SwiftUI Animation Expert

Expert guidance for implementing advanced SwiftUI animations and Metal shader integration. Covers animation curves, springs, transitions, matched geometry effects, PhaseAnimator, KeyframeAnimator, and GPU-accelerated shader effects.

When to Use This Skill

• •Understanding motion design principles and when to use animation
• •Making animations accessible and platform-appropriate
• •Implementing animations in SwiftUI (springs, easing, keyframes)
• •Creating view transitions (fade, slide, scale, custom)
• •Building hero animations with matchedGeometryEffect
• •Adding GPU-accelerated effects with Metal shaders
• •Optimizing animation performance
• •Creating multi-phase orchestrated animations

Quick Reference

Animation Basics

// Explicit animation (preferred)
withAnimation(.spring(response: 0.4, dampingFraction: 0.75)) {
    isExpanded.toggle()
}

// iOS 17+ spring presets
withAnimation(.snappy) { ... }  // Fast, small bounce
withAnimation(.smooth) { ... }  // Gentle, no bounce
withAnimation(.bouncy) { ... }  // More bounce

Common Transitions

// Basic
.transition(.opacity)
.transition(.scale)
.transition(.slide)
.transition(.move(edge: .bottom))

// Combined
.transition(.move(edge: .trailing).combined(with: .opacity))

// Asymmetric
.transition(.asymmetric(
    insertion: .move(edge: .bottom),
    removal: .opacity
))

Matched Geometry Effect

@Namespace var namespace

// Source view
ThumbnailView()
    .matchedGeometryEffect(id: "hero", in: namespace)

// Destination view
DetailView()
    .matchedGeometryEffect(id: "hero", in: namespace)

Metal Shader Effects (iOS 17+)

// Color manipulation
.colorEffect(ShaderLibrary.invert())

// Pixel displacement
.distortionEffect(
    ShaderLibrary.wave(.float(time)),
    maxSampleOffset: CGSize(width: 20, height: 20)
)

// Full layer access
.layerEffect(ShaderLibrary.blur(.float(radius)), maxSampleOffset: .zero)

Reference Materials

Detailed documentation is available in references/:

• •

  motion-guidelines.md - HIG Motion design principles

  • •Purpose-driven motion philosophy
  • •Accessibility requirements
  • •Platform-specific considerations (iOS, visionOS, watchOS)
  • •Animation anti-patterns to avoid
• •

  animations.md - Complete animation API guide

  • •Implicit vs explicit animations
  • •Spring parameters and presets
  • •Animation modifiers (speed, delay, repeat)
  • •PhaseAnimator for multi-step sequences
  • •KeyframeAnimator for property-specific timelines
  • •Custom animatable properties
• •

  transitions.md - View transition guide

  • •Built-in transitions (opacity, scale, slide, move)
  • •Combined and asymmetric transitions
  • •Matched geometry effect implementation
  • •Hero animation patterns
  • •Content transitions (iOS 17+)
  • •Custom transition creation
• •

  metal-shaders.md - GPU shader integration

  • •SwiftUI shader modifiers (colorEffect, distortionEffect, layerEffect)
  • •Writing Metal shader functions
  • •Embedding MTKView with UIViewRepresentable
  • •Cross-platform Metal integration (iOS/macOS)
  • •Performance considerations

Common Patterns

Expandable Card

struct ExpandableCard: View {
    @State private var isExpanded = false

    var body: some View {
        VStack {
            RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: isExpanded ? 20 : 12)
                .fill(.blue)
                .frame(
                    width: isExpanded ? 300 : 150,
                    height: isExpanded ? 400 : 100
                )
        }
        .onTapGesture {
            withAnimation(.spring(response: 0.35, dampingFraction: 0.75)) {
                isExpanded.toggle()
            }
        }
    }
}

List Item Appearance

ForEach(Array(items.enumerated()), id: \.element.id) { index, item in
    ItemRow(item: item)
        .transition(.asymmetric(
            insertion: .move(edge: .trailing).combined(with: .opacity),
            removal: .move(edge: .leading).combined(with: .opacity)
        ))
        .animation(.spring().delay(Double(index) * 0.05), value: items)
}

Pulsing Indicator

Circle()
    .fill(.blue)
    .frame(width: 20, height: 20)
    .scaleEffect(isPulsing ? 1.2 : 1.0)
    .opacity(isPulsing ? 0.6 : 1.0)
    .onAppear {
        withAnimation(.easeInOut(duration: 1.0).repeatForever(autoreverses: true)) {
            isPulsing = true
        }
    }

Best Practices

1. •Motion should be purposeful - Don't add animation for its own sake; support the experience without overshadowing it
2. •Make motion optional - Supplement with haptics and audio; never use motion as the only way to communicate
3. •Aim for brevity - Brief, precise animations feel lightweight and convey information effectively
4. •Prefer explicit animations - Use withAnimation over .animation() modifier for clarity
5. •Use spring animations - They feel more natural and iOS-native
6. •Start with .spring(response: 0.35, dampingFraction: 0.8) - Good default for most interactions
7. •Keep animations under 400ms - Longer feels sluggish
8. •Let people cancel motion - Don't force users to wait for animations to complete
9. •Test on device - Simulator animation timing differs
10. •Profile shader performance - GPU time matters for complex effects

Troubleshooting

Animation not working

• •Ensure state change is wrapped in withAnimation
• •Check that the property is animatable
• •Verify the view is actually changing

Matched geometry jumps

• •Both views must use the same ID and namespace
• •Use explicit withAnimation when toggling
• •Check zIndex for proper layering

Shader not appearing

• •Verify .metal file is added to target
• •Check shader function signature matches expected format
• •Ensure maxSampleOffset is set correctly for distortion effects

Technique Map

• •Explicit over implicit animation — withAnimation over .animation(); because intent is clearer; easier to reason about.
• •Spring presets (iOS 17+) — .snappy, .smooth, .bouncy; because HIG-aligned defaults.
• •Matched geometry for hero — @Namespace + matchedGeometryEffect(id:in:); because smooth shape morphing across views.
• •Metal shader modifiers — colorEffect, distortionEffect, layerEffect; because GPU-accelerated effects in SwiftUI.
• •Asymmetric transitions — insertion vs removal different; because list add/remove often needs different motion.
• •Under 400ms — Keep animations brief; because longer feels sluggish.

Technique Notes

References: motion-guidelines.md, animations.md, transitions.md, metal-shaders.md. Default spring: response 0.35, dampingFraction 0.75. Test on device; simulator timing differs. Profile shader performance.

Prompt Architect Overlay

Role Definition: SwiftUI animation expert. Springs, transitions, matched geometry, PhaseAnimator, KeyframeAnimator, Metal shader integration. Motion design principles, accessibility.

Input Contract: Accepts animation request, transition need, hero animation, Metal effect, or "animation not working." Code snippet or description.

Output Contract: Code pattern with appropriate modifier. Spring parameters or preset. Transition type. Reference to detailed doc. Best practices reminder. Troubleshooting if issue described.

Edge Cases & Fallbacks: If matched geometry jumps→check same ID/namespace, explicit withAnimation. If shader not appearing→verify .metal in target, signature, maxSampleOffset. If animation not working→ensure withAnimation, animatable property, view actually changing.