206 lines
7.0 KiB
Markdown
206 lines
7.0 KiB
Markdown
# RenderCadenceCompositor
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This app is the modular version of the working DeckLink render-cadence probe.
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Its job is to prove the production-facing foundation before the current compositor's shader/runtime/control features are ported over.
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Before adding features here, read the guardrails in [Render Cadence Golden Rules](../../docs/RENDER_CADENCE_GOLDEN_RULES.md).
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## Architecture
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```text
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RenderThread
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owns a hidden OpenGL context
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renders simple BGRA8 motion at selected cadence
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queues async PBO readback
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publishes completed frames into SystemFrameExchange
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SystemFrameExchange
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owns Free / Rendering / Completed / Scheduled slots
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drops old completed unscheduled frames when render needs space
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protects scheduled frames until DeckLink completion
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DeckLinkOutputThread
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consumes completed system-memory frames
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schedules them into DeckLink up to target depth
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never renders
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```
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Startup warms up real rendered frames before DeckLink scheduled playback starts.
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## Current Scope
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Included now:
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- output-only DeckLink
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- hidden render-thread-owned OpenGL context
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- simple smooth-motion renderer
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- BGRA8-only output
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- async PBO readback
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- latest-N system-memory frame exchange
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- rendered-frame warmup
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- background Slang compile of `shaders/happy-accident`
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- app-owned submission of a completed shader artifact
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- render-thread-only GL commit once the artifact is ready
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- manifest-driven stateless single-pass shader packages
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- default float, vec2, color, boolean, enum, and trigger parameters
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- background logging with `log`, `warning`, and `error` levels
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- compact telemetry
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- non-GL frame-exchange tests
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Intentionally not included yet:
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- DeckLink input
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- multipass shader rendering
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- temporal/history/feedback shader storage
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- texture/LUT asset upload
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- text-parameter rasterization
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- runtime state
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- OSC/API control
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- preview
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- screenshots
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- persistence
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Those features should be ported only after the cadence spine is stable.
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## Build
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```powershell
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cmake --build --preset build-debug --target RenderCadenceCompositor -- /m:1
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```
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The executable is:
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```text
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build\vs2022-x64-debug\Debug\RenderCadenceCompositor.exe
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```
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## Run
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Run from VS Code with:
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```text
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Debug RenderCadenceCompositor
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```
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Or from a terminal:
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```powershell
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build\vs2022-x64-debug\Debug\RenderCadenceCompositor.exe
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```
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Press Enter to stop.
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To test a different compatible shader package:
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```powershell
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build\vs2022-x64-debug\Debug\RenderCadenceCompositor.exe --shader solid-color
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```
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Use `--no-shader` to keep the simple motion fallback only.
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## Expected Telemetry
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Startup, shutdown, shader-build, and render-thread event messages are written through the app logger. Telemetry is intentionally separate and remains a compact once-per-second cadence line.
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The logger writes to the console, `OutputDebugStringA`, and `logs/render-cadence-compositor.log` by default. Render-thread log calls use the non-blocking path so diagnostics do not become cadence blockers.
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The app prints one line per second:
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```text
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renderFps=59.9 scheduleFps=59.9 free=7 completed=1 scheduled=4 completedPollMisses=0 scheduleFailures=0 completions=119 late=0 dropped=0 shaderCommitted=1 shaderFailures=0 decklinkBuffered=4 scheduleCallMs=0.0
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```
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Healthy first-run signs:
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- visible DeckLink output is smooth
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- `renderFps` is close to the selected cadence
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- `scheduleFps` is close to the selected cadence after warmup
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- `scheduled` stays near 4
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- `decklinkBuffered` stays near 4 when available
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- `late` and `dropped` do not increase continuously
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- `scheduleFailures` does not increase
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- `shaderCommitted` becomes `1` after the background Happy Accident compile completes
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- `shaderFailures` remains `0`
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`completedPollMisses` means the DeckLink scheduling thread woke up before a completed frame was available. It is not a DeckLink playout underrun by itself. Treat it as healthy polling noise when `scheduled`, `decklinkBuffered`, `late`, `dropped`, and `scheduleFailures` remain stable.
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## Runtime Slang Shader Test
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On startup the app begins compiling the selected shader package on a background thread owned by the app orchestration layer. The default is `shaders/happy-accident`.
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The render thread keeps drawing the simple motion renderer while Slang compiles. It does not choose packages, launch Slang, or track build lifecycle. It only receives a completed shader artifact and attempts the OpenGL shader compile/link at a frame boundary. If either the Slang build or GL commit fails, the app keeps rendering the simple motion fallback.
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Current runtime shader support is deliberately limited to stateless single-pass packages:
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- one pass only
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- no temporal history
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- no feedback storage
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- no texture/LUT assets yet
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- no text parameters yet
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- manifest defaults are used for parameters
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- `gVideoInput` and `gLayerInput` are bound to a small fallback source texture until DeckLink input is added
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Successful handoff signs:
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- telemetry shows `shaderCommitted=1`
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- output changes from the simple motion pattern to the Happy Accident shader
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- render/schedule cadence remains near 60 fps during and after the handoff
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- DeckLink buffer remains stable
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## Baseline Result
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Date: 2026-05-12
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User-visible result:
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- output was smooth
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- DeckLink held a 4-frame buffer
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Representative telemetry:
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```text
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renderFps=59.9 scheduleFps=59.9 free=8 completed=0 scheduled=4 completedPollMisses=30 scheduleFailures=0 completions=720 late=0 dropped=0 decklinkBuffered=4 scheduleCallMs=1.2
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renderFps=59.8 scheduleFps=59.8 free=7 completed=1 scheduled=4 completedPollMisses=36 scheduleFailures=0 completions=1080 late=0 dropped=0 decklinkBuffered=4 scheduleCallMs=4.7
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renderFps=59.9 scheduleFps=59.9 free=7 completed=1 scheduled=4 completedPollMisses=86 scheduleFailures=0 completions=1381 late=0 dropped=0 decklinkBuffered=4 scheduleCallMs=2.1
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```
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Read:
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- render cadence and DeckLink schedule cadence both held roughly 60 fps
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- app scheduled depth stayed at 4
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- actual DeckLink buffered depth stayed at 4
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- no late frames, dropped frames, or schedule failures were observed
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- completed poll misses were benign because playout remained fully fed
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## Tests
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```powershell
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cmake --build --preset build-debug --target RenderCadenceCompositorFrameExchangeTests -- /m:1
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ctest --test-dir build\vs2022-x64-debug -C Debug -R RenderCadenceCompositorFrameExchangeTests --output-on-failure
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```
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## Relationship To The Probe
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`apps/DeckLinkRenderCadenceProbe` proved the timing model in one compact file.
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This app keeps the same core behavior but splits it into modules that can grow:
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- `frames/`: system-memory handoff
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- `platform/`: COM/Win32/hidden GL context support
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- `render/`: cadence, simple rendering, PBO readback
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- `video/`: DeckLink output wrapper and scheduling thread
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- `telemetry/`: cadence telemetry
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- `app/`: startup/shutdown orchestration
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## Next Porting Steps
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Only after this app matches the probe's smooth output:
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1. replace `SimpleMotionRenderer` with a render-scene interface
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2. port shader package rendering
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3. port runtime snapshots/live state
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4. add control services
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5. add preview/screenshot from system-memory frames
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6. add DeckLink input as a CPU latest-frame mailbox
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