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

Creating an App for Face-Painting in AR

At a glance

Item Summary
Purpose Combine RealityKit’s face detection with PencilKit to implement virtual face-painting.
App architecture A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AppDelegateContentViewRealityKit APIs.
Main patterns Delegate or data-source callbacks, Binding-based state propagation
Project style 2 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries.
Execution model Source-visible boundaries: DispatchQueue.main.async; none alone proves a background thread.
State/event model Source-visible mechanisms: SwiftUI state property wrapper.
Key frameworks/packages SwiftUI, ARKit, Combine, PencilKit, RealityKit; these are source dependencies, not architecture labels.

Project structure

Source bundle/
├── FacePainting/
│   ├── AppDelegate.swift
│   ├── ContentView.swift
│   └── Base.lproj/
│       └── LaunchScreen.storyboard
├── Configuration/
│   └── SampleCode.xcconfig
└── FacePainting.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 4 project/configuration file(s) and 7 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

Reference code

FacePainting/AppDelegate.swift:11 — architecture anchor

@main
struct FacePainting: App {
    var body: some Scene {
        WindowGroup {
            ContentView()
        }
    }
}

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

FacePainting/ContentView.swift:17 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor

struct ContentView: View {
    // ...
    let picker = PKToolPicker()
    // ...
}
Owner Object or state Relationship Mutation authority
ContentView PKToolPicker (picker) creates and retains Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable
ContentView PKCanvasView (canvasView) creates and retains App/module collaborators
ARViewContainer Bool (isActive) borrows mutable state The upstream binding owner is authoritative
ARViewContainer PKToolPicker (picker) stores or receives Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable

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.

Concern Source mechanism Verified placement or handoff Evidence
Queue scheduling DispatchQueue.main.async The source addresses the main dispatch queue. FacePainting/ContentView.swift:47

@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.

Reference code

FacePainting/ContentView.swift:47 — representative execution boundary

        picker.setVisible(isActive, forFirstResponder: uiView)
        DispatchQueue.main.async {
            uiView.becomeFirstResponder()
        }

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
State propagation SwiftUI state property wrapper A SwiftUI property wrapper supplies or observes UI state. FacePainting/ContentView.swift:16
Source import SwiftUI The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. FacePainting/AppDelegate.swift:9
Source import ARKit The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. FacePainting/ContentView.swift:10
Source import Combine The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. FacePainting/ContentView.swift:11
Source import PencilKit The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. FacePainting/ContentView.swift:13
Source import RealityKit The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. FacePainting/ContentView.swift:9
Source import simd The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. FacePainting/ContentView.swift:12

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

FacePainting/ContentView.swift:15 — representative type boundary

struct ContentView: View {
    @State private var showPicker = true
    // ...
}
Type Responsibility Depends on or conforms to
ContentView User-interface presentation and input forwarding View
FacePaintingView User-interface presentation and input forwarding ARView
FacePainting Represents a feature value or composable behavior App
ARViewContainer Represents a feature value or composable behavior UIViewRepresentable
DrawingViewContainer Represents a feature value or composable behavior UIViewRepresentable
Ray Represents a feature value or composable behavior Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks
RaycastResult Represents the result of an operation 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
showPicker (FacePainting/ContentView.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.
transform (FacePainting/ContentView.swift:71) public The symbol is visible to importing modules. Inference: make the declaration available across a module or target boundary.
AppDelegate (FacePainting/AppDelegate.swift:11) implicit internal No explicit modifier means the Swift declaration is internal to the module. Inference: app-target collaboration needs no exported library surface.

Reference code

FacePainting/ContentView.swift:16 — representative boundary

struct ContentView: View {
    @State private var showPicker = true
    // ...
}

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
User-interface presentation and input forwarding ContentView, FacePaintingView The source’s View suffix makes this role explicit.

Design patterns

Pattern Source evidence Purpose or tradeoff
Delegate or data-source callbacks FacePainting/ContentView.swift:321 Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner.
Binding-based state propagation FacePainting/ContentView.swift:33 A binding exposes controlled read/write access while the upstream owner remains authoritative.

Naming conventions

  • Types: View: ContentView, FacePaintingView.
  • Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
  • Methods: makeUIView, updateUIView, transform, setup, updateFaceTextureWithLatestDrawing, updateFaceEntityTextureUsing, setDrawingUndoable, findFaceEntity.
  • Files: FacePainting/ContentView.swift.

Architecture takeaways

  • AppDelegate is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
  • Framework work reaches SwiftUI, ARKit, PencilKit, RealityKit 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
FacePainting/AppDelegate.swift Cited implementation, SwiftUI, FacePainting
FacePainting/ContentView.swift Cited implementation, ContentView, DispatchQueue.main.async, SwiftUI state property wrapper, ARKit, Combine, PencilKit, RealityKit, simd, ARViewContainer, DrawingViewContainer, Ray, RaycastResult, FacePaintingView, ContentView_Previews