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+# Future Goals & Ideas (Untriaged)
+
+This file contains low-priority tasks and ideas that have not yet been triaged for active development.
+
+---
+
+## Audio Tools
+
+### Task #64: specplay Enhancements
+Extend audio analysis tool with new features:
+- **Priority 1**: Spectral visualization (ASCII art), waveform display, frequency analysis, dynamic range
+- **Priority 2**: Diff mode (compare .wav vs .spec), batch mode (CSV report, find clipping)
+- **Priority 3**: WAV export (.spec → .wav), normalization
+- **Priority 4**: Spectral envelope, harmonic analysis, onset detection
+- **Priority 5**: Interactive mode (seek, loop, volume control)
+
+See `tools/specplay_README.md` for detailed feature list.
+
+### Task #65: Data-Driven Tempo Control
+Move tempo variation from code to data files.
+
+**Current**: `g_tempo_scale` is hardcoded in `main.cc` with manual animation curves
+
+**Goal**: Define tempo curves in `.seq` or `.track` files
+
+**Approach A**: Add TEMPO directive to `.seq` format
+- Example: `TEMPO 0.0 1.0`, `TEMPO 10.0 2.0`, `TEMPO 20.0 1.0`
+- seq_compiler generates tempo curve array in timeline.cc
+
+**Approach B**: Add tempo column to music.track
+- Each pattern trigger can specify tempo_scale override
+- tracker_compiler generates tempo events in music_data.cc
+
+**Benefits**: Non-programmers can edit tempo, easier iteration, version control friendly
+
+**Priority**: Low (current approach works)
+
+### Task #67: DCT/FFT Performance Benchmarking
+Add timing measurements to audio tests.
+
+**Goal**: Compare performance of different DCT/IDCT implementations
+
+**Location**: Add timing code to `test_dct.cc` or `test_fft.cc`
+
+**Measurements**:
+- Reference IDCT/FDCT (naive O(N²))
+- FFT-based DCT/IDCT (current O(N log N))
+- Future x86_64 SIMD-optimized versions
+
+**Output Format**:
+- Average time per transform (microseconds)
+- Throughput (transforms per second)
+- Speedup factor vs reference
+
+**Test Sizes**: DCT_SIZE=512 (production), plus 128, 256, 1024 for scaling
+
+**Implementation**:
+- Use `std::chrono::high_resolution_clock`
+- Run 1000+ iterations to reduce noise
+- Report min/avg/max times
+- Guard with `#if !defined(STRIP_ALL)`
+
+**Priority**: Very Low (nice-to-have)
+
+### Task #69: Convert Audio Pipeline to Clipped Int16
+Use clipped int16 for all audio processing.
+
+**Current**: Float32 throughout (generation, mixing, synthesis, output)
+
+**Goal**: Convert to int16 for faster processing and reduced memory
+
+**Rationale**:
+- Simpler arithmetic (no float operations)
+- Smaller memory footprint (2 bytes vs 4 bytes)
+- Hardware-native format (most audio devices use int16)
+- Eliminates float→int16 conversion at output
+- Natural clipping behavior
+
+**Scope**:
+- Output path: Definitely convert (backends, WAV dump)
+- Synthesis: Consider keeping float32 for quality
+- Mixing: Could use int16 with overflow handling
+- Asset storage: Already int16 in .spec files
+
+**Implementation Phases**:
+1. **Phase 1: Output Only** (~50 lines) - Convert `synth_render()` output to int16
+2. **Phase 2: Mixing Stage** (~200 lines) - Convert voice mixing to int16 arithmetic
+3. **Phase 3: Full Pipeline** (~500+ lines) - Convert spectrograms to int16 storage
+
+**Trade-offs**:
+- Quality loss: 16-bit vs 32-bit float precision
+- Dynamic range: Limited to [-32768, 32767]
+- Clipping: Must handle overflow carefully
+- Code complexity: Saturation arithmetic
+
+**Testing Requirements**:
+- Verify no audible quality degradation
+- Ensure clipping behavior matches float version
+- Check mixing overflow doesn't cause artifacts
+- Validate WAV dumps bit-identical
+
+**Size Impact**:
+- Phase 1: Negligible (~50 bytes)
+- Phase 2: ~100-200 bytes
+- Phase 3: 50% memory, ~1-2KB code savings
+
+**Priority**: Low (final optimization only if 64k budget requires it)
+
+**Notes**: Quality must be validated - may not be worth trade-off
+
+---
+
+## Developer Tools
+
+### Task #66: External Asset Loading for Debugging
+mmap() asset files instead of embedded data.
+
+**Current**: All assets embedded in `assets_data.cc` (regenerate on every change)
+
+**Goal**: Load assets from external files in debug builds for faster iteration
+
+**Scope**: macOS only, non-STRIP_ALL builds only
+
+**Implementation**:
+- Add `DEMO_ENABLE_EXTERNAL_ASSETS` CMake option
+- Modify `GetAsset()` to check for external file first (e.g., `assets/final/<name>`)
+- Use `mmap()` to map file into memory
+- Fallback to embedded data if file not found
+
+**Benefits**: Edit shaders/assets without regenerating assets_data.cc (~10s rebuild)
+
+**Trade-offs**: Adds runtime file I/O, only useful during development
+
+**Priority**: Low (current workflow acceptable)
+
+---
+
+## Visual Effects
+
+### Task #73: Extend Shader Parametrization [IN PROGRESS - 2/4 complete]
+Extend uniform parameter system to remaining effects.
+
+**Goal**: Add parametrization to DistortEffect, SolarizeEffect
+
+**Pattern**: Follow FlashEffect implementation (UniformHelper, params struct, .seq syntax)
+
+**Completed**: ChromaAberrationEffect (offset_scale, angle), GaussianBlurEffect (strength)
+
+**Priority**: Medium (quality-of-life for artists)
+
+**Estimated Impact**: ~200-300 bytes per effect
+
+### Task #52: Procedural SDF Font
+Minimal bezier/spline set for [A-Z, 0-9] and SDF rendering.
+
+### Task #55: SDF Random Planes Intersection
+Implement `sdPolyhedron` (crystal/gem shapes) via plane intersection.
+
+### Task #54: Tracy Integration
+Integrate Tracy debugger for performance profiling.
+
+### Task #58: Advanced Shader Factorization
+Further factorize WGSL code into smaller, reusable snippets.
+
+### Task #59: Comprehensive RNG Library
+Add WGSL snippets for float/vec2/vec3 noise (Perlin, Gyroid, etc.) and random number generators.
+
+### Task #60: OOP Refactoring
+Investigate if more C++ code can be made object-oriented without size penalty (vs functional style).
+
+### Task #61: GPU Procedural Generation
+Implement system to generate procedural data (textures, geometry) on GPU and read back to CPU.
+
+### Task #62: Physics Engine Enhancements (PBD & Rotation)
+- **Task #62.1**: Quaternion rotation for `Object3D` with angular momentum
+- **Task #62.2**: Position Based Dynamics (PBD) - Re-evaluate velocity after resolving collisions/constraints
+
+### Task #63: Refactor Large Files
+Split `src/gpu/gpu.cc`, `src/3d/visual_debug.cc` and `src/gpu/effect.cc` into sub-functionalities.
+
+---
+
+## Performance Optimization
+
+### Task #70: SIMD x86_64 Implementation
+Implement critical functions using intrinsics for x86_64 platforms.
+
+**Goal**: Optimize hot paths for audio and procedural generation
+
+**Scope**:
+- IDCT/FDCT transforms
+- Audio mixing and voice synthesis
+- CPU-side procedural texture/geometry generation
+
+**Constraint**: Non-critical; fallback to generic C++ must be maintained
+
+**Priority**: Very Low