gl-react-native: Implement the same level of feature

[gre]

The gl-react-native will rely on the wip implementation of WebGL in React Native started by https://docs.getexponent.com/versions/v11.0.0/sdk/gl-view.html

List of things we wish to solve:

• Support for framebuffers. This is fundamental for gl-react.
• interoperability with React Native Image source prop (basically should support same format as a input for gl.texImage2D)
• The WebGL implementation should be a standalone implementation that we can depend as a library (shouldn't requires you to use Exponent if you just use React Native).
• interoperability with more "pixel sources" (Video, Camera, ...)

help welcomed! (especially on improving the WebGL RN implementation)

[omeid]

Does that means gl-react-native will only work within an Exponent app or would there be a way to use it in a simple react-native app?

[gre]

in the long term, I wish it can be independent and works in a normal react-native app.

[gre]

there are many milestones before reaching that, but it's planned in my mind.

[omeid]

That is going to be a deal breaker for a lot, as in, majory of react-native developers, exponent is not bad, but lack of Native Modules means a lot of people just can't use it. :(

[gre]

as said, I plan to make it independent. at worse it can be basically forking all the code from Exponent lib. it's OSS.

[superandrew213]

@gre any updates on this?

[gre]

yes, I have succeed porting the Exponent implementation in. but now it's not finished:

• no support for textures yet
• some other funky bug i'll try to fix in the next days

[jimothyhalpert7]

@gre So the current master version of cookbook-exp isn't supposed to work?
When i currently run a fresh install I get EXGL: getParameter() doesn't support g.lFRAMEBUFFER_BINDING yet!

[superandrew213]

Thank you for the update @gre

[gre]

@jimothyhalpert7 it should work, but maybe it needs latest exponent?

[jimothyhalpert7]

@gre I've upgraded to v14, still getting the same. If I dismiss the issue, the next one says Surface can only contains a single root. Got: Node#1(copy#1).

[gre]

we figured it out (sorry for latence) & released a 3.0.0-alpha.4 that should work for gl-react-exponent (still experimental) – make sure you use the same gl-react version

[gre]

note to myself:

current texture support: exponent only support "local asset images" and RN support none.

my next milestone for RN implementation, trying this idea:

• from the exgl c++ implementation, calling some interface, that will call the underlying RN Image, e.g. iOS’ _bridge.imageLoader loadImageWithURLRequest to reuse the same image networking + cache & support the same format of the Image source prop. Things needs to be "ready" in sync for the GL impl, so might need to have a Map that hold the objs if it's not in RN. Also obviously will need a call to load in that Map, hidden by the *Loader logic. <- basically just re-use some code from gl-react-native v2.

if it makes sense, could be backported to Exponent, unless Exponent implement it there own way (which might be transparent for gl-react-* user as we can hide this behind the *Loaders anyway)