---
title: Content Anchors
framework: arkit
role: collectionGroup
role_heading: API Collection
path: arkit/content-anchors
---

# Content Anchors

Identify items in the physical environment, including planar surfaces, images, physical objects, body positions, and faces.

## Overview

Overview Anchors identify the position of items in your augmented reality session. Use anchors to obtain information about the item itself, or about the thing it represents. For example, use an ARPlaneAnchor to determine the location of a planar surface.

## Topics

### Surface Detection

- [Tracking and visualizing planes](arkit/tracking-and-visualizing-planes.md)
- [ARPlaneAnchor](arkit/arplaneanchor.md)
- [ARMeshAnchor](arkit/armeshanchor.md)

### Image Detection

- [Tracking and altering images](arkit/tracking-and-altering-images.md)
- [Detecting Images in an AR Experience](arkit/detecting-images-in-an-ar-experience.md)
- [ARImageAnchor](arkit/arimageanchor.md)
- [ARReferenceImage](arkit/arreferenceimage.md)

### Physical Objects

- [Visualizing and interacting with a reconstructed scene](arkit/visualizing-and-interacting-with-a-reconstructed-scene.md)
- [Scanning and Detecting 3D Objects](arkit/scanning-and-detecting-3d-objects.md)
- [ARObjectAnchor](arkit/arobjectanchor.md)
- [ARReferenceObject](arkit/arreferenceobject.md)

### Body Position Tracking

- [Capturing Body Motion in 3D](arkit/capturing-body-motion-in-3d.md)
- [Rigging a Model for Motion Capture](arkit/rigging-a-model-for-motion-capture.md)
- [Validating a Model for Motion Capture](arkit/validating-a-model-for-motion-capture.md)
- [ARBodyAnchor](arkit/arbodyanchor.md)

### Face Tracking

- [Tracking and visualizing faces](arkit/tracking-and-visualizing-faces.md)
- [Combining user face-tracking and world tracking](arkit/combining-user-face-tracking-and-world-tracking.md)
- [ARFaceAnchor](arkit/arfaceanchor.md)

### Geotracking

- [Tracking geographic locations in AR](arkit/tracking-geographic-locations-in-ar.md)
- [ARGeoAnchor](arkit/argeoanchor.md)

### Multiuser Experiences

- [ARParticipantAnchor](arkit/arparticipantanchor.md)

### App Clip Codes

- [Interacting with App Clip Codes in AR](appclip/interacting-with-app-clip-codes-in-ar.md)
- [ARAppClipCodeAnchor](arkit/arappclipcodeanchor.md)

### Text Annotations

- [Creating screen annotations for objects in an AR experience](arkit/creating-screen-annotations-for-objects-in-an-ar-experience.md)
- [Recognizing and Labeling Arbitrary Objects](arkit/recognizing-and-labeling-arbitrary-objects.md)

### Common Types

- [ARAnchor](arkit/aranchor.md)
- [ARAnchorCopying](arkit/aranchorcopying.md)
- [ARTrackable](arkit/artrackable.md)

## See Also

### Virtual Content

- [Environmental Analysis](arkit/environmental-analysis.md)
- [Camera, Lighting, and Effects](arkit/camera-lighting-and-effects.md)
- [Data Management](arkit/data-management.md)
- [Creating USD files for Apple devices](usd/creating-usd-files-for-apple-devices.md)