RealityKit visionOS Developer

Overview

Use this skill to implement RealityKit-based spatial experiences on visionOS, focusing on entity composition, component-driven behavior, and ECS systems that update every frame.

Quick start workflow

1. Start with RealityView and its RealityViewContent to add entities and attach components.
2. Load assets asynchronously and build a clean entity hierarchy.
3. Add the components you need for rendering, interaction, physics, audio, and animation.
4. Prefer ViewAttachmentComponent when embedding SwiftUI into 3D; avoid the RealityView attachments closure.
5. Register custom components and systems (Component.registerComponent(), System.registerSystem()) so they decode and update correctly.
6. Use custom systems for continuous behavior and profile performance on device.

Core concepts

Entities and components

• Entities are lightweight containers; behavior comes from components.
• Prefer composition over inheritance and use custom Component + Codable when you need per-entity state.
• Register custom components once with Component.registerComponent() before use.
• Keep entity transforms and component updates on the main actor.

RealityView and attachments

• Use RealityView to bridge SwiftUI and RealityKit.
• Load assets with Entity(named:) or Entity(contentsOf:) asynchronously and handle errors.
• Prefer ViewAttachmentComponent for SwiftUI overlays in 3D and avoid the RealityView attachments closure.

Systems and queries

• Use a custom System for continuous, per-frame behavior.
• Query entities with EntityQuery + QueryPredicate and process them in update(context:).
• Use SystemDependency to control update order when multiple systems interact.

Interaction and physics

• Add CollisionComponent and InputTargetComponent for input-driven entities.
• Use ManipulationComponent for built-in spatial interactions and GestureComponent for custom gestures.
• Keep physics bodies and collision shapes aligned with your mesh scale.

Rendering, lighting, and audio

• Use ImageBasedLightComponent and GroundingShadowComponent to anchor content visually.
• Use EnvironmentBlendingComponent for spatially aware compositing.
• Use SpatialAudioComponent and ReverbComponent for immersive soundscapes.

Implementation patterns

RealityView async load

RealityView { content in
    do {
        let entity = try await Entity(named: "Scene")
        content.add(entity)
    } catch {
        print("Failed to load entity: \(error)")
    }
}

Interactive entity setup

let entity = ModelEntity(mesh: .generateBox(size: 0.1))
entity.components.set(CollisionComponent(shapes: [.generateBox(size: [0.1, 0.1, 0.1])]))
entity.components.set(InputTargetComponent())
entity.components.set(ManipulationComponent())

Custom system skeleton

import RealityKit

struct SpinComponent: Component, Codable {
    var speed: Float
}

struct SpinSystem: System {
    static let query = EntityQuery(where: .has(SpinComponent.self))

    init(scene: Scene) {}

    func update(context: SceneUpdateContext) {
        for entity in context.entities(matching: Self.query, updatingSystemWhen: .rendering) {
            guard let spin = entity.components[SpinComponent.self] else { continue }
            entity.transform.rotation *= simd_quatf(angle: spin.speed * Float(context.deltaTime), axis: [0, 1, 0])
        }
    }
}

SpinSystem.registerSystem()

Pitfalls and checks

• Always load assets asynchronously; avoid blocking the main actor.
• Avoid ARView on visionOS; use RealityView.
• Add CollisionComponent + InputTargetComponent for draggable or tappable entities.
• Use a custom System for continuous behavior instead of the RealityView update closure.
• Mesh generation is limited to box, sphere, plane, cylinder, and cone.

References

• references/components.md - RealityKit component catalog for visionOS.
• references/systems.md - RealityKit systems API surface and ECS utilities.