Introducing Core Haptics

Description: Core Haptics lets you design fully customized haptic patterns with synchronized audio. See examples of how haptics and audio enables you to create a greater sense of immersion in your app or game. Learn how to create, play back, and share content, and where Core Haptics fits in with other audio and vibration APIs.

Introduction

CoreHaptics is a new framework in iOS 13.

It’s an event based audio and haptic rendering API for iPhone (in short, a synthesizer).

Compatible with iPhone 8 or later.

CoreHaptics vs UIFeebackGenerator

CoreHaptics is not a replacement of UIFeebackGenerator, Apple suggests to keep using it for UIKit controls, reactions, and similar.

Sound

We can have a tight connection between audio and haptic.

This has been heavily used internally at Apple for the following applications:

(Yes, all of them have sound!).

Game Examples

This framework is very important for games:

  • for boosting feeling
  • simulate physical contact (think of a tennis game, every time the racket hits the ball)

Classes

Two kinds:

  • Content classes represent the content itself.
  • Playback classes play the content.

CHHapticEvent

The basic, indivisible content element.

Each element has a time (period), a type, and, optionally, some parameters.

Multiple Haptic events can overlap, the outcome will be a mix of all of them.

Haptic types

  • Haptic Transient: momentary and instantaneous
  • Haptic Continuos/Audio Continuos: lasts longer than transient type, with more parameters to toggle
  • AudioCustom: we provide the audio to be played in sync with other haptic types

All the CHHApticEvents, are then grouped into Haptic Patterns, CHHapticPattern.

AHAP (Apple Haptic Audio Pattern)

  • New file format which describes a (Haptic) pattern as text.
  • It uses JSON.
  • Can be used with Swift Codable.

Missing anything? Corrections? Contributions are welcome 😃

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Written by

Federico Zanetello

Federico Zanetello

Software engineer with a strong passion for well-written code, thought-out composable architectures, automation, tests, and more.