junkpile

09 · Tauri v1 Feedback WebSocket

A modernized two-window Tauri v1 example demonstrating webcam-driven raw WebGL feedback over an embedded Rust WebSocket relay.

What it demonstrates

• Separate controls and output WebViews
• Rust WebSocket relay on 127.0.0.1:2727
• Camera capture owned by the output WebView
• Generated calibration source before camera permission
• Two-texture ping-pong framebuffer feedback
• Echo, fluid, reaction-diffusion, thermal, mirror, and glitch simulations
• Direct pointer injection into persistent GPU state
• Complete state restoration after either WebView reconnects
• Renderer, source FPS, resolution, buffer, GPU, shader, and camera telemetry

Signal flow

controls.html
    ↓ parameter/state messages
Rust WebSocket relay
    ↓
canvas.html
    ↓
source texture → simulation shader → history A/B → display shader → output

The output window owns both getUserMedia() and WebGL. A MediaStream is not transferred between Tauri WebViews.

Run

npm install
npm run dev

Production build

npm run build

On macOS, bundles are created below:

src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

Unsigned local builds may be blocked by Gatekeeper when moved to another machine. Public distribution requires signing and notarization.

Controls

• Select a simulation or preset.
• Start a camera or use the generated calibration source.
• Adjust decay, source injection, speed, scale, intensity, palette, and brush radius.
• Drag inside the output window to inject state directly.
• Change history resolution to trade quality for speed.
• Use the controls window to show, focus, or fullscreen the output.

Keyboard shortcuts

• Space: pause/resume
• X: clear history
• R: reset
• S: resend complete state
• F: toggle output fullscreen

Architecture notes

The controls coalesce slider changes into at most one WebSocket batch per animation frame. On connection, the output requests a full state snapshot. This restores parameters, pause state, camera request, and history resolution after reloads or reconnects.

The Rust relay remains renderer-agnostic: text messages are broadcast to other clients, while binary messages are routed to the canvas role.

Known limitations

• Camera labels may remain generic until permission is approved.
• High history resolutions increase GPU bandwidth substantially.
• Camera formats and maximum capture sizes depend on WKWebView and the device driver.
• The relay is intentionally local and unauthenticated for educational use.

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