--- title: "2.3 - Near-Far and Ray Interactors" content_type: tutorial url: "https://learn.unity.com/tutorial/2-3-near-far-and-ray-interactors?language=en" language: en difficulty: beginner duration_minutes: 90 unity_version: - "6.3" - "6.2" - "6.1" - "6.0" supported_unity_versions: - name: "6.3" url: "https://learn.unity.com/tutorial/2-3-near-far-and-ray-interactors.md?language=en&version=6.3" - name: "6.2" url: "https://learn.unity.com/tutorial/2-3-near-far-and-ray-interactors.md?language=en&version=6.2" - name: "6.1" url: "https://learn.unity.com/tutorial/2-3-near-far-and-ray-interactors.md?language=en&version=6.1" - name: "6.0" url: "https://learn.unity.com/tutorial/2-3-near-far-and-ray-interactors.md?language=en&version=6.0" - name: "2022.3" url: "https://learn.unity.com/tutorial/2-3-near-far-and-ray-interactors.md?language=en&version=2022.3" - name: "2021.3" url: "https://learn.unity.com/tutorial/2-3-near-far-and-ray-interactors.md?language=en&version=2021.3" last_updated: "2026-08-04T14:23:15.000Z" --- # 2.3 - Near-Far and Ray Interactors Implement Direct Interactors and ray-based interactors so users can grab objects or point with the same VR controller. In this lesson, you will learn how to implement Direct Interactors and how to switch between interactors on the same controller. By the end of this lesson, the user will be able to grab things directly with their hands, and then toggle a ray to point at things when they need to. This lesson is part of the [Create with VR course](https://learn.unity.com/course/create-with-vr). Overview: [Video](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20250923/videos/bc2671f3-02ad-42d4-8ce8-2e7c254f7099_2_3_0_intro_v2_1.59.25_PM.mp4) ([Transcript (en)](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20250924/69a78c66-9b79-4589-b6c3-09c21650eb8c_2_3_0_intro_v2.vtt)) ## 1. Prevent ray from picking up GameObjects Right now, you can pick up everything with your teleport ray, which doesn’t feel natural. You should only be able to teleport with your ray and pick up GameObjects with your hand directly. [Video](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20250912/videos/73d9d4c7-3772-4ee0-a493-57b45f56bca1_2.3.1.mp4) **1. Add a new layer for your rays:** - In the **Inspector** window, on your **XR** **Ray** **Interactor** component, locate the **Interaction Layer Mask** property box, open the **Layers** dropdown, and select **Add** **Layer**. - Add a new “Raycasts” layer in the first available empty box. **2. Prevent your ray from interacting with your grabbable GameObjects:** - On your **Controller** GameObject’s **XR** **Ray** **Interactor** component, for the **Interaction Layer Mask** property, assign only the **Raycasts** layer. - To do this, you need to first select **Nothing** and then re-select the **Raycasts** layer. - Make sure your grabbable GameObjects don’t share the **Raycasts** **Interaction** **Layer**. **3. Make sure your ray can interact with teleport GameObjects:** - For each **Teleportation** **Anchor** and **Teleportation** **Area** GameObject, in the **Interaction Layer Mask** property, make sure the **Raycasts** layer is the only enabled layer**.** **4. Prevent your hand model from disappearing when you teleport:** - In the **XR** **Ray** **Interactor** component, remove the **Select** and **Select** **Excited** events by selecting the **Remove** (**-**) button on each. Your ray interactor should no longer be able to pick up GameObjects, but should be usable for teleporting. ## 2. Add a near far interactor for each hand Before the **Near-Far Interactor** was introduced, you had to create a **Direct** **Interactor** for grabbing close GameObjects and a **Ray** **Interactor** to grab far GameObjects separately. Introduced in **XR Interaction Toolkit** version 3, the **Near-Far Interactor** combines both of these functions into a single component, allowing you to seamlessly interact with GameObjects both up close (near) and at a distance (far). [Video](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20250912/videos/9e2d6c00-6107-4712-820b-98bd9f8ec322_2.3.2.mp4) **1. Create the Near-Far Interactor setup:** - In the **Hierarchy window**, rename the **Right Hand Controller** > **Right Ray Interactor** GameObject “Teleport interactor”. - Right-click the **Right Hand Controller** GameObject and select **XR** > **Near-Far Interactor.** This will create a new **Near-Far Interactor** GameObject as a child GameObject of the **Right Hand Controller** GameObject. - In the **Inspector** window, notice the components that were added to the new **Near-Far Interactor** GameObject: - **Near-Far Interactor component**: Combines direct and ray interaction modes so you can grab and interact with GameObjects both near and far. - **Interaction Attach Controller**: Defines how a GameObject attaches to your hand or controller when grabbed, controlling its offset and rotation. - **Sphere Interaction Caster**: Casts a sphere-shaped volume to detect nearby GameObjects for interaction. - **Curve Interaction Caster**: Projects a curved ray for far interactions. - You need to set the **Input** **Actions** for the **Near**-**Far** **Interactor** component. Open the **Presets** menu and then select the **Right_NearFarInteractor.preset** asset. **2. Hide and unhide hands:** - In the **Near-Far Interactor** component, use the foldout (triangle) to expand the **Interactor Events** section. - Under the **Select Entered** property, select the **Add** (**+**) button, drag the **VR_Hand_Blue_Right** prefab into the box, open the **No Function** dropdown, select **GameObject** > **SetActive(bool)**, and make sure the checkbox is disabled to hide the hand when grabbing. - Under the **Select Exited** property, select the **Add** (**+**) button, drag the **VR_Hand_Blue_Right** prefab into the box, open the **No Function** dropdown, select **GameObject** > **SetActive(bool)**, and **enable** the box to show the hand when releasing. - Open the **Interaction** **Layer** **Mask** dropdown and select the **Hats** layer to allow your **Near-Far** **Interactor** GameObject to interact with the hats you created. If you created additional layers for other GameObjects, make sure to add them as well. - In the **Hierarchy** window, expand the **Near Far Interactor** GameObject, then select and inspect the **Line** **Visual** child GameObject. This GameObject contains all of the components that create the ray for the **Curve Interaction Caster.** Experiment with the settings to find a look that you like. For example, you can set the **Line** **Dynamics** **Mode** property to **Retract** **on** **Hit** **Loss** to make it retract back to your hand when no interactable GameObjects are detected. ![](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20250912/learn/images/e15ef60f-e43e-4e01-983c-7128ebfac202_RetractOnHit.png) - Repeat the steps above for the **Left Hand Controller** GameObject**.** You’ll now be able to pick up GameObjects close to you or at a distance with the **Near**-**Far Interactor** GameObject. ## 3. Add haptics and audio to the NearFar Interactor Just like you did for the ray interactor, you should add the same haptic and audio feedback for hovering over and selecting GameObjects. You can add haptic on hover enter and select enter to provide physical feedback to the player’s hands. **Note**: If you’re using the **OpenXR** **Plugin** for development on devices like the HTC Vive or Valve index, this feature might not work. [Video](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20250912/videos/6aeeee8f-1bb3-469b-9243-95ecbab7fe9c_2.3.3.mp4) **1. Add a Haptic Impulse Player component:** The **Controller** GameObjects already have **Haptic Impulse Player** components assigned, so you don't have to repeat that step, but you still need to assign a **Simple Haptic Feedback** component to your new interactors to activate the haptics on them. - Select the **Near-Far Interactor** GameObject under the **Right Hand** **Controller** GameObject in the **Hierarchy** window. - Add a **Simple Haptic Feedback** component. - Enable the **Play Select Entered** property. - Set the **Duration** property value to a very low value (for example, **0.1** seconds). - Repeat this for the **Left** **Hand** **Near-Far Interactor** GameObject. ## 4. Switch Between Teleport Near Far Interactor rays Currently, both the **Near-Far Interactors** and **Teleport Interactor** rays overlap on each hand, which can make the user experience confusing. In this step, you'll adjust the setup so that the teleport ray only activates when a specific button is pressed. [Video](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20250912/videos/3c489646-7464-4300-acd9-b612adc665cf_2.3.4.mp4) **1. Add the ability to toggle the left ray:** - On the **Left Hand Controller** GameObject, add a **Toggle Interactor Components** component. This is a custom script we created that will disable a GameObject specified by the user. - For the **Near Far Interactor** property, assign the left **Near-Far Interactor** GameObject. - For the **Teleport Interactor** property, assign the left **Teleport Interactor** GameObject. **2. Add the ability to detect if a button is pressed:** - On the **Left Hand Controller** GameObject, add an **On** **Button** **Press** component. - In the **On** **Button** **Press** component, under the **Action** property, select the **Add** (**+**) button and select **Add Binding**. **Note:** It’s very easy to miss the **Action** property - look closely. - Double-click the new \<**No Binding**> action. - Open the **Path** property dropdown, select **XR Controller** > **XR Controller (Left Hand)** > **Optional Controls** > **primaryButton.** **Note**: Different controllers have different buttons, triggers, and pads on them. If you’re not using a Meta Quest, you’ll likely have to choose a different binding path that works with your device. For example, check out the OpenXRI controller profiles for the[ HTC Vive](https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.xr.openxr@1.15/manual/features/htcvivecontrollerprofile.html) or the[ Valve Index](https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.xr.openxr@1.15/manual/features/valveindexcontrollerprofile.html). **4. Activate the ray when the button is pressed:** - Under the **On Press** property, select the **Add** (**+**) button to add a new action. - Assign the **Left Hand Controller** GameObject, since it has the **Toggle** **Interactor** **Components** script. - Open the **No Function** dropdown and select **ToggleInteractorComponents** > **EnableTeleportRay ()**. **5. Deactivate the ray when the button is released:** - Under the **On Release** property, select the **Add** (**+**) button to add a new action. - Assign the **Left Hand Controller** GameObject. - Open the **No Function** dropdown and select **ToggleInteractorComponents** > **DisableTeleportRay ()**. **6. Set up the right hand toggle:** - Repeat the steps above for the **Right** **Hand** **Controller** GameObject. The teleport ray on the left hand should now only appear while the primary button is pressed and disappear when the button is released. ## 5. Add an additional binding and repeat for other hand One controller is working with one button. You can give the user more options of buttons to push depending on their preference, and then apply this functionality to the other hand. [Video](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20250912/videos/a69541b3-1789-4b7a-88a7-215e6ea40f29_2.3.5.mp4) **1. Add an additional binding that detects the thumbstick:** - In the **On** **Button** **Press** component, under the **Action** property, select the **Add** (**+**) button to add an additional binding to this action. - Follow the same instructions as the previous step to select a binding, but select **XR Controller** > **XR Controller (Left Hand)** > **Optional Controls** > **thumbstickTouched** instead of **primaryButton**. **Note**: Different controllers have different buttons, triggers, and pads on them. If you’re not using a Meta Quest, you’ll likely have to choose a different binding path that works with your device. For example, check out the OpenXRI controller profiles for the [HTC Vive](https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.xr.openxr@1.15/manual/features/htcvivecontrollerprofile.html) or the [Valve Index](https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.xr.openxr@1.15/manual/features/valveindexcontrollerprofile.html). **2. Add this same ray toggling functionality for your right hand:** - Repeat all of the instructions from the previous step, but for your **Right** **Hand** **Controller** GameObject. The rays on both hands should now only appear while the primary button or thumbstick are touched. ## 6. Recap [Video](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20220608/videos/b142e866-a51c-4718-973c-4aa076775e1a_2_3_recap_v1.mp4) ([Transcript (en)](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20220608/e29d45e3-7245-4fd5-b0bc-d263f712e658_2_3_recap_v1.vtt)) **New functionality:** - Near-Far Interactors on each hand - Toggle Near-Far Interactors on/off with button **New concepts and skills:** - Direct vs ray interactors - Detect button press **Next lesson:** - User interfaces ## 7. Extension Activities _(Optional)_ If you want to further develop your skills, explore new concepts, and improve your project, check out some of the optional extension activities below. Each one is tagged as \[Easy\], \[Medium\], \[Difficult\], or \[Expert\] and will also include a \[Requires Programming\] tag if some coding is required. **1. Customize the ray interactor lines \[Easy\]** Edit the ray interactor line and transparency colors, including gradients and transparency: - It looks good to make the start of the ray transparent so it doesn’t overlap with your hands. - To customize the colors of the rays, look in the **XR** **Interactor** **Line** **Visual** components **Valid** and **Invalid** color gradient properties. In the **Gradient** **Editor** window, use the markers below the color bar to edit the color and the markers above the color bar to edit the transparency (Alpha) value. ![](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20210212/learn/images/db4180ef-62f0-43fc-aa5a-f022ab1c2631_gradient_editor__1_.png) [Video](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20210212/videos/b68921b4-25ce-4d2e-aaf6-7294d6a24041_2.3.ext___ray_gradients.mp4) **2. Add a functional watering can \[Medium\]** Add a watering can that generates a water particle when you tilt it: - Use the **OnTilt** script provided in the **\_Course Library** > **Scripts** > **Conditions** folder to detect tilting. - Find a **Particle_Water** GameObject from the **\_Course Library** > **Particles** folder. - Use the **ToggleParticle** > **Play()** and **Stop()** functions to control the particle. - **Bonus:** Add in pouring sound effects using the **PlayContinuousSound** script. - **Bonus:** Use the **OnVelocity** script to also add a splashing sound when you shake the watering can. **Hint:** Add a separate audio source for splashing sound to not interfere with the pouring sound. [Video](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20210212/videos/1ea8f710-f1ed-4d7e-ac78-0adfc90000ed_2.3.ext___watering_can.mp4) **3. Add hinges to cabinet doors \[Expert\]** Allow the user to open cabinet doors or chest lids using Unity’s physics hinges: - You’ll need to add a [**Hinge** **Joint**](https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/class-HingeJoint.html) and **Rigidbody** component to the door, and customize its angular limits. - You’ll need to add an **XR** **Grab** **Interactable** component to the handle and may want to add a [**Fixed** **Joint**](https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/class-FixedJoint.html) component connected to your door’s **Rigidbody** component. - Make sure your door’s colliders don’t overlap any other colliders, which could cause it to get stuck. **Note**: Joints are very tricky and can be frustrating. [Video](https://connect-mediagw.unity.com/h1/20210212/videos/16ea8128-05f0-4895-b647-5f3d0e4d85ee_2.3.ext___cabinet_hinges.mp4)