---
title: "preliminary:imageAnchoring:referenceImage"
framework: usd
role: article
role_heading: Article
path: usd/preliminary-imageanchoring-referenceimage
---

# preliminary:imageAnchoring:referenceImage

The characteristics of an image the runtime should scan for in order to attach a prim.

## Overview

Overview An asset assigns this property a prim with type Preliminary_ReferenceImage. The runtime searches for an image described by this property in the physical environment. If the runtime finds a match, it places a prim at the image’s real-world location. When a runtime places a prim in the physical environment, the prim’s children also attach to that location. The runtime employs the information contained in this property only when preliminary:anchoring:type is image. Declaration rel preliminary:imageAnchoring:referenceImage Anchor a cube to an image The following example demonstrates how an asset defines a reference image (ImageReference) that the runtime should look for in the physical environment. The asset includes a cube that assigns an Preliminary_ReferenceImage to its preliminary:imageAnchoring:referenceImage property, instructing the runtime to anchor it to a real-world object that matches the image criteria. def Cube "ImageAnchoredCube" (     prepend apiSchemas = [ "Preliminary_AnchoringAPI" ] ) {     uniform token preliminary:anchoring:type = "image"     rel preliminary:imageAnchoring:referenceImage = <ImageReference>     ...

def Preliminary_ReferenceImage "ImageReference"     {       uniform asset image = @image.png@       uniform double physicalWidth = 0.12     } }

## See Also

### Properties

- [preliminary:anchoring:type](usd/preliminary-anchoring-type.md)
- [preliminary:planeAnchoring:alignment](usd/preliminary-planeanchoring-alignment.md)