If you want to do more than simple rotations and translations, then this presentation will help you learn some new tricks. I cover chaining/grouping animation and particle effects. Demos can be found here: https://github.com/rob-brown/Demos.

1. Core Animation:
Beyond the Basics
Robert Brown
@robby_brown

2. What is Core Animation
An animation framework that is fast, efficient, and easy
to use
Provides a high-level, layer-centric abstraction
Not intended for high-end games
Use OpenGL, Cocos2D/3D, Unity, or UDK instead

3. Reviewing the Basics

4. CABasicAnimation
Provides some basic properties:
fromValue
toValue
byValue

5. CABasicAnimation
fromValue & toValue => Interpolates from fromValue to
toValue
fromValue & byValue => Interpolates from fromValue to
(fromValue + byValue)
byValue & toValue => Interpolates from (toValue -
byValue) to toValue

6. CABasicAnimation
fromValue => Interpolates from current value to
fromValue
toValue => Interpolates from toValue to current value
byValue => Interpolates from current value to (current
value + byValue)

7. CABasicAnimation
CABasicAnimation * scaleAnimation =
[CABasicAnimation animationWithKeyPath:@"transform.scale"];
scaleAnimation.duration = 1.0f; // CGFloat
scaleAnimation.fromValue = @0.0f; // NSNumber
scaleAnimation.toValue = @1.0f; // NSNumber
[myView.layer addAnimation:scaleAnimation forKey:@"scale"];

8. CABasicAnimation
CABasicAnimation * shrinkAnimation =
[CABasicAnimation animationWithKeyPath:@"frame"];
shrinkAnimation.duration = 1.0f;
shrinkAnimation.fromValue = [NSValue valueWithCGRect:
CGRectMake(0.0f, 0.0f, 320.0f, 480.0f)];
shrinkAnimation.toValue = [NSValue valueWithCGRect:
CGRectMake(80.0f, 120.0f, 160.0f, 240.0f)];
[myView.layer addAnimation:shrinkAnimation forKey:@"shrink"];

9. CAAnimationGroup
Allows many animations to be run simultaneously on
the same layer
Changing the duration of the group affects each of the
animations in the group

10. CAAnimationGroup
CAAnimationGroup * group = [CAAnimationGroup animation];
group.duration = 1.0f;
group.animations = @[moveAnimation, scaleAnimation];
[myView.layer addAnimation:group forKey:@"group"];

11. UIView Block Animation
UIView provides a convenient method called
+animateWithDuration:animations:completion:
Most UIView properties are animatable
Block animation can do anything a group of basic
animations can do

12. UIView Animatable
Properties
frame alpha
bounds backgroundColor
center contentStretch
transform

13. UIView Block Animation
myView.transform = CGAffineTransformMakeScale(0.0f, 0.0f);
[UIView animateWithDuration:1.0f animations:^{
CGPoint center = myView.center;
center.y += 10.0f;
myView.center = center;
myView.transform = CGAffineTransformMakeScale(1.0f, 1.0f);
}];

14. Beyond the Basics

15. CAKeyFrameAnimation
Allows specific values at specific times
Core Animation interpolates between specified values
Alternatively allows a path to be specified

16. CAKeyFrameAnimation
CAKeyframeAnimation * scaleAnimation =
[CAKeyframeAnimation animationWithKeyPath:@"transform.scale"];
scaleAnimation.keyTimes = @[@0.0f, @0.1f, @0.6f, @1.0f];
scaleAnimation.values = @[@0.0f, @1.0f, @1.0f, @0.0f];
[myView.layer addAnimation:scaleAnimation forKey:@"scale"];

17. CAKeyFrameAnimation
CAKeyframeAnimation * moveAnimation =
[CAKeyframeAnimation animationWithKeyPath:@"position"];
moveAnimation.calculationMode = kCAAnimationLinear;
CGMutablePathRef curvedPath = CGPathCreateMutable();
CGPathMoveToPoint(curvedPath, NULL, fromPoint.x, fromPoint.y);
CGPathAddCurveToPoint(curvedPath,
NULL,
fromPoint.x, toPoint.y,
fromPoint.x, toPoint.y,
toPoint.x, toPoint.y);
moveAnimation.path = curvedPath;
CGPathRelease(curvedPath);
[myView.layer addAnimation:moveAnimation forKey:@"move"];

18. Demo

19. CAEmitterLayer
Used for particle effects
Automatically creates and animates particles from
CAEmitterCell objects
Many properties have built-in random ranges
Available since iOS 5

20. CAEmitterCell
contents scaleSpeed magnificationFilter
color velocity emissionLatitude
emitterCells scale emissionLongitude
spin redSpeed xAcceleration
lifetime greenSpeed yAcceleration
name blueSpeed zAcceleration
birthRate alphaSpeed ...and many more

21. CAEmitterLayer
1.Create a custom UIView
2.Set layer class to CAEmitterLayer
3.Create CAEmitterCell(s)
4.Add the cell(s) to the layer.
5.(Optional) Add sub-cell(s) to the layer’s cell(s)

22. Demo

23. Want to Learn More?
Core Animation for Mac OS X and the iPhone
WWDC 2010 424/425
WWDC 2011 421
WWDC 2012 238
Apple Docs

24. Questions?