Before engaging with the runtime data binding APIs, it is important to familiarize yourself with the core concepts presented in the Overview.

View Models

View models describe a set of properties, but cannot themselves be used to get or set values - that is the role of view model instances. To begin, we need to get a reference to a particular view model. This can be done either by index, by name, or the default for a given artboard, and is done from the Rive file. The default option refers to the view model assigned to an artboard by the dropdown in the editor. Use the useViewModel hook to get a reference to a view model. You need to pass the rive object obtained from useRive.

import { useRive, useViewModel } from '@rive-app/react-webgl2';

const { rive, RiveComponent } = useRive({
    src: 'your_file.riv',
    // ... other options
});

// Option 1: Get the default ViewModel for the artboard
const defaultViewModel = useViewModel(rive);

// Option 2: Get the default ViewModel explicitly
const defaultViewModelExplicit = useViewModel(rive, { useDefault: true });

// Option 3: Get a ViewModel by its name
const namedViewModel = useViewModel(rive, { name: 'MyViewModelName' });

View Model Instances

Once we have a reference to a view model, it can be used to create an instance. When creating an instance, you have four options:

Create a blank instance - Fill the properties of the created instance with default values as follows:
Type Value
Number 0
String Empty string
Boolean False
Color 0xFF000000
Trigger Untriggered
Enum The first value
Image No image
Artboard No artboard
List Empty list
Nested view model Null
Create the default instance - Use the instance labelled “Default” in the editor. Usually this is the one a designer intends as the primary one to be used at runtime.
Create by index - Using the order returned when iterating over all available instances. Useful when creating multiple instances by iteration.
Create by name - Use the editor’s instance name. Useful when creating a specific instance.

Type	Value
Number	0
String	Empty string
Boolean	False
Color	0xFF000000
Trigger	Untriggered
Enum	The first value
Image	No image
Artboard	No artboard
List	Empty list
Nested view model	Null

In some samples, due to the wordiness of “view model instance”, we use the abbreviation “VMI”, as well as “VM” for “view model”.

Use the useViewModelInstance hook to create a view model instance from a view model returned by the useViewModel hook.

import { useRive, useViewModel, useViewModelInstance } from '@rive-app/react-webgl2';

const { rive, RiveComponent } = useRive({
    src: 'your_file.riv',
    artboard: 'MyArtboard',
    stateMachine: 'MyStateMachine',
    // ... other options
});

const viewModel = useViewModel(rive, { name: 'MyViewModelName' });
// Or: const viewModel = useViewModel(rive); // Default VM

// Get default instance without binding
const defaultUnbound = useViewModelInstance(viewModel, { useDefault: true });

// Get named instance without binding
const namedUnbound = useViewModelInstance(viewModel, { name: 'MyInstanceName' });

// Create new blank instance without binding
const newUnbound = useViewModelInstance(viewModel, { useNew: true });

You can also bind the view model instance directly to the Rive instance by passing the rive object to the useViewModelInstance hook.

import { useRive, useViewModel, useViewModelInstance } from '@rive-app/react-webgl2';

const { rive, RiveComponent } = useRive({
    src: 'your_file.riv',
    artboard: 'MyArtboard',
    stateMachine: 'MyStateMachine',
    autoBind: false, // Disable auto binding so we can manually bind later
    // ... other options
});

const viewModel = useViewModel(rive, { name: 'MyViewModelName' });

// Get default instance (implicit) and bind it
const defaultBound = useViewModelInstance(viewModel, { rive });

// Get named instance and bind it
const namedBound = useViewModelInstance(viewModel, { name: 'MyInstanceName', rive });

// Create a new blank instance and bind it
const newBound = useViewModelInstance(viewModel, { useNew: true, rive });

If you set autoBind: true in useRive, you can access the automatically bound default instance directly via rive.viewModelInstance once Rive is loaded, without needing useViewModel or useViewModelInstance.

const { rive, RiveComponent } = useRive({
    src: 'your_file.riv',
    artboard: 'MyArtboard',
    stateMachine: 'MyStateMachine',
    autoBind: true,
});

// Once loaded, the instance is available:
const boundInstance = rive?.viewModelInstance;

Binding

The created instance can then be assigned to a state machine or artboard. This establishes the bindings set up at edit time. It is preferred to assign to a state machine, as this will automatically apply the instance to the artboard as well. Only assign to an artboard if you are not using a state machine, i.e. your file is static or uses linear animations.

The initial values of the instance are not applied to their bound elements until the state machine or artboard advances.

For React, no additional steps are needed to bind the view model instance to the Rive component. Passing the rive object to useViewModelInstance handles this automatically.

Auto-Binding

Alternatively, you may prefer to use auto-binding. This will automatically bind the default view model of the artboard using the default instance to both the state machine and the artboard. The default view model is the one selected on the artboard in the editor dropdown. The default instance is the one marked “Default” in the editor.

const { rive, RiveComponent } = useRive({
    src: 'your_file.riv',
    artboard: 'MyArtboard',
    stateMachine: 'MyStateMachine',
    autoBind: true, // Enable auto-binding
    // ... other options
});

// Once loaded, the instance is available:
const boundInstance = rive?.viewModelInstance;

Properties

A property is a value that can be read, set, or observed on a view model instance. Properties can be of the following types:

Type	Supported
Floating point numbers	✅
Booleans	✅
Triggers	✅
Strings	✅
Enumerations	✅
Colors	✅
Nested View Models	✅
Lists	✅
Images	✅
Artboards	✅

For more information on version compatibility, see the Feature Support page.

Listing Properties

Property descriptors can be inspected on a view model to discover at runtime which are available. These are not the mutable properties themselves though - once again those are on instances. These descriptors have a type and name.

// Access properties from the view model returned by useViewModel
const viewModel = useViewModel(rive);
console.log(viewModel?.properties);

Reading and Writing Properties

References to these properties can be retrieved by name or path. Some properties are mutable and have getters, setters, and observer operations for their values. Getting or observing the value will retrieve the latest value set on that property’s binding, as of the last state machine or artboard advance. Setting the value will update the value and all of its bound elements.

After setting a property’s value, the changes will not apply to their bound elements until the state machine or artboard advances.

Use the specific hook for a given property type to get and set property values.

useViewModelInstanceBoolean: Read/write boolean properties
useViewModelInstanceString: Read/write string properties
useViewModelInstanceNumber: Read/write number properties
useViewModelInstanceColor: Read/write color properties with additional RGB/alpha methods
useViewModelInstanceEnum: Read/write enum properties with available values
useViewModelInstanceTrigger: Fire trigger events with optional callbacks

These hooks return the current value and a function to update it (setValue, setRgb, trigger). The value will be null if the property is not found or if the hook is provided with an invalid viewModelInstance.

import {
    useViewModelInstanceBoolean,
    useViewModelInstanceString,
    useViewModelInstanceNumber,
    useViewModelInstanceEnum,
    useViewModelInstanceColor,
    useViewModelInstanceTrigger
} from '@rive-app/react-webgl2';

// Assuming viewModelInstance is obtained via useViewModelInstance or rive.viewModelInstance

// Boolean
const { value: isActive, setValue: setIsActive } = useViewModelInstanceBoolean(
    'isToggleOn', // Property path
    viewModelInstance
);
// Set: setIsActive(true);

// String
const { value: userName, setValue: setUserName } = useViewModelInstanceString(
    'user/name', // Property path
    viewModelInstance
);
// Set: setUserName('Rive');

// Number
const { value: score, setValue: setScore } = useViewModelInstanceNumber(
    'levelScore', // Property path
    viewModelInstance
);
// Set: setScore(100);

// Enum
const { value: status, setValue: setStatus, values: statusOptions } = useViewModelInstanceEnum(
    'appStatus', // Property path
    viewModelInstance
);
// Set: setStatus('loading');
// Get available options: statusOptions is an array like ['idle', 'loading', 'error']

// Color
const {
    value: themeColor, // Raw number value like -3267805
    setRgb: setThemeColorRgb, // Set RGB components (0-255 values)
    setAlpha: setThemeColorAlpha, // Set alpha component (0-255)
    setOpacity: setThemeColorOpacity, // Set opacity (0.0-1.0)
    setRgba: setThemeColorRgba, // Set all components at once
    setValue: setThemeColorValue // Set raw color value
} = useViewModelInstanceColor(
    'ui/themeColor', // Property path
    viewModelInstance
);
// Set RGB: setThemeColorRgb(0, 128, 255); // Set to a blue color
// Set Alpha: setThemeColorAlpha(128); // Set to 50% opacity
// Set Opacity: setThemeColorOpacity(0.5); // Set to 50% opacity
// Set RGBA: setThemeColorRgba(0, 128, 255, 255); // Blue with full opacity
// Set Value: setThemeColorValue(-3267805); // Set using raw color value

// Trigger (No value, just a trigger function)
const { trigger: playEffect } = useViewModelInstanceTrigger(
    'playButtonEffect', // Property path
    viewModelInstance,
    {
        // Optional callback to be called when the trigger is fired
        onTrigger: () => {
            console.log('Trigger Fired!');
        }
    }
);
// Trigger: playEffect();

The value returned by each hook will update automatically when the property changes in the Rive graphic.

Nested Property Paths

View models can have properties of type view model, allowing for arbitrary nesting. You can chain property calls on each instance starting from the root until you get to the property of interest. Alternatively, you can do this through a path parameter, which is similar to a URI in that it is a forward slash delimited list of property names ending in the name of the property of interest. Access nested properties by providing the full path (separated by /) as the first argument to the property hooks.

import { useViewModelInstanceString, useViewModelInstanceNumber } from '@rive-app/react-webgl2';

// Accessing 'settings/theme/name' (String)
const { value: themeName, setValue: setThemeName } = useViewModelInstanceString(
    'settings/theme/name',
    viewModelInstance
);

// Accessing 'settings/volume' (Number)
const { value: volume, setValue: setVolume } = useViewModelInstanceNumber(
    'settings/volume',
    viewModelInstance
);

console.log('Current theme:', themeName);
// setThemeName('Dark Mode');
// setVolume(80);

Observability

You can observe changes over time to property values, either by using listeners or a platform equivalent method. Once observed, you will be notified when the property changes are applied by a state machine advance, whether that is a new value that has been explicitly set or if the value was updated as a result of a binding. The React hooks handle observability automatically. When a property’s value changes within the Rive instance (either because you set it via a hook or due to an internal binding), the value returned by the corresponding hook (e.g., useViewModelInstanceString) updates. This state change triggers a re-render of your React component, allowing you to react to the new value. For Triggers, you can provide an onTrigger callback directly to the useViewModelInstanceTrigger hook, which fires when the trigger is activated in the Rive instance.

import { useViewModelInstanceTrigger } from '@rive-app/react-webgl2';

// Assuming viewModelInstance is available
const { trigger } = useViewModelInstanceTrigger(
    'showPopup',
    viewModelInstance,
    {
        onTrigger: () => {
            console.log('Show Popup Trigger Fired!');
            // Show your popup UI
        }
    }
);

Images

Image properties let you set and replace raster images at runtime, with each instance of the image managed independently. For example, you could build an avatar creator and dynamically update features — like swapping out a hat — by setting a view model’s image property. Use the useViewModelInstanceImage hook to set image properties on view model instances.

import { useRive, useViewModel, useViewModelInstance, useViewModelInstanceImage } from '@rive-app/react-webgl2';

const { rive, RiveComponent } = useRive({
    src: 'your_file.riv',
    artboard: 'MyArtboard',
    stateMachine: 'MyStateMachine',
    autoBind: false,
    // ... other options
});

const viewModel = useViewModel(rive, { name: 'MyViewModel' });
const viewModelInstance = useViewModelInstance(viewModel, { rive });

// Get the image property setter
const { setValue: setImage } = useViewModelInstanceImage(
    'profileImage', // Property path
    viewModelInstance
);

// Load and set a random image
const loadRandomImage = async () => {
    if (!setImage) return;

    try {
        const imageUrl = 'https://picsum.photos/300/500';
        const response = await fetch(imageUrl);
        const imageBuffer = await response.arrayBuffer();

        // Decode the image from the response
        const decodedImage = await decodeImage(new Uint8Array(imageBuffer));
        setImage(decodedImage);

        // Clean up the decoded image
        decodedImage.unref();
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Failed to load image:', error);
    }
};

// Clear the image
const clearImage = () => {
    if (setImage) {
        setImage(null);
    }
};

Lists

List properties let you manage a dynamic set of view model instances at runtime. For example, you can build a TODO app where users can add and remove tasks in a scrollable Layout. See the Editor section on creating data bound lists. A single list property can include different view model types, with each view model tied to its own Component, making it easy to populate a list with a varity of Component instances. With list properties, you can:

Add a new view model instance (optionally at an index)
Remove an existing view model instance (optionally by index)
Swap two view model instances by index
Get the size of a list

For more information on list properties, see the Data Binding List Property editor documentation. Use the useViewModelInstanceList hook to manage list properties on view model instances.

import { useRive, useViewModel, useViewModelInstance, useViewModelInstanceList } from '@rive-app/react-webgl2';

const { rive, RiveComponent } = useRive({
    src: 'your_file.riv',
    artboard: 'MyArtboard',
    stateMachine: 'MyStateMachine',
    autoBind: false,
    // ... other options
});

const viewModel = useViewModel(rive, { name: 'MyViewModel' });
const viewModelInstance = useViewModelInstance(viewModel, { rive });

// Get the list property with manipulation functions
const {
    length,
    addInstance,
    addInstanceAt,
    removeInstance,
    removeInstanceAt,
    getInstanceAt,
    swap
} = useViewModelInstanceList('todos', viewModelInstance);

// Add a new todo item
const handleAddItem = () => {
    const todoItemViewModel = rive?.viewModelByName?.('TodoItem');
    if (todoItemViewModel) {
        const newTodoItem = todoItemViewModel.instance?.();
        if (newTodoItem) {
            // Set some initial values
            newTodoItem.string('description').value = 'Buy groceries';
            addInstance(newTodoItem);
        }
    }
};

// Insert item at specific index
const handleInsertItem = () => {
    const todoItemViewModel = rive?.viewModelByName?.('TodoItem');
    if (todoItemViewModel) {
        const newTodoItem = todoItemViewModel.instance?.();
        if (newTodoItem) {
            addInstanceAt(newTodoItem, 0); // Insert at beginning
        }
    }
};

// Remove first item by instance
const handleRemoveFirst = () => {
    const firstInstance = getInstanceAt(0);
    if (firstInstance) {
        removeInstance(firstInstance);
    }
};

// Remove item by index
const handleRemoveAt = () => {
    if (length > 0) {
        removeInstanceAt(0);
    }
};

// Swap two items
const handleSwap = () => {
    if (length >= 2) {
        swap(0, 1);
    }
};

console.log(`List has ${length} items`);

Artboards

Artboard properties allows you to swap out entire components at runtime. This is useful for creating modular components that can be reused across different designs or applications, for example:

Creating a skinning system that supports a large number of variations, such as a character creator where you can swap out different body parts, clothing, and accessories.
Creating a complex scene that is a composition of various artboards loaded from various different Rive files (drawn to a single canvas/texture/widget).
Reducing the size (complexity) of a single Rive file by breaking it up into smaller components that can be loaded on demand and swapped in and out as needed.

Use the useViewModelInstanceArtboard hook to set artboard properties on view model instances.

import { useRive, useViewModel, useViewModelInstance, useViewModelInstanceArtboard } from '@rive-app/react-webgl2';

const { rive, RiveComponent } = useRive({
    src: 'your_file.riv',
    artboard: 'MyArtboard',
    stateMachine: 'MyStateMachine',
    autoBind: true,
    // ... other options
});

// Get artboard property setters
const { setValue: setArtboard1 } = useViewModelInstanceArtboard(
    'artboard_1', // Property path
    rive?.viewModelInstance
);

const { setValue: setArtboard2 } = useViewModelInstanceArtboard(
    'artboard_2', // Property path
    rive?.viewModelInstance
);

// Assign different artboards from the same file
const handleSetBlueArtboard = () => {
    if (rive) {
        const blueArtboard = rive.getArtboard('ArtboardBlue');
        setArtboard1(blueArtboard);
    }
};

const handleSetRedArtboard = () => {
    if (rive) {
        const redArtboard = rive.getArtboard('ArtboardRed');
        setArtboard2(redArtboard);
    }
};

const handleSetGreenArtboard = () => {
    if (rive) {
        const greenArtboard = rive.getArtboard('ArtboardGreen');
        setArtboard1(greenArtboard);
    }
};

Enums

Enums properties come in two flavors: system and user-defined. In practice, you will not need to worry about the distinction, but just be aware that system enums are available in any Rive file that binds to an editor-defined enum set, representing options from the editor’s dropdowns, where user-defined enums are those defined by a designer in the editor. Enums are string typed. The Rive file contains a list of enums. Each enum in turn has a name and a list of strings.

const { rive } = useRive({
    src: 'your_file.riv',
    artboard: 'MyArtboard',
    stateMachine: 'MyStateMachine',
    autoBind: true
    // ... other options
});
const enums = rive?.enums();
console.log(enums);

Examples

See the DataBinding story in the Rive React repo for a demo.

Runtime Fundamentals

Runtimes

Data Binding

View Models

View Model Instances

Binding

Auto-Binding

Properties

Listing Properties

Reading and Writing Properties

Nested Property Paths

Observability

Images

Lists

Artboards

Enums

Examples

Runtime Fundamentals

Runtimes

​View Models

​View Model Instances

​Binding

​Auto-Binding

​Properties

​Listing Properties

​Reading and Writing Properties

​Nested Property Paths

​Observability

​Images

​Lists

​Artboards

​Enums

​Examples

View Models

View Model Instances

Binding

Auto-Binding

Properties

Listing Properties

Reading and Writing Properties

Nested Property Paths

Observability

Images

Lists

Artboards

Enums

Examples