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# Forking The Render Cadence Base
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This note captures the current fork-readiness state for using this repository as a base where the render cadence and video I/O work are kept, but the GPU content being rendered is replaced in a separate repository.
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## Verdict
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The repository is clean enough for an internal fork, but it needs a small hygiene pass before it becomes a comfortable long-lived base repo.
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The important architecture is already in place: render cadence, video input/output, frame exchange, readback, preview, control, and shader build work are mostly separated by role. The app-side replacement point is now `IRuntimeContentController` in `src/app/RuntimeContentController.h`. The current shader package stack is plugged in by `ShaderRuntimeContentController`, while a fork can provide a D3D-engine controller without making the host app own Slang, shader catalogs, or shader layer state.
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The current render-thread implementation still uses OpenGL for its context and readback path. If the fork's renderer is truly D3D rather than GL content, keep the app/video/frame-exchange boundary and replace the render-thread/content implementation that publishes completed system-memory frames.
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For a new repo, keep the cadence and frame handoff machinery, then replace or narrow the runtime shader rendering layer.
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## Keep
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These parts are the useful base for the fork:
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- `src/frames`: CPU frame handoff, input mailbox, and completed-frame exchange.
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- `src/video/core`: backend-neutral input/output contracts.
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- `src/video/decklink`, `src/video/ndi`, and `src/video/playout`: concrete video I/O edges and scheduling support.
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- `src/render/thread`: render cadence ownership, readback pumping, runtime render-layer commit point, and metrics.
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- `src/render/readback`: BGRA8/UYVY8 PBO readback and completed-frame publication.
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- `src/platform`: hidden GL window/context support.
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- `src/app`: startup, config, video backend factory, runtime layer orchestration, preview, telemetry, and HTTP server hookup.
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- `src/control/http`, `src/control/osc`, `src/telemetry`, `src/logging`, and `ui`: useful if the new repo still wants a local control surface. `control/osc` is currently a status/lifecycle stub, not a UDP listener.
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- `src/app/RenderCadenceHttpRoutes.*`: useful only if the new repo keeps this app's current `/api/...` control surface.
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- `src/app/RuntimeContentController.h`: the app-side runtime-content boundary. Keep the interface shape and provide a fork-owned implementation for D3D engine control/state.
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## Replace Or Rework
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These are most likely to change when the fork renders something other than shader packages:
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- `src/render/runtime`: current runtime shader scene, renderer, text texture cache, and shared-context shader preparation.
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- `src/runtime/shader`: background Slang package build bridge.
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- `src/shader`: shader package manifest parsing and Slang wrapper generation, unless the new renderer keeps the same shader package contract.
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- `src/app/ShaderRuntimeContentController.*`: current Slang shader-stack implementation of the app runtime-content boundary.
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- `shaders/`: bundled shader package library.
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- `runtime/templates/shader_wrapper.slang.in`: only needed for the current Slang package pipeline.
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- `src/app/RenderCadenceHttpRoutes.*`: replace this with a fork-owned route module if the new renderer has different controls, while keeping `src/control/http/HttpControlServer.*` as the socket/static/WebSocket shell.
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- Shader-specific UI affordances in `ui`, if the new renderer has a different control model.
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The first fork step is now in place: `RenderThread` preserves the cadence/readback shell and calls a narrow render-content interface behind the draw call. A new repo can swap that implementation without touching video I/O scheduling.
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The shader stack is also separated from `RenderCadenceApp` now. The app owns only an `IRuntimeContentController`; `RenderCadenceCompositor.cpp` wires the current `ShaderRuntimeContentController` into that slot. A D3D fork should wire a D3D runtime-content controller there and then replace the render-thread content/readback implementation as needed.
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The HTTP control boundary is also split now. `HttpControlServer` owns transport, static-file helpers, OpenAPI helper serving, and WebSocket state transport; `RenderCadenceHttpRoutes` owns this app's REST endpoint map. A fork that wants the same browser/server plumbing can provide its own route callback and leave the Render Cadence-specific endpoints behind.
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## Current Swap Point
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The render cadence loop now calls `IRenderContent` inside the readback queue call in `src/render/thread/RenderThread.cpp`:
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```cpp
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renderContent.RenderFrame(RenderContentFrame{
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index,
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mConfig.width,
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mConfig.height,
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videoInputTexture
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});
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```
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The default implementation is `RuntimeShaderRenderContent`, which owns the existing runtime shader scene plus simple fallback renderer. That is the practical boundary for a fork:
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- keep the tick clock, input upload, readback queueing, and `SystemFrameExchange` publication around it
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- replace what draws into the current GL framebuffer
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- keep video output consuming already completed system-memory frames
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Do not move DeckLink, NDI, file I/O, shader compilation, or control handling into the cadence path while doing the replacement.
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## Fork Hygiene Checklist
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Before cutting a long-lived fork, fix or decide these items:
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- Keep `runtimeShaderId` empty in checked-in config unless this repo intentionally wants a default startup shader again.
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- Keep runtime third-party discovery aligned with CMake. Font atlas generation and Slang compilation now both check explicit tool roots, `THIRD_PARTY_ROOT`, the private `video-io-3rdParty` bundle, and legacy or packaged `3rdParty` layouts.
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- Make `config/runtime-host.json` portable. Current checked-in defaults include a local NDI source name and DeckLink output.
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- Decide whether the fork keeps the Slang shader package contract. If not, replace `ShaderRuntimeContentController`, retire or clearly isolate `shaders/SHADER_CONTRACT.md`, shader package UI, and shader manifest tests.
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- For a D3D engine fork, decide whether to bridge D3D output into the existing GL/readback path temporarily or replace `RenderThread`/readback with a D3D-native publisher that still writes completed `SystemFrameExchange` frames.
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- Keep `runtime/` generated output ignored, and keep only `runtime/templates/` plus `runtime/README.md` tracked.
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- Keep the private SDK bundle as a submodule only if the new repo is intended for the same org/build environment. External forks should use ignored `3rdParty/` or explicit CMake SDK paths.
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## Verification Snapshot
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Last checked locally on 2026-05-30 after the runtime-content controller split:
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- UI production build passed with `npm.cmd run build`.
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- Native debug build passed for `RenderCadenceCompositor`.
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- Native tests passed 26 of 26 with `ctest --test-dir build\vs2022-x64-debug -C Debug --output-on-failure`.
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- `FontAtlasBuilderTests` now passes with `msdf-atlas-gen.exe` supplied by the private `video-io-3rdParty/msdf-atlas-gen` bundle.
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- `ShaderCompilerLookupTests` covers `SLANG_ROOT`, `THIRD_PARTY_ROOT`, repo `video-io-3rdParty`, legacy `3rdParty`, and packaged `3rdParty/slang` Slang layouts.
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The generated Visual Studio `RUN_TESTS` target did not build missing test executables by itself during the first local run; building the debug preset first produced the test binaries.
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## Recommended Fork Sequence
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1. Make the hygiene fixes above in this repo or immediately after the fork.
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2. Keep `IRuntimeContentController` as the app-side boundary and replace `ShaderRuntimeContentController` with the fork's D3D engine control/state implementation.
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3. Keep `IRenderContent` as the render-thread draw-call boundary only if the fork remains GL-backed or uses a GL/D3D bridge.
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4. If the fork is D3D-native, replace the render-thread/readback implementation while preserving completed-frame publication into `SystemFrameExchange`.
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5. Verify that video output still consumes completed frames and never requests rendering directly.
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6. Only then remove shader package pieces that the new repo no longer needs.
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That sequence preserves the hard-won cadence/video I/O behavior while giving the fork a clean place to become its own renderer.
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