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

Detecting Hand Poses with Vision

At a glance

Item Summary
Purpose Create a virtual drawing app by using Vision’s capability to detect hand poses.
App architecture A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AppDelegateCameraViewControllerHandGestureProcessorVision 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/
├── HandPose/
│   ├── AppDelegate.swift
│   ├── HandGestureProcessor.swift
│   ├── CameraView.swift
│   ├── CameraViewController.swift
│   ├── SceneDelegate.swift
│   ├── Base.lproj/
│   │   ├── LaunchScreen.storyboard
│   │   └── Main.storyboard
│   ├── HandPose.entitlements
│   └── Info.plist
├── Configuration/
│   └── SampleCode.xcconfig
└── HandPose.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 7 project/configuration file(s) and 7 source declaration(s).

Overall architecture

Reference code

HandPose/AppDelegate.swift:11 — architecture anchor

@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
    // ...
}

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 Vision.

Ownership and state

Ownership evidence

HandPose/HandGestureProcessor.swift:32 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor

class HandGestureProcessor {
    // ...
    private let pinchMaxDistance: CGFloat
    // ...
}
Owner Object or state Relationship Mutation authority
HandGestureProcessor CGFloat (pinchMaxDistance) owns value state Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable
HandGestureProcessor Int (evidenceCounterStateTrigger) owns value state Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable
HandGestureProcessor Callback (didChangeStateClosure) stores a callback App/module collaborators
HandGestureProcessor PointsPair (lastProcessedPointsPair) creates and retains Owning type writes; wider scope can read

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

HandPose/AppDelegate.swift:12 — representative type boundary

class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
    // ...
}
Type Responsibility Depends on or conforms to
AppDelegate Receives callback-driven events UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate
HandGestureProcessor Owns a feature processing stage Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks
CameraView User-interface presentation and input forwarding UIView
CameraViewController View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination UIViewController
SceneDelegate Receives callback-driven events UIResponder, UIWindowSceneDelegate
AppError Represents feature failure conditions Error
State Represents mutable feature state 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
overlayLayer (HandPose/CameraView.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.
pointsPath (HandPose/CameraView.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.
setupOverlay (HandPose/CameraView.swift:42) private Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. Inference: hide an implementation step that is not part of the collaboration surface.
cameraView (HandPose/CameraViewController.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.

Reference code

HandPose/CameraView.swift:14 — representative boundary

    private var overlayLayer = CAShapeLayer()
    private var pointsPath = UIBezierPath()

    var previewLayer: AVCaptureVideoPreviewLayer {
        return layer as! AVCaptureVideoPreviewLayer
    }

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 CameraViewController The source’s Controller suffix makes this role explicit.
Receives callback-driven events AppDelegate, SceneDelegate The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit.
Owns a feature processing stage HandGestureProcessor The source’s Processor suffix makes this role explicit.
User-interface presentation and input forwarding CameraView The source’s View suffix makes this role explicit.

Design patterns

Pattern Source evidence Purpose or tradeoff
View-controller organization HandPose/CameraViewController.swift:12 A controller is the verified coordination boundary; this is MVC-style only where a separate model is present.
Delegate or data-source callbacks HandPose/AppDelegate.swift:12 Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner.

Naming conventions

  • Types: Controller: CameraViewController; Delegate: AppDelegate, SceneDelegate; Processor: HandGestureProcessor; View: CameraView.
  • Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
  • Methods: application, display, displayInViewController, reset, processPointsPair, midPoint, distance, layoutSublayers.
  • Files: HandPose/AppDelegate.swift, HandPose/HandGestureProcessor.swift, HandPose/CameraView.swift, HandPose/CameraViewController.swift, HandPose/SceneDelegate.swift.

Architecture takeaways

  • AppDelegate is the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.
  • Framework work reaches UIKit, AVFoundation, Vision, CoreGraphics 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
HandPose/AppDelegate.swift AppDelegate, AppError
HandPose/HandGestureProcessor.swift HandGestureProcessor, State
HandPose/CameraView.swift CameraView
HandPose/CameraViewController.swift CameraViewController
HandPose/SceneDelegate.swift SceneDelegate