Aither

Aither is a dependency-free package for expressive, continuously looping particle orbs. Its primary API is native SwiftUI, backed by an efficient UIKit/Core Graphics renderer that can also be used directly.

Requirements

• iOS 15 or later
• Swift 5.9 or later
• Xcode 15 or later

Installation

In Xcode, choose File → Add Package Dependencies and enter the repository URL:

https://github.com/hello-malek/Aither

Then add the Aither product to your application target.

For a vendored installation, copy Sources/Aither into your application target. The package has no third-party dependencies.

Quick start

import SwiftUI
import Aither

AitherOrb()
    .aitherAnimation(.aither)
    .aitherColors(.cyan, .purple)
    .aitherSpeed(1.2)
    .aitherIntensity(audioLevel)
    .frame(width: 96, height: 96)

aitherIntensity(_:) accepts a normalized live value such as an audio level or network activity. When SwiftUI state changes, Aither updates the existing renderer instead of recreating it.

Animation gallery

Aither	Zētēsis
Lysis	Akroasis
Synthesis	Morphōsis
Periphora	Diodos
Krystallos	Systolē

Data-driven motion

Drive motion directly from SwiftUI state:

AitherOrb()
    .aitherAnimation(.synthesis)
    .aitherColors(.cyan, .indigo)
    .aitherIntensity(audioLevel)
    .aitherProgress(uploadProgress)
    .aitherEmphasis(notificationStrength)
    .aitherStatus(isComplete ? .success : .active)
    .frame(width: 96, height: 96)

All normalized inputs are clamped to 0...1 by the renderer. Changes are interpolated by default, so noisy data does not produce visual jitter.

SwiftUI configuration

Modifier	Purpose
aitherAnimation(_:)	Selects a continuously looping motion system.
aitherColors(_:_:)	Sets a depth-aware one- or two-color palette.
aitherSpeed(_:)	Sets the base playback-rate multiplier.
aitherIntensity(_:)	Drives motion with normalized live activity data.
aitherProgress(_:)	Supplies optional normalized progress.
aitherEmphasis(_:)	Supplies a normalized transient emphasis value.
aitherStatus(_:)	Sets idle, active, success, warning, or failure state.
aitherParticleIntensity(_:)	Controls particle contrast and opacity.
aitherDensity(_:)	Balances particle detail and rendering cost.
aitherGlow(_:)	Controls foreground particle halos.
aitherDirection(_:)	Selects forward or reverse playback.
aitherPhaseOffset(_:)	Desynchronizes multiple orb instances.
aitherPhase(_:)	Supplies an external phase; nil restores looping.
aitherResponse(_:)	Sets the live-data interpolation duration.
aitherEasing(_:)	Selects instant, smooth, spring, or cubic Bézier response.
aitherQuality(_:)	Selects automatic, low, or high rendering quality.
aitherActivityMapping(_:)	Maps activity to selected visual properties.
aitherPaused(_:)	Pauses or resumes playback from SwiftUI state.

UIKit

AitherView remains available for UIKit applications and advanced imperative integration:

let orb = AitherView()
    .animation(.energeia)
    .palette(primary: .systemCyan, secondary: .systemPurple)
    .speed(1.2)

orb.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
view.addSubview(orb)

NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
    orb.widthAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 96),
    orb.heightAnchor.constraint(equalTo: orb.widthAnchor),
    orb.centerXAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.centerXAnchor),
    orb.centerYAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.centerYAnchor)
])

Apply one coherent UIKit input snapshot:

orb.update(
    .init(
        activity: audioLevel,
        progress: processingProgress,
        emphasis: 0.2
    )
)

Configure how UIKit input is interpolated:

orb
    .response(0.3)
    .mapActivity(to: [.speed, .deformation, .glow, .color])

For exact timeline control, use setPhase(_:). Passing nil returns the orb to its autonomous loop.

Combine and AsyncSequence

Combine publishers can drive complete inputs or individual values:

orb.bind(activity: activityPublisher)
orb.bind(progress: progressPublisher)
orb.bind(input: inputPublisher)

Any sendable AsyncSequence of AitherView.OrbInput can also be consumed:

let task = orb.bind(input: inputStream)
// Cancel the task when the owning feature is released.
task.cancel()

Status and lifecycle

orb.setStatus(.active)
orb.setStatus(.success, animated: true)

orb.startAnimating()
orb.pauseAnimating()
orb.stopAnimating()

Available statuses are idle, active, success, warning, and failure.

UIKit configuration

API	Purpose
animation(_:)	Selects one of the ten looping motion systems.
palette(primary:secondary:)	Sets a depth-aware one- or two-color palette.
speed(_:)	Sets the base playback-rate multiplier.
intensity(_:)	Controls particle contrast and opacity.
density(_:)	Balances particle detail and rendering cost.
glow(_:)	Controls foreground particle halos.
direction(_:)	Selects forward or reverse playback.
phaseOffset(_:)	Desynchronizes multiple orb instances.
response(_:)	Sets data interpolation time.
easing(_:)	Selects instant, smooth, spring, or cubic Bézier response.
quality(_:)	Selects automatic, low, or high rendering quality.
mapActivity(to:)	Maps activity to selected visual properties.

System behavior

Aither automatically:

• respects Reduce Motion,
• lowers rendering cost in Low Power Mode,
• avoids drawing while outside the visible window area,
• pauses when its application enters the background,
• exposes status and progress through accessibility values.

The privacy manifest declares no tracking, collected data, tracking domains, or required-reason API usage.

Example

Open Example/AitherPreview.xcodeproj and run the AitherPreview scheme to see all included animation variants receiving live data.

Support

Use GitHub Issues for reproducible bugs and feature requests. For direct contact, email:

[email protected]

License

Aither is available under the MIT License. See LICENSE.