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Depends on what you mean by novel. No other “mainstream” API that implements the traditional 2D imaging model popularized by Warnock et al. with PostScript is i

Depends on what you mean by novel. No other “mainstream” API that implements the traditional 2D imaging model popularized by Warnock et al. with PostScript is implemented this way, except for Pathfinder. Apple does all 2D drawing operations on the CPU and composites distinct layers using the GPU. This does a lot more work on the GPU.

The_rationalist 6y ago
What about skia?
- Jasper_ 6y ago
  Skia renders paths on the CPU. There was a prototype of a GPU based approach called skia-compute but it was removed a few years ago. I believe some parts of skia can use SDFs for font rendering, but that's only really accurate at small sizes.
  - raphlinus 6y ago
    The skia-compute project is now Spinel, and is under Fuchsia. It is very interesting, perhaps the fastest way to render vector paths on the GPU, but the code is almost completely inscrutable, and it has lots of tuning parameters for specific GPU hardware, so porting is a challenge. Skia has a requirement that rendering of paths cannot suffer from conflation artifacts (though compositing different paths can), as they don't want to regress on any existing web (SVG, canvas) content. That's made it difficult to move away from their existing software renderer which is highly optimized and deals with this well. Needless to say, I consider that an interesting challenge.
    - The_rationalist 6y ago
      Wow the codebase looks quite small for such ambitions!
garethrowlands 6y ago
What about Direct2D? Surely Windows counts as mainstream? The docs are from 2018, https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/direct2d/comparing-direct2d-and-gdi https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/direct2d/comp...
- CyberRabbi 6y ago
  > Rendering method > In order to maintain compatibility, GDI performs a large part of its rendering to aperture memory using the CPU. In contrast, Direct2D translates its APIs calls into Direct3D primitives and drawing operations. The result is then rendered on the GPU. Some of GDI?s rendering is performed on the GPU when the aperture memory is copied to the video memory surface representing the GDI window. I can’t say for certain but I think the main point being communicated here is that Direct2D uses 3D driver interfaces to get its pixels on the screen. Not necessarily that it renders the image using the GPU. I could be wrong.

The_rationalist 6y ago

What about skia?

Jasper_ 6y ago
Skia renders paths on the CPU. There was a prototype of a GPU based approach called skia-compute but it was removed a few years ago. I believe some parts of skia can use SDFs for font rendering, but that's only really accurate at small sizes.
- raphlinus 6y ago
  The skia-compute project is now Spinel, and is under Fuchsia. It is very interesting, perhaps the fastest way to render vector paths on the GPU, but the code is almost completely inscrutable, and it has lots of tuning parameters for specific GPU hardware, so porting is a challenge. Skia has a requirement that rendering of paths cannot suffer from conflation artifacts (though compositing different paths can), as they don't want to regress on any existing web (SVG, canvas) content. That's made it difficult to move away from their existing software renderer which is highly optimized and deals with this well. Needless to say, I consider that an interesting challenge.
  - The_rationalist 6y ago
    Wow the codebase looks quite small for such ambitions!

garethrowlands 6y ago

What about Direct2D? Surely Windows counts as mainstream? The docs are from 2018, https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/direct2d/comparing-direct2d-and-gdi https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/direct2d/comp...

CyberRabbi 6y ago
> Rendering method > In order to maintain compatibility, GDI performs a large part of its rendering to aperture memory using the CPU. In contrast, Direct2D translates its APIs calls into Direct3D primitives and drawing operations. The result is then rendered on the GPU. Some of GDI?s rendering is performed on the GPU when the aperture memory is copied to the video memory surface representing the GDI window. I can’t say for certain but I think the main point being communicated here is that Direct2D uses 3D driver interfaces to get its pixels on the screen. Not necessarily that it renders the image using the GPU. I could be wrong.