core-animation
API reference: Core Animation (QuartzCore). Query for CALayer, CAAnimation, CABasicAnimation, CAKeyframeAnimation, CASpringAnimation, CATransaction, CAShapeLayer, CAGradientLayer, CAEmitterLayer, CATransform3D, CADisplayLink.
- Installs
- 418
- Last 24h
- +13
- Trending rank
- #7716
- Security
- Not audited
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/prisma-labs-dev/apple-skills --skill core-animation- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads core-animation automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Core Animation Reference
Search these docs to answer questions about Core Animation (the QuartzCore framework). Use this skill when working directly with CALayer, layer-backed UIKit/AppKit views, explicit keyframe or spring animations on layer properties, particle systems, or per-frame callbacks via CADisplayLink.
For SwiftUI's declarative animation API (withAnimation, Animation, .animation(_:value:), transitions), use Apple's swiftui-specialist skill (its animations reference) instead. For SwiftUI immediate-mode drawing, use swiftui/canvas.md and swiftui/graphicscontext.md.
Return Format
Always include:
- Summary — answer the question concisely.
- File paths — list relevant files for full details, e.g.:
calayer.mdfor layer geometry, contents, hierarchycabasicanimation.mdfor animating a single property between two valuescatransaction.mdfor batching, disabling implicit animations, or changing default duration
Files
| File | Content |
|---|---|
core-animation-index.md | Full QuartzCore framework index — layer basics, animation classes, transactions, layer subclasses |
calayer.md | CALayer — the root layer class: geometry, contents, hierarchy, layout, animations |
caanimation.md | CAAnimation — abstract base class for all Core Animation animation types |
capropertyanimation.md | CAPropertyAnimation — abstract subclass animating a single layer property |
cabasicanimation.md | CABasicAnimation — interpolate a layer property between two values |
cakeyframeanimation.md | CAKeyframeAnimation — animate a property through a sequence of keyframes |
caspringanimation.md | CASpringAnimation — spring-based interpolation with mass, stiffness, damping |
caanimationgroup.md | CAAnimationGroup — run multiple animations together with a shared duration |
catransition.md | CATransition — fade, push, reveal, and move-in transitions between layer states |
camediatiming.md | CAMediaTiming — protocol shared by layers and animations (beginTime, duration, repeat, speed) |
catransaction.md | CATransaction — batch property changes, disable implicit animations, set default duration/timing |
catransform3d.md | CATransform3D — 4×4 matrix used by CALayer.transform for 3D transforms |
cashapelayer.md | CAShapeLayer — vector-shape layer driven by a CGPath (stroke, fill, line dash) |
cagradientlayer.md | CAGradientLayer — axial, radial, and conic gradient layers |
caemitterlayer.md | CAEmitterLayer — particle emitter layer (fire, smoke, confetti, sparkles) |
caemittercell.md | CAEmitterCell — individual particle definition used by CAEmitterLayer |
careplicatorlayer.md | CAReplicatorLayer — replicate a sublayer with offsets and transforms |
cametallayer.md | CAMetalLayer — layer backed by a Metal drawable for GPU-rendered content |
catextlayer.md | CATextLayer — layer that renders plain or attributed text |
catiledlayer.md | CATiledLayer — tile-based asynchronous content rendering for large or zoomable layers |
cadisplaylink.md | CADisplayLink — timer synchronized to the display's refresh rate |
When to Reach for Core Animation
- You need to animate a layer property SwiftUI/UIKit doesn't expose declaratively (e.g.,
CAGradientLayer.colors,CAShapeLayer.strokeEnd,CAEmitterLayer.birthRate). - You need explicit keyframe or spring control with timing functions (
CAMediaTimingFunction) per segment. - You want to batch implicit animations off (
CATransaction.setDisableActions(true)). - You need a
CADisplayLinkper-frame callback (custom drawing loops, scrubbing, physics). - You're rendering thousands of particles with
CAEmitterLayeror replicating sublayers withCAReplicatorLayer.
If your problem fits inside withAnimation { ... } in SwiftUI or UIView.animate { ... } in UIKit, prefer those — Core Animation sits underneath both and is rarely the right starting point in 2026-era code.
Fetching More Docs
- Search this skill's local
.mdfiles first. - If the topic is not here, check the other installed Apple skills, then grep their local files.
- If no installed skill has the page, the QuartzCore path on Apple's site is
/documentation/quartzcore/<symbol>— fetch via thesosumi.aiMarkdown mirror (e.g.https://sosumi.ai/documentation/quartzcore/camediatimingfunction) or by runningpnpm fetch-docagainst the apple-skills tooling.
FAQ
What does the core-animation skill do?
API reference: Core Animation (QuartzCore). Query for CALayer, CAAnimation, CABasicAnimation, CAKeyframeAnimation, CASpringAnimation, CATransaction, CAShapeLayer, CAGradientLayer, CAEmitterLayer, CATransform3D, CADisplayLink.
How do I install core-animation?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/prisma-labs-dev/apple-skills --skill core-animation in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/core-animation/ (personal) or .claude/skills/core-animation/ (project).
Which AI agents can use core-animation?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is core-animation safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains core-animation?
It is published by prisma-labs-dev in prisma-labs-dev/apple-skills. It has 418 recorded installs.
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