GoKawiil
Tech News
A developer rewrote VLC's Gaussian blur video filter from its original C implementation into C# using .NET Native AOT, running both versions inside the same VLC build on identical frames to compare speed. After an initial line-by-line port and two subsequent source tweaks, the C# version's performance came within 8% of the native C code.
A developer documents a year-long exploration of blur algorithms sparked by performance issues with Blender's Fast Blur mode, ultimately combining existing techniques into an approach called Smol Gaussian. The method uses a downsample-blur-upsample strategy to handle smoothly animated blur radii and independent horizontal/vertical blur amounts, addressing limitations found in the popular Dual Kawase blur technique. An interactive WebGPU playground is provided alongside the writeup for readers to test the technique.
A technical blog post walks through how the Fourier transform can be used to reconstruct a hand-drawn path, such as a llama, by summing rotating vectors (epicycles) of different frequencies, radii, and starting angles connected tip to tail. The author shows progressively complex examples, from a straight line and square to a fish, culminating in a llama drawn using 1024 circles.