Troubleshooting Display Issues in VEXcode VR on Google Chrome

Some users may see a black floor in the VEXcode VR Playground. This display issue has two known causes, which vary depending on your device. To resolve the issue, find your device type in the sections below and follow the corresponding instructions.

Chromebooks and Android

If the VR Playground's floor is turning black on your Chromebook or Android device, this means that the Chrome web browser is using the Vulkan API to process VEXcode VR graphics.

We are aware of this issue and are actively looking into a solution.

Note: Because of this issue, the Fill area with color Block and pen.fill() command will not function.

Reset button in the VEXcode VR Playground controls bar

A potential solution to this issue is to press the Playground Reset button. While this may reset the floor and resolve the issue on the next load, it is not guaranteed to work.

This will not work on the 123 Playspace Playground.


Windows and Mac

If the VR Playground's floor is turning black on your Windows or Mac device, that means that the Chrome web browser does not have graphics acceleration enabled.

VEXcode VR Playgrounds are 3D applications that require graphics processing to function. By default, your browser may not use your device's full graphics capabilities. Enabling graphics acceleration lets your browser use your device's graphics processing unit (GPU) for these tasks. This can improve the performance of the Playground.

Not having graphics acceleration enabled can also lead to a lower frame rate, incorrect sensor data from the VR Robot, or improper behaviors from the Pen tool.

VEXcode VR Encoded Message Playground displaying a black floor with the VR robot at the start position Encoded Message Playground displayed correctly with the robot at the starting position
Graphics acceleration off Graphics acceleration on

How to Enable Graphics Acceleration

Follow the steps below to enable graphics acceleration.

Chrome site settings with JavaScript blocked for vr.vex.com

Select the three dots on the top right of the web browser.

Google Chrome settings menu for troubleshooting VEXcode VR display issues

Select Settings from the bottom of this dropdown menu.

Chrome menu showing More tools to access Clear browsing data

In the Settings menu, select System.

Chrome menu with Settings selected to open browser settings

The graphics acceleration option will appear. Select the toggle to the right to turn on graphics acceleration.

Chrome settings showing hardware acceleration enabled and the Relaunch button to apply the change

After turning on graphics acceleration, you will be prompted to relaunch Chrome. 

Chrome settings showing graphics acceleration enabled

After relaunching, you will see that the graphics acceleration toggle is set to on.

For more information, help, and tips, check out the many resources at VEX Professional Development Plus

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