Sample CodeiOS, iPadOS, Mac Catalyst, macOSReviewed 2026-07-21View on Apple Developer

Rendering a curve primitive in a ray tracing scene

At a glance

Item Summary
Purpose Implement ray traced rendering using GPU-based parallel processing.
App architecture A C/Objective-C header, Metal, Objective-C, Objective-C++ sample with the source-visible chain mainViewControllerRendererMetal APIs.
Main patterns View-controller organization, Delegate or data-source callbacks
Project style 15 scanned source file(s) across C/Objective-C header, Metal, Objective-C, Objective-C++, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries.
Execution model No structured execution marker indexed; callback threading requires source review.
State/event model No structured observation or publisher-scheduling marker indexed.
Key frameworks/packages simd, Metal, TargetConditionals.h, Cocoa, UIKit; these are source dependencies, not architecture labels.

Project structure

Source bundle/
├── Application/
│   ├── main.m
│   ├── AppDelegate.h
│   ├── AppDelegate.m
│   ├── ViewController.h
│   ├── ViewController.mm
│   ├── WindowSceneDelegate.h
│   └── WindowSceneDelegate.m
└── Renderer/
    ├── Renderer.h
    ├── Renderer.mm
    ├── Geometry.h
    ├── Geometry.mm
    └── ShaderTypes.h

Structure observations

  • Architecturally prominent files are ranked from entry points and role-named declarations; resource-only paths are omitted.
  • Primary languages: C/Objective-C header, Metal, Objective-C, Objective-C++.
  • The verified tree contains 7 project/configuration file(s) and 11 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

Reference code

Application/main.m:20 — architecture anchor

#if !TARGET_OS_IPHONE
int main(int argc, const char * argv[]) {
    return NSApplicationMain(argc, argv);
}
#endif

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 Metal.

Ownership and state

Ownership evidence

Application/WindowSceneDelegate.h:17 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor

#if TARGET_OS_IOS || TARGET_OS_TV
@property (nonatomic, strong) UIWindow *window;
#endif
Owner Object or state Relationship Mutation authority
WindowSceneDelegate UIWindow (window) retains or copies an assigned value Header-visible collaborators
Geometry id (device) stores or receives The declaring implementation writes; property clients read
Geometry MTLResourceOptions (options) stores or receives The declaring implementation writes; property clients read
Geometry id (vertexNormalBuffer) stores or receives Header-visible collaborators

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.

Concurrency, scheduling, and thread safety

Evidence limit: actor isolation, async/await, or Task creation does not by itself prove background-thread execution; Sendable conformance alone does not prove thread-safe mutation.

No source-visible execution, scheduling, or synchronization boundary was found in the indexed source.

@MainActor/MainActor.run, DispatchQueue.main, and RunLoop.main are reported as distinct isolation, queue, and event-loop mechanisms. A plain Task is kept separate from Task.detached; neither is labeled as a background thread.

State propagation, frameworks, and dependencies

Evidence limit: an import proves a source-level compilation dependency at the cited line; it does not prove runtime use, architectural adoption, or whether a Swift package is a direct application dependency.

Category Mechanism or module Verified role Evidence
Source import simd The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. Renderer/Geometry.h:12
Source import Metal The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. Application/ViewController.h:8
Source import TargetConditionals.h The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. Application/AppDelegate.h:8
Source import Cocoa The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. Application/AppDelegate.h:15
Source import UIKit The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. Application/AppDelegate.h:11
Source import MetalKit The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. Application/ViewController.h:9

receive(on:) describes downstream delivery scheduling, while subscribe(on:) describes upstream subscription/request/cancel scheduling. An import Combine alone establishes neither behavior nor a Store, reducer, Redux, or other application architecture.

Class and protocol design

Application/AppDelegate.h:20 — representative type boundary

@interface AppDelegate : PlatformAppDelegate

@end
Type Responsibility Depends on or conforms to
AppDelegate Receives callback-driven events PlatformAppDelegate
ViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination NSViewController
WindowSceneDelegate Receives callback-driven events UIResponder, UIWindowSceneDelegate
Renderer Owns drawing, GPU, or presentation processing NSObject, MTKViewDelegate
GeometryObject Defines a feature-specific type boundary NSObject
PlaneGeometry Defines a feature-specific type boundary GeometryObject
CurveGeometry Defines a feature-specific type boundary GeometryObject
packed_float3 Represents a feature value or composable behavior Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks
Camera Represents a feature value or composable behavior Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks
Uniforms Represents a feature value or composable behavior Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks

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
window (Application/WindowSceneDelegate.h:17) header-visible The declaration is exposed to translation units that import the header. Inference: declare a contract needed by other Objective-C/C translation units.
device (Renderer/Geometry.h:18) header-visible The declaration is exposed to translation units that import the header. Inference: declare a contract needed by other Objective-C/C translation units.
options (Renderer/Geometry.h:21) header-visible The declaration is exposed to translation units that import the header. Inference: declare a contract needed by other Objective-C/C translation units.
vertexNormalBuffer (Renderer/Geometry.h:31) header-visible The declaration is exposed to translation units that import the header. Inference: declare a contract needed by other Objective-C/C translation units.

Reference code

Application/WindowSceneDelegate.h:17 — representative boundary

#if TARGET_OS_IOS || TARGET_OS_TV
@property (nonatomic, strong) UIWindow *window;
#endif

Swift 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, WindowSceneDelegate The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit.
Owns drawing, GPU, or presentation processing Renderer The source’s Renderer suffix makes this role explicit.

Design patterns

Pattern Source evidence Purpose or tradeoff
View-controller organization Application/ViewController.h:19 A controller is the verified coordination boundary; this is MVC-style only where a separate model is present.
Delegate or data-source callbacks Application/AppDelegate.h:20 Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner.

Main application flow

Reference code

Renderer/Renderer.mm:280newAccelerationStructureWithDescriptor()

- (id <MTLAccelerationStructure>)newAccelerationStructureWithDescriptor:(MTLAccelerationStructureDescriptor *)descriptor
{
    // ...
    MTLAccelerationStructureSizes accelSizes = [_device accelerationStructureSizesWithDescriptor:descriptor];
    id <MTLAccelerationStructure> accelerationStructure = [_device newAccelerationStructureWithSize:accelSizes.accelerationStructureSize];
    id <MTLBuffer> scratchBuffer = [_device newBufferWithLength:accelSizes.buildScratchBufferSize options:MTLResourceStorageModePrivate];
    id <MTLCommandBuffer> commandBuffer = [_queue commandBuffer];
    id <MTLAccelerationStructureCommandEncoder> commandEncoder = [commandBuffer accelerationStructureCommandEncoder];
    id <MTLBuffer> compactedSizeBuffer = [_device newBufferWithLength:sizeof(uint32_t) options:MTLResourceStorageModeShared];
    [commandEncoder buildAccelerationStructure:accelerationStructure
                                    descriptor:descriptor
                                 scratchBuffer:scratchBuffer
                           scratchBufferOffset:0];
    [commandEncoder writeCompactedAccelerationStructureSize:accelerationStructure
                                                   toBuffer:compactedSizeBuffer
                                                     offset:0];
    [commandEncoder endEncoding];
    [commandBuffer commit];
    [commandBuffer waitUntilCompleted];
    uint32_t compactedSize = *(uint32_t *)compactedSizeBuffer.contents;
    id <MTLAccelerationStructure> compactedAccelerationStructure = [_device newAccelerationStructureWithSize:compactedSize];
    commandBuffer = [_queue commandBuffer];
    commandEncoder = [commandBuffer accelerationStructureCommandEncoder];
    [commandEncoder copyAndCompactAccelerationStructure:accelerationStructure
                                toAccelerationStructure:compactedAccelerationStructure];
    [commandEncoder endEncoding];
    [commandBuffer commit];
    return compactedAccelerationStructure;
}

Naming conventions

  • Types: Controller: ViewController; Delegate: AppDelegate, WindowSceneDelegate; Renderer: Renderer.
  • Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
  • Methods: application, applicationShouldTerminateAfterLastWindowClosed, viewDidLoad, scene, sceneDidDisconnect, initWithDevice.
  • Files: Application/AppDelegate.h, Application/AppDelegate.m, Application/ViewController.h, Application/ViewController.mm, Application/WindowSceneDelegate.h, Application/WindowSceneDelegate.m.

Architecture takeaways

  • main is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
  • Framework work reaches simd, Metal, Cocoa, UIKit 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
Application/main.m Cited implementation, Feature implementation
Application/WindowSceneDelegate.h Cited implementation, window, WindowSceneDelegate
Application/AppDelegate.h AppDelegate, Cited implementation, TargetConditionals.h, Cocoa, UIKit
Renderer/Geometry.h device, options, vertexNormalBuffer, simd, GeometryObject, PlaneGeometry, CurveGeometry
Application/ViewController.h ViewController, Metal, MetalKit
Application/AppDelegate.m AppDelegate
Application/ViewController.mm ViewController
Application/WindowSceneDelegate.m WindowSceneDelegate
Renderer/Renderer.h Renderer
Renderer/Renderer.mm Renderer
Renderer/Geometry.mm GeometryObject, PlaneGeometry, CurveGeometry
Renderer/ShaderTypes.h packed_float3, Camera, Uniforms
Renderer/Shaders.metal CopyVertexOut
Renderer/MathUtilities.h Feature implementation
Renderer/MathUtilities.mm Feature implementation