TVMC introduces a novel approach to compressing time-varying triangle meshes used in animation and simulations. Instead of treating each mesh frame independently, TVMC leverages temporal coherence by predicting vertex positions in subsequent frames based on previous ones. This prediction, combined with quantization and entropy coding, achieves significantly higher compression ratios compared to traditional methods, especially for meshes with smooth motion. The open-source implementation aims to be practical and efficient, enabling real-time decompression on consumer-grade hardware. It boasts a simple API and offers various parameters to control the trade-off between compression ratio and accuracy.
VSC is an open-source 3D rendering engine written in C++. It aims to be a versatile, lightweight, and easy-to-use solution for various rendering needs. The project is hosted on GitHub and features a physically based renderer (PBR) supporting features like screen-space reflections, screen-space ambient occlusion, and global illumination using a path tracer. It leverages Vulkan for cross-platform graphics processing and supports integration with the Dear ImGui library for UI development. The engine's design prioritizes modularity and extensibility, encouraging contributions and customization.
Hacker News users discuss the open-source 3D rendering engine, VSC, with a mix of curiosity and skepticism. Some question the project's purpose and target audience, wondering if it aims to be a game engine or something else. Others point to a lack of documentation and unclear licensing, making it difficult to evaluate the project's potential. Several commenters express concern about the engine's performance and architecture, particularly its use of single-threaded rendering and a seemingly unconventional approach to scene management. Despite these reservations, some find the project interesting, praising the clean code and expressing interest in seeing further development, particularly with improved documentation and benchmarking. The overall sentiment leans towards cautious interest with a desire for more information to properly assess VSC's capabilities and goals.
Vincent Woo created an interactive 3D model of San Francisco's Sutro Tower using the Gaussian Splatting technique. This allows users to virtually explore the intricate structure of the tower with impressive detail and smooth performance in a web browser. The model is based on a real-world point cloud captured with lidar, offering a realistic and immersive experience of this iconic landmark.
Hacker News users generally praised the Sutro Tower 3D model, calling it "amazing," "very cool," and "impressive." Several commenters appreciated the technical aspects, noting the clever use of Gaussian Splats and the smooth performance even on mobile devices. Some discussed the model's size and loading time, with one suggesting potential optimizations like level-of-detail rendering. Others compared it to other 3D capture techniques like photogrammetry, pointing out the differences in visual style and data requirements. A few commenters also shared personal anecdotes about Sutro Tower, reflecting on its iconic presence in San Francisco.
Post-processing shaders offer a powerful creative medium for transforming images and videos beyond traditional photography and filmmaking. By applying algorithms directly to rendered pixels, artists can achieve stylized visuals, simulate physical phenomena, and even correct technical imperfections. This blog post explores the versatility of post-processing, demonstrating how shaders can create effects like bloom, depth of field, color grading, and chromatic aberration, unlocking a vast landscape of artistic expression and allowing creators to craft unique and evocative imagery. It advocates learning the underlying principles of shader programming to fully harness this potential and emphasizes the accessibility of these techniques using readily available tools and frameworks.
Hacker News users generally praised the article's exploration of post-processing shaders for creative visual effects. Several commenters appreciated the technical depth and clear explanations, highlighting the potential of shaders beyond typical "Instagram filter" applications. Some pointed out the connection to older demoscene culture and the satisfaction of crafting visuals algorithmically. Others discussed the performance implications of complex shaders and suggested optimization strategies. A few users shared links to related resources and tools, including Shadertoy and Godot's visual shader editor. The overall sentiment was positive, with many expressing interest in exploring shaders further.
Radiant Foam introduces a novel real-time differentiable ray tracer. By leveraging sparsity and implementing custom CUDA kernels, it achieves interactive performance while maintaining differentiability, enabling gradient-based optimization for tasks like inverse rendering, material estimation, and scene reconstruction. The system supports various features including global illumination, volumetric rendering, and differentiable sampling, offering a powerful tool for research and development in computer graphics and related fields. Its core contribution lies in its efficient handling of gradients throughout the ray tracing process, allowing for effective optimization even with complex scenes and lighting.
HN users discuss Radiant Foam's potential and limitations. Some praise its innovative approach to differentiable rendering, highlighting the possibilities for material and lighting design, as well as applications in robotics and inverse rendering. Others express skepticism about its practical use due to performance concerns, particularly the computational cost of path tracing for real-time applications. Several commenters question the novelty of the approach, comparing it to existing differentiable renderers and noting the inherent challenges of gradient-based optimization in rendering. The discussion also touches on the project's open-source nature and the possibility of GPU acceleration. Several commenters inquire about specific features and limitations, such as support for complex materials and the impact of different sampling strategies.
Ratzilla is a playful demo showcasing a technical experiment in real-time 3D rendering within a web browser. It features a giant rat model, humorously named "Ratzilla," stomping around a simplified cityscape. The project explores techniques for efficient rendering of complex models using WebGPU, a new web standard offering direct access to the device's graphics processing unit (GPU). The demo aims to push the boundaries of what's possible in web-based graphics while maintaining acceptable performance. Though still a prototype, Ratzilla demonstrates the potential of WebGPU for creating compelling and interactive 3D experiences directly within the browser, without the need for plugins or external applications.
HN commenters were impressed with Ratzilla's performance and clever approach to pathfinding using a tiny neural network. Several questioned the practical applications beyond the demo, wondering about its suitability for real-world robotics and complex environments. Some discussed the limitations of the small neural network and potential challenges in scaling the project. Others praised the clear and concise explanation provided on the project's website, along with the accessibility of the demo. A few users pointed out the similarities and differences with other pathfinding algorithms like A*. Overall, the comment section expressed admiration for the technical achievement while maintaining a pragmatic view of its potential.
This blog post breaks down the "Tiny Clouds" Shadertoy by iq, explaining its surprisingly simple yet effective cloud rendering technique. The shader uses raymarching through a 3D noise function, but instead of directly visualizing density, it calculates the amount of light scattered backwards towards the viewer. This is achieved by accumulating the density along the ray and weighting it based on the distance traveled, effectively simulating how light scatters more in denser areas. The post further analyzes the specific noise function used, which combines several octaves of Simplex noise for detail, and discusses how the scattering calculations create a sense of depth and illumination. Finally, it offers variations and potential improvements, such as adding lighting controls and exploring different noise functions.
Commenters on Hacker News largely praised the "Tiny Clouds" shader's elegance and efficiency, admiring the author's ability to create such a visually appealing effect with minimal code. Several discussed the clever use of trigonometric functions and noise to generate the cloud shapes, and some delved into the specifics of raymarching and signed distance fields. A few users shared their own experiences experimenting with similar techniques, and offered suggestions for further exploration, like adding lighting variations or animation. One commenter linked to a related Shadertoy example showcasing a different approach to cloud rendering, prompting a brief comparison of the two methods. Overall, the discussion highlighted the technical ingenuity behind the shader and fostered a sense of appreciation for its concise yet powerful implementation.
Summary of Comments ( 7 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43643441
Hacker News users discussed TVMC's potential applications and limitations. Some highlighted the impressive compression ratios and the potential for wider adoption in areas like game development, VFX, and medical imaging. Others questioned the practicality for real-time applications due to the decompression overhead. Concerns were raised about the project's apparent inactivity and the lack of recent updates, along with the limited file format support. Several commenters expressed interest in GPU decompression and the possibility of integrating TVMC with existing game engines. A key point of discussion revolved around the trade-offs between compression ratio, decompression speed, and visual fidelity.
The Hacker News post titled "TVMC: Time-Varying Mesh Compression" sparked a brief but insightful discussion with a handful of comments focusing on the practical applications and limitations of the presented mesh compression technique.
One commenter highlights the potential of this technology for reducing storage and bandwidth requirements in virtual and augmented reality applications, specifically mentioning the metaverse as a potential beneficiary. They emphasize the importance of efficient mesh compression for creating immersive and interactive experiences in these environments, where detailed 3D models are crucial.
Another comment points out the current limitations of the technology. While acknowledging the potential for various applications, they note that the compression currently works best on meshes with consistent topology over time. This suggests that meshes with significant topological changes, like those seen in simulations with fracturing or merging objects, might not be suitable for this specific compression technique. They also raise the question of whether the demonstrated compression ratios hold true for more complex meshes typically encountered in real-world applications, implicitly suggesting a need for further testing and validation on more diverse datasets.
A third comment focuses on the computational cost associated with the decompression process. While efficient compression is crucial, the commenter rightly points out that if the decompression process is too computationally intensive, it could negate the benefits of reduced storage and bandwidth, especially for real-time applications. They express interest in learning more about the decompression overhead and its impact on performance. This highlights a crucial aspect often overlooked in compression discussions: the trade-off between compression ratio and decompression speed.
Finally, another commenter notes the relevance of this technology to game development, echoing the sentiment about its potential for virtual and augmented reality applications. They also mention the desire for similar compression techniques applicable to skeletal meshes, a common type of mesh used in character animation. This comment reinforces the demand for efficient mesh compression solutions across various domains and highlights the specific needs of different applications, like game development.
In summary, the comments on the Hacker News post demonstrate a general interest in the presented time-varying mesh compression technique, while also acknowledging its limitations and raising important questions regarding its practical applicability, particularly concerning the types of meshes it handles efficiently and the computational cost of decompression.