xrCreateInstanceconst

xrCreateInstanceconst is not a distinct OpenXR function. In practice, there is a single official entry point named xrCreateInstance, and the const qualifier appears in its parameter type rather than in a separate function name. Some documentation or informal references may appear as xrCreateInstanceconst when describing the const-qualified XrInstanceCreateInfo* argument passed to xrCreateInstance. The correct API signature is: XrResult xrCreateInstance(const XrInstanceCreateInfo* createInfo, XrInstance* instance).

Purpose and behavior

xrCreateInstance creates a new OpenXR instance, which serves as the top-level handle for interacting with a runtime. The call initializes runtime state, enables requested layers and extensions, and establishes the application and engine metadata that the runtime uses for configuration and diagnostics. A successful call writes a valid XrInstance handle to the output parameter and returns XR_SUCCESS. On failure, an appropriate XrResult error code is returned.

Parameters and data structures

The first argument is a pointer to a const XrInstanceCreateInfo, which describes the creation request and must be properly populated. The XrInstanceCreateInfo structure includes:

- type and next fields to identify the structure and its extensions

- applicationInfo, which carries applicationName, applicationVersion, engineName, engineVersion, and apiVersion

- enabledExtensionNames and enabledExtensionCount to request runtime-supported extensions

- enabledApiLayerNames and enabledApiLayerCount to enable validation layers or other API layers

Usage notes

The runtime version and API compatibility influence success; if the requested apiVersion is not supported, creation may fail. The created instance is shared across threads for subsequent OpenXR calls and should be destroyed with xrDestroyInstance when no longer needed.

See also

xrDestroyInstance, XrInstanceCreateInfo, XrApplicationInfo, OpenXR specification.