Random points⌗

  • true randomness is hard
  • pseudo random number generators usually don’t have even distribution
    • or “slow”
    • or cannot be used in a parallel way
  • OpenGL does not have random API (reasons above)

And in most cases higher “entropy” is more pleasant to the eyes.

“Solution”: cellular noise

  • divide the space into cells
  • pick one random point in each cell
  • profit - can be processed in a parallel way very efficiently

Classic, canvas based example using the CSS Paint API.

Classic (canvas) vs. shader approach⌗

Classic:

  • set pixel colors, draw lines / arcs, fill them
  • more pixels/shapes to draw => more time required
  • hard to do in a parallel way

Shader:

  • you get all the pixels (on a vertex), you have to determine the color of each
  • more complex graphics => more time, BUT you need to set the color of all the pixels anyway
  • very easy to do in a parallel way

Live demo