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Can anyone explain where this blob of "assembly language" comes from? In practice, the author presumably with the desired output image and backed into this esot

Can anyone explain where this blob of "assembly language" comes from? In practice, the author presumably with the desired output image and backed into this esoteric format, but I'm not following how. What is considered an acceptable preprocessing or transformation? In the limit case, a static executable that computes nothing and outputs a constant, literal image probably violates the intention of the question.

jstanley 2y ago
> In practice, the author presumably with the desired output image and backed into this esoteric format, but I'm not following how. I actually don't think this is how he did it. You might notice the font is kind of weird. I think he started with an SDF font and created the "assembly language" from that. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signed_distance_function https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signed_distance_function
mkeeter 2y ago
> Can anyone explain where this blob of "assembly language" comes from? Assembly language is definitely the right analogy: it's a low-level target generated by higher-level tools. In this case, the expression came from a Python script calling this text(...) function: https://github.com/mkeeter/antimony/blob/f6a56dd7/py/fab/shapes.py#L866-L1505 https://github.com/mkeeter/antimony/blob/f6a56dd7/py/fab/sha... The font is hand-built from geometric primitives (rectangles, circles, etc) and CSG operations (union, intersection, difference) > What is considered an acceptable preprocessing or transformation? I'm looking for interesting ideas, and to mine the depths of PLs / compiler / interpreter / runtime research. Just returning a fixed image isn't particularly interesting, but (for example) I just updated the site with a compile-to-CUDA example that shows off the brute force power of a modern GPU.
- mattdesl 2y ago
  What are the practical implications of this kind of assembly language? Surely there’s more efficient means of describing 2D SDFs? Fun exercise! I’ve been enjoying trying to find some new ways to approach the challenge. I managed to build a single string expression for the entire program, so it could be evaluated per-pixel in a shader, but it turns out the expression is too complex for WebGL & WebGPU and the shader fails to compile. My next thought would be to evaluate the program at a low resolution to create a low res SDF texture for the shader to draw at a higher resolution. Some information will probably be lost, though.
  - mkeeter 2y ago
    > What are the practical implications of this kind of assembly language? Surely there’s more efficient means of describing 2D SDFs? By analogy, you wouldn't program in LLVM IR, but it's a useful intermediate representation for a bunch of higher-level languages. Higher-level tools can target this representation, and then they all get to use a standard set of optimizations and algorithms (fast evaluation, rendering, etc). (I gave a recent talk that's a broad overview of this research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxGxsGnbyJ4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxGxsGnbyJ4) > My next thought would be to evaluate the program at a low resolution to create a low res SDF texture for the shader to draw at a higher resolution. Glad you're enjoying the challenge! You may also be interested in https://www.redblobgames.com/x/2403-distance-field-fonts/ https://www.redblobgames.com/x/2403-distance-field-fonts/

jstanley 2y ago

> In practice, the author presumably with the desired output image and backed into this esoteric format, but I'm not following how. I actually don't think this is how he did it. You might notice the font is kind of weird. I think he started with an SDF font and created the "assembly language" from that. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signed_distance_function https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signed_distance_function

mkeeter 2y ago

> Can anyone explain where this blob of "assembly language" comes from? Assembly language is definitely the right analogy: it's a low-level target generated by higher-level tools. In this case, the expression came from a Python script calling this text(...) function: https://github.com/mkeeter/antimony/blob/f6a56dd7/py/fab/shapes.py#L866-L1505 https://github.com/mkeeter/antimony/blob/f6a56dd7/py/fab/sha... The font is hand-built from geometric primitives (rectangles, circles, etc) and CSG operations (union, intersection, difference) > What is considered an acceptable preprocessing or transformation? I'm looking for interesting ideas, and to mine the depths of PLs / compiler / interpreter / runtime research. Just returning a fixed image isn't particularly interesting, but (for example) I just updated the site with a compile-to-CUDA example that shows off the brute force power of a modern GPU.

mattdesl 2y ago
What are the practical implications of this kind of assembly language? Surely there’s more efficient means of describing 2D SDFs? Fun exercise! I’ve been enjoying trying to find some new ways to approach the challenge. I managed to build a single string expression for the entire program, so it could be evaluated per-pixel in a shader, but it turns out the expression is too complex for WebGL & WebGPU and the shader fails to compile. My next thought would be to evaluate the program at a low resolution to create a low res SDF texture for the shader to draw at a higher resolution. Some information will probably be lost, though.
- mkeeter 2y ago
  > What are the practical implications of this kind of assembly language? Surely there’s more efficient means of describing 2D SDFs? By analogy, you wouldn't program in LLVM IR, but it's a useful intermediate representation for a bunch of higher-level languages. Higher-level tools can target this representation, and then they all get to use a standard set of optimizations and algorithms (fast evaluation, rendering, etc). (I gave a recent talk that's a broad overview of this research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxGxsGnbyJ4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxGxsGnbyJ4) > My next thought would be to evaluate the program at a low resolution to create a low res SDF texture for the shader to draw at a higher resolution. Glad you're enjoying the challenge! You may also be interested in https://www.redblobgames.com/x/2403-distance-field-fonts/ https://www.redblobgames.com/x/2403-distance-field-fonts/