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

Configuring Collision in RealityKit

At a glance

Item Summary
Purpose Use collision groups and collision filters to control which objects collide.
App architecture A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AppDelegateViewControllerRealityKit APIs.
Main patterns View-controller organization, Delegate or data-source callbacks
Project style 4 scanned source file(s) across Swift, 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 UIKit, RealityKit, Combine, Accessibility; these are source dependencies, not architecture labels.

Project structure

Source bundle/
├── RealityKitCollisionGroups/
│   ├── AppDelegate.swift
│   ├── Custom Entities/
│   │   ├── Entities.swift
│   │   └── PlaneEntity.swift
│   ├── ViewController.swift
│   ├── Base.lproj/
│   │   ├── LaunchScreen.storyboard
│   │   └── Main.storyboard
│   └── Info.plist
├── Configuration/
│   └── SampleCode.xcconfig
└── RealityKitCollisionGroups.xcodeproj/
    ├── .xcodesamplecode.plist
    └── project.pbxproj

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 7 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

Reference code

RealityKitCollisionGroups/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 RealityKit.

Ownership and state

Ownership evidence

RealityKitCollisionGroups/AppDelegate.swift:13 — 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
MovableEntity Float (size) owns value state App/module collaborators
MovableEntity UIColor (color) stores or receives App/module collaborators
MovableEntity MaterialScalarParameter (roughness) stores or receives App/module 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 UIKit The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. RealityKitCollisionGroups/AppDelegate.swift:8
Source import RealityKit The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. RealityKitCollisionGroups/Custom Entities/Entities.swift:9
Source import Combine The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. RealityKitCollisionGroups/Custom Entities/Entities.swift:10
Source import Accessibility The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. RealityKitCollisionGroups/ViewController.swift:10

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

RealityKitCollisionGroups/AppDelegate.swift:11 — representative type boundary

@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {

    var window: UIWindow?

}
Type Responsibility Depends on or conforms to
AppDelegate Receives callback-driven events UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate
ViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination UIViewController, UIGestureRecognizerDelegate
MovableEntity Represents feature data Entity, HasModel, HasCollision, HasPhysics
BoxEntity Represents feature data MovableEntity
BeveledBoxEntity Represents feature data MovableEntity
SphereEntity Represents feature data MovableEntity
PlaneEntity Represents feature data Entity, HasModel, HasPhysics, HasCollision

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
setInitialTransforms (RealityKitCollisionGroups/ViewController.swift:89) fileprivate Use is restricted to this source file. Inference: share with same-file helpers or extensions without exposing the symbol module-wide.
setPhysicsModeAll (RealityKitCollisionGroups/ViewController.swift:108) fileprivate Use is restricted to this source file. Inference: share with same-file helpers or extensions without exposing the symbol module-wide.
setCollisionFilters (RealityKitCollisionGroups/ViewController.swift:115) fileprivate Use is restricted to this source file. Inference: share with same-file helpers or extensions without exposing the symbol module-wide.
configureEntityAccessibility (RealityKitCollisionGroups/ViewController.swift:166) fileprivate Use is restricted to this source file. Inference: share with same-file helpers or extensions without exposing the symbol module-wide.

Reference code

RealityKitCollisionGroups/ViewController.swift:89 — representative boundary

    fileprivate func setInitialTransforms() {
        // ...
        setPhysicsModeAll(mode: .static)
        // ...
    }

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 The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit.

Design patterns

Pattern Source evidence Purpose or tradeoff
View-controller organization RealityKitCollisionGroups/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 RealityKitCollisionGroups/AppDelegate.swift:11 Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner.

Naming conventions

  • Types: Controller: ViewController; Delegate: AppDelegate.
  • Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
  • Methods: setPhysicsBodyMode, generateMeshResource, generateMaterial, tappedResetButton, toggleDebugDrawing, viewDidLoad, setInitialTransforms, setPhysicsModeAll.
  • Files: RealityKitCollisionGroups/AppDelegate.swift, RealityKitCollisionGroups/ViewController.swift, RealityKitCollisionGroups/Custom Entities/PlaneEntity.swift.

Architecture takeaways

  • AppDelegate is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
  • Framework work reaches UIKit, RealityKit, Accessibility 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
RealityKitCollisionGroups/AppDelegate.swift Cited implementation, AppDelegate, UIKit
RealityKitCollisionGroups/ViewController.swift Cited implementation, ViewController, Accessibility
RealityKitCollisionGroups/Custom Entities/Entities.swift RealityKit, Combine, MovableEntity, BoxEntity, BeveledBoxEntity, SphereEntity
RealityKitCollisionGroups/Custom Entities/PlaneEntity.swift PlaneEntity