Creating a multiuser AR experience
At a glance
| Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Enable nearby devices to share an AR experience by using a host-guest multiuser strategy. |
| App architecture | A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AppDelegate → ViewController → MultipeerSession → ARKit APIs. |
| Main patterns | View-controller organization, Delegate or data-source callbacks |
| Project style | 5 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries. |
Project structure
Source bundle/
├── ARMultiuser/
│ ├── AppDelegate.swift
│ ├── MultipeerSession.swift
│ ├── ViewController.swift
│ ├── RoundedButton.swift
│ ├── Utilities.swift
│ ├── Base.lproj/
│ │ ├── LaunchScreen.storyboard
│ │ └── Main.storyboard
│ └── Info.plist
├── ARMultiuser.xcodeproj/
│ ├── .xcodesamplecode.plist
│ └── project.pbxproj
└── Configuration/
└── SampleCode.xcconfig
Structure observations
- Architecturally prominent files are ranked from entry points and role-named declarations; resource-only paths are omitted.
- Primary languages: Swift.
- The verified tree contains 6 project/configuration file(s) and 4 source declaration(s).
Overall architecture
flowchart LR
N1["AppDelegate"]
N2["ViewController"]
N3["MultipeerSession"]
N4["ARKit APIs"]
N1 --> N2
N2 --> N3
N3 --> N4
Reference code
ARMultiuser/AppDelegate.swift:10 — architecture anchor
@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
var window: UIWindow?
}Interpretation
The arrows summarize the source-visible entry, role-named types or folders, and framework direction; when nodes come from structural folders, the sequence is a high-level interpretation rather than proof that every adjacent node calls the next. Ownership is claimed only where the next section cites a stored property or assignment. The diagram is intentionally limited to the dominant path into ARKit.
Ownership and state
classDiagram
AppDelegate o-- UIWindow : window
MultipeerSession *-- MCPeerID : myPeerID
MultipeerSession o-- MCSession : session
MultipeerSession o-- MCNearbyServiceAdvertiser : serviceAdvertiser
Ownership evidence
ARMultiuser/AppDelegate.swift:12 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor
@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
var window: UIWindow?
}| Owner | Object or state | Relationship | Mutation authority |
|---|---|---|---|
AppDelegate |
UIWindow (window) |
stores or receives | App/module collaborators |
MultipeerSession |
MCPeerID (myPeerID) |
creates and retains | Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable |
MultipeerSession |
MCSession (session) |
stores or receives | Owning lexical scope |
MultipeerSession |
MCNearbyServiceAdvertiser (serviceAdvertiser) |
stores or receives | Owning lexical scope |
Composition arrows indicate a source-visible construction expression or locally owned value state; aggregation means the owner stores or receives a dependency without proving exclusive lifetime ownership.
Class and protocol design
ARMultiuser/AppDelegate.swift:11 — representative type boundary
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
var window: UIWindow?
}| Type | Responsibility | Depends on or conforms to |
|---|---|---|
AppDelegate |
Receives callback-driven events | UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate |
MultipeerSession |
Owns a session-scoped interaction | NSObject |
ViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | UIViewController, ARSCNViewDelegate, ARSessionDelegate |
RoundedButton |
Owns feature behavior and collaborator lifecycle | UIButton |
No local protocol conformance is claimed as protocol-oriented design; external framework conformances are listed only as dependencies.
Access control
| Symbol | Access | Verified effect | Likely rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
myPeerID (ARMultiuser/MultipeerSession.swift:13) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
session (ARMultiuser/MultipeerSession.swift:14) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
serviceAdvertiser (ARMultiuser/MultipeerSession.swift:15) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
serviceBrowser (ARMultiuser/MultipeerSession.swift:16) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
Reference code
ARMultiuser/MultipeerSession.swift:13 — representative boundary
private let myPeerID = MCPeerID(displayName: UIDevice.current.name)
private var session: MCSession!
private var serviceAdvertiser: MCNearbyServiceAdvertiser!
private var serviceBrowser: MCNearbyServiceBrowser!
private let receivedDataHandler: (Data, MCPeerID) -> VoidSwift declarations without a modifier are internal; explicit private, fileprivate, private(set), public, or open entries above are interpreted by language semantics. Objective-C/C samples instead rely on header and implementation boundaries, which are not equivalent to Swift lexical privacy.
Logic ownership and placement
| Logic | Owning type or file | Placement rationale |
|---|---|---|
| View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | ViewController |
The source’s Controller suffix makes this role explicit. |
| Receives callback-driven events | AppDelegate |
The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit. |
| Owns a session-scoped interaction | MultipeerSession |
The source’s Session suffix makes this role explicit. |
Design patterns
| Pattern | Source evidence | Purpose or tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| View-controller organization | ARMultiuser/ViewController.swift:13 |
A controller is the verified coordination boundary; this is MVC-style only where a separate model is present. |
| Delegate or data-source callbacks | ARMultiuser/AppDelegate.swift:11 |
Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner. |
Naming conventions
- Types: Controller: ViewController; Delegate: AppDelegate; Session: MultipeerSession.
- Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
- Methods:
sendToAllPeers,session,browser,advertiser,viewDidLoad,viewDidAppear,viewWillDisappear,renderer. - Files:
ARMultiuser/AppDelegate.swift,ARMultiuser/MultipeerSession.swift,ARMultiuser/ViewController.swift,ARMultiuser/RoundedButton.swift.
Architecture takeaways
AppDelegateis the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.- Framework work reaches UIKit, ARKit, MultipeerConnectivity, SceneKit through a deliberately small high-level chain; the detailed API graph remains inside the cited implementation files.
- Stored-property evidence identifies lifecycle collaboration; it does not by itself prove exclusive object ownership.
- Access-control conclusions separate verified language visibility from the likely design rationale.
- The source does not justify labeling the design protocol-oriented.
Source map
| Source file | Relevant symbols |
|---|---|
ARMultiuser/AppDelegate.swift |
AppDelegate |
ARMultiuser/MultipeerSession.swift |
MultipeerSession |
ARMultiuser/ViewController.swift |
ViewController |
ARMultiuser/RoundedButton.swift |
RoundedButton |
ARMultiuser/Utilities.swift |
Feature implementation |