Creating 3D models as movable windows
At a glance
| Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Display 3D content with a volumetric window that people can move. |
| App architecture | EntryPoint composes WindowGroup + volumetric window around VolumetricWindow; view-local SwiftUI state owns interaction while RealityView manages the entity graph. |
| Main patterns | SwiftUI scene composition, SwiftUI–RealityKit bridge |
| Project style | Code-light sample with 2 scanned Swift file(s) and 95 Swift line(s); resources and generated assets are excluded from those counts. |
Project structure
Source bundle/
└── Creating a Volumetric Window/
├── App/
│ └── EntryPoint.swift # EntryPoint
└── Views/
└── VolumetricWindow.swift # VolumetricWindow
Structure observations
- The runtime boundary is WindowGroup + volumetric window; 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.
Overall architecture
flowchart LR
EntryPoint_1["EntryPoint"]
WindowGroup___volumetric_window_2["WindowGroup + volumetric window"]
VolumetricWindow_3["VolumetricWindow"]
RealityView_entity_graph_4["RealityView entity graph"]
RealityKit_entity_graph_5["RealityKit entity graph"]
EntryPoint_1 --> WindowGroup___volumetric_window_2
WindowGroup___volumetric_window_2 --> VolumetricWindow_3
VolumetricWindow_3 --> RealityView_entity_graph_4
RealityView_entity_graph_4 --> RealityKit_entity_graph_5
Reference code
Creating a Volumetric Window/App/EntryPoint.swift:11 — the app or executable entry declares the outer scene lifecycle.
struct EntryPoint: 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
classDiagram
VolumetricWindow --> String : modelName
Ownership evidence
Creating a Volumetric Window/Views/VolumetricWindow.swift:17 — representative stored state or the nearest verified lifecycle anchor.
struct VolumetricWindow: View {
// ...
let modelName: String = "cup_saucer_set"
// ...
}| Owner | Object or state | Relationship | Mutation authority |
|---|---|---|---|
VolumetricWindow |
String as modelName |
stores and coordinates | The owning type coordinates writes |
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 |
|---|---|---|
EntryPoint (Creating a Volumetric Window/App/EntryPoint.swift:11) |
Declares app scenes and top-level dependency lifetime. | App |
VolumetricWindow (Creating a Volumetric Window/Views/VolumetricWindow.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 |
|---|
No reviewed declaration uses fileprivate, private(set), public, open; unmodified Swift declarations are internal.
Reference code
Creating a Volumetric Window/App/EntryPoint.swift:11 — representative visibility boundary.
struct EntryPoint: App {
// ...
}Logic ownership and placement
| Logic | Owning type or file | Placement rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Scene declaration and dependency lifetime | EntryPoint |
The App/entry boundary determines window, volume, and immersive-space lifetime. |
| Presentation, attachments, and gestures | VolumetricWindow |
SwiftUI view code forwards user intent and RealityView lifecycle events. |
Design patterns
| Pattern | Source evidence | Purpose or tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| SwiftUI scene composition | Creating a Volumetric Window/App/EntryPoint.swift:11 |
Keeps windows, volumes, and immersive-space lifecycle visible at the app boundary. |
| SwiftUI–RealityKit bridge | Creating a Volumetric Window/Views/VolumetricWindow.swift:23 |
Builds and updates a RealityKit entity graph from SwiftUI lifecycle closures. |
Naming conventions
- Role suffixes are evidence, not decoration: the sample mainly uses feature nouns and SwiftUI
Viewtypes. - 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, andPackagesfolders describe architectural roles where present.
Architecture takeaways
- Treat
EntryPointas 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.
- 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 |
|---|---|
Creating a Volumetric Window/App/EntryPoint.swift:11 |
EntryPoint |
Creating a Volumetric Window/Views/VolumetricWindow.swift:12 |
VolumetricWindow |