framework/referencerenderer/design.txt

Reference Renderer Design Notes
-------------------------------

Requirements:
 - must support arbitrary VA arrays
 - must support primitive setup reference
 - must support lines, points
 - must support instancing
 - must support vertex shading -> custom position transformations
 - flat, noperspective shading
 - multiple render targets
 - faster shading? move packet loop inside shader
   (helper class can make shader implementation easier)
 - can be extended for tessellation and geometry shading

Integrate with:
 - sglr
 - random shader generator

Uniforms:
 - shader objects can contain parameters, renderer doesn't care about them
 - can contain simple data or references to resources (textures for example)

Pipeline:

Vertex cache:
 - based on indices setup transformed vertex buffer
 - in:
   + index list
   + VS generic output count
 - out:
   + VS execution queue
   + index remap information?
 - trivial implementation:
   + run VS for all vertices at once

VertexShader:
 - provides position & point size
 - transforms other vertices
 - in:
   + VertexAttrib array
   + packet list:
     + VertexID, InstanceID (pack into some accessor?)
   + uniform ptr
 - out:
   + position
   + point size
   + array of generic transformed attributes (float/int/uint)

Tessellation:
 - \todo [pyry] Define
 - replaces primitive assembly?

Primitive assembly:
 - sets up primitives
 - gl3: triangles, points, lines (adjecency?)
 - in:
   + full primitive type
   + index list
   + position & point size from VS
 - out:
   + primitive list for rasterization / geometry shading
     + positions
	 + provoking vertex for flatshading

GeometryShader:
 - in:
   + primitive list
 - out:
   + changed primitive list

Coordinate transform:
 - in:
   + primitive list
 - out:
   + coordinates after viewport transform
   + z-clipping bits

Rasterizer:
 - pretty much as it is currently

FragmentShader:
 - in:
   + packet list:
     + base coordinates
	 + barycentrics, both perspective and non-perspective
	 + generic attribute accessor (2 or 3 vertices)
	 + provoking vertex index
   + uniform ptr
 - out:
   + shaded packet list:
     + colors per render target
	 + modified live mask - for discard
 - utils:
   + compute derivatives from data in SoA form
   + compute lod for texturing