Sample CodevisionOSReviewed 2026-07-21View on Apple Developer

Associating a window with an immersive space

At a glance

Item Summary
Purpose Tightly couple a window with an immersive space for persistent controls.
App architecture SampleApp composes Window + ImmersiveSpace around ContentView; AppModel owns interaction while RealityView manages the entity graph.
Main patterns SwiftUI scene composition, SwiftUI–RealityKit bridge, Explicit immersive-space lifecycle, Observable state owner
Project style Code-light sample with 8 scanned Swift file(s) and 283 Swift line(s); resources and generated assets are excluded from those counts.

Project structure

Source bundle/
├── SampleApp/SampleApp.swift  # SceneID, SampleApp
├── SampleApp/AppModel.swift  # AppModel, ImmersiveSpaceState
├── SampleApp/ContentView.swift  # ContentView
├── SampleApp/ControlsView.swift  # ControlsView
├── SampleApp/ImmersiveView.swift  # ImmersiveView
├── Packages/RealityKitContent/Sources/RealityKitContent/RealityKitContent.swift
├── SampleApp/ToggleImmersiveSpaceButton.swift  # ToggleImmersiveSpaceButton
├── Packages/RealityKitContent/Package.swift
└── Packages/RealityKitContent/Package.realitycomposerpro/ProjectData/main.json  # authored RealityKit content

Structure observations

  • The runtime boundary is Window + ImmersiveSpace; the pruned tree lists only files that explain lifecycle, state, or framework integration.
  • App code is compact; any explicit model, provider, or entity owner is still shown below rather than collapsed into view-local state.
  • Authored .reality or Reality Composer Pro content is a real implementation boundary; Swift loads or drives it rather than reproducing its entity graph.

Overall architecture

Reference code

SampleApp/SampleApp.swift:17 — the app or executable entry declares the outer scene lifecycle.

struct SampleApp: App {
    // ...
}

The diagram is a responsibility flow, not a claim that every adjacent node directly calls the next. It keeps scene ownership, shared state, RealityKit content, and framework-provider work at separate levels.

Ownership and state

Ownership evidence

SampleApp/SampleApp.swift:18 — representative stored state or the nearest verified lifecycle anchor.

    @State private var appModel = AppModel()
Owner Object or state Relationship Mutation authority
SampleApp AppModel as appModel creates and retains Only the declaring scope writes
ContentView AppModel as appModel receives a shared/non-owning reference The upstream owner controls lifetime; this scope may invoke its mutable API

Ownership here is deliberately narrow: @Environment and weak references are shared links, initialized @State or stored services are lifecycle ownership, and a RealityView content closure owns additions to its entity graph without making the SwiftUI view a reference-type owner.

Class and protocol design

Type Responsibility Depends on or conforms to
SampleApp (SampleApp/SampleApp.swift:17) Declares app scenes and top-level dependency lifetime. App
ContentView (SampleApp/ContentView.swift:12) Presents UI and forwards gestures or lifecycle events. View
AppModel (SampleApp/AppModel.swift:12) Owns observable feature state and domain transitions. Concrete framework collaborators
ControlsView (SampleApp/ControlsView.swift:10) Presents UI and forwards gestures or lifecycle events. View
ImmersiveView (SampleApp/ImmersiveView.swift:12) Presents UI and forwards gestures or lifecycle events. View

The source defines no local substitution protocol in the reviewed boundary. Its protocol use is framework-facing (App, View, RealityKit/ARKit protocols, or platform adapters), so this document does not label the whole app protocol-oriented.

Access control

Symbol Access Verified effect Likely rationale
@Environment(AppModel.self) private var appModel (SampleApp/ContentView.swift:13) private Use is restricted to the declaration and same-file extensions permitted by Swift. Inference: Hide implementation details and lifecycle-sensitive state.

No reviewed declaration uses fileprivate, private(set), public, open; unmodified Swift declarations are internal.

Reference code

SampleApp/ContentView.swift:13 — representative visibility boundary.

    @Environment(AppModel.self) private var appModel

Logic ownership and placement

Logic Owning type or file Placement rationale
Scene declaration and dependency lifetime SampleApp The App/entry boundary determines window, volume, and immersive-space lifetime.
Presentation, attachments, and gestures ContentView SwiftUI view code forwards user intent and RealityView lifecycle events.
Shared feature state and commands AppModel A role-named owner prevents sibling views from duplicating transitions.

Design patterns

Pattern Source evidence Purpose or tradeoff
SwiftUI scene composition SampleApp/SampleApp.swift:17 Keeps windows, volumes, and immersive-space lifecycle visible at the app boundary.
SwiftUI–RealityKit bridge SampleApp/ImmersiveView.swift:15 Builds and updates a RealityKit entity graph from SwiftUI lifecycle closures.
Explicit immersive-space lifecycle SampleApp/SampleApp.swift:33 Makes immersive presentation a scene transition rather than hidden global state.
Observable state owner SampleApp/AppModel.swift:12 Shares feature state across multiple views without moving framework resources into view values.

Naming conventions

  • Role suffixes are evidence, not decoration: App: SampleApp; Model: AppModel; View: ContentView, ControlsView, ImmersiveView.
  • Protocols: no app-defined protocol in the reviewed source.
  • Commands use verb-led methods: the code-light sample has no separate command layer.
  • Files generally match their primary type; Views, Models, Managers, Providers, Components, Systems, and Packages folders describe architectural roles where present.

Architecture takeaways

  • Treat SampleApp as the owner of scene declarations, not as the owner of every RealityKit entity created later.
  • Keep view-local interaction in SwiftUI, but move provider sessions, playback resources, shared game state, or transport state into a stable owner when their lifetime exceeds one render pass.
  • Model immersive-space open, transition, and close states explicitly so windows and immersive content cannot drift apart.
  • The compact source does not justify adding repository, coordinator, or protocol layers beyond the model, provider, or view boundary the sample actually declares.

Source map

Source file Relevant symbols
SampleApp/SampleApp.swift:10 SceneID, SampleApp
SampleApp/AppModel.swift:12 AppModel, ImmersiveSpaceState
SampleApp/ContentView.swift:12 ContentView
SampleApp/ControlsView.swift:10 ControlsView
SampleApp/ImmersiveView.swift:12 ImmersiveView
Packages/RealityKitContent/Sources/RealityKitContent/RealityKitContent.swift:1 Feature implementation
SampleApp/ToggleImmersiveSpaceButton.swift:10 ToggleImmersiveSpaceButton
Packages/RealityKitContent/Package.swift:1 Feature implementation