starting the presentation when the button is clicked: It can only be called in response to a user gesture
      btn.addEventListener("click", () => {
        if (btn.textContent === "Start VR display") {
          vrDisplay.requestPresent([{ source: canvas }]).then(() => {
            console.log("Presenting to WebVR display");

            // Set the canvas size to the size of the vrDisplay viewport

            const leftEye = vrDisplay.getEyeParameters("left");
            const rightEye = vrDisplay.getEyeParameters("right");

            canvas.width =
              Math.max(leftEye.renderWidth, rightEye.renderWidth) * 2;
            canvas.height = Math.max(
              leftEye.renderHeight,
              rightEye.renderHeight,
            );

            // stop the normal presentation, and start the vr presentation
            window.cancelAnimationFrame(normalSceneFrame);
            drawVRScene();

            btn.textContent = "Exit VR display";
          });
        } else {
          vrDisplay.exitPresent();
          console.log("Stopped presenting to WebVR display");

          btn.textContent = "Start VR display";

          // Stop the VR presentation, and start the normal presentation
          vrDisplay.cancelAnimationFrame(vrSceneFrame);
          drawScene();
        }
      });
    }
  });
} else {
  info.textContent = "WebVR API not supported by this browser.";
}

function drawVRScene() {
  // WebVR: Request the next frame of the animation
  vrSceneFrame = vrDisplay.requestAnimationFrame(drawVRScene);

  // …
}

Note: You can see this complete code at raw-webgl-example.

Specifications

This method was part of the old WebVR API that has been superseded by the WebXR Device API. It is no longer on track to becoming a standard.

Until all browsers have implemented the new WebXR APIs, it is recommended to rely on frameworks, like A-Frame, Babylon.js, or Three.js, or a polyfill, to develop WebXR applications that will work across all browsers. Read Meta's Porting from WebVR to WebXR guide for more information.

Browser compatibility

See also