Remove uniform buffer based skinning and batching

src/deprecated/deprecated.js

@@ -676,6 +676,13 @@ Object.defineProperties(Texture.prototype, {
     }
 });
 
+Object.defineProperty(GraphicsDevice.prototype, 'boneLimit', {
+    get: function () {
+        Debug.deprecated('pc.GraphicsDevice#boneLimit is deprecated and the limit has been removed.');
+        return 1024;
+    }
+});
+
 Object.defineProperty(GraphicsDevice.prototype, 'webgl2', {
     get: function () {
         Debug.deprecated('pc.GraphicsDevice#webgl2 is deprecated, use pc.GraphicsDevice#isWebGL2 instead.');

src/platform/graphics/graphics-device.js

@@ -101,14 +101,6 @@ class GraphicsDevice extends EventHandler {
      */
     scope;
 
-    /**
-     * The maximum number of supported bones using uniform buffers.
-     *
-     * @type {number}
-     * @readonly
-     */
-    boneLimit;
-
     /**
      * The maximum supported texture anisotropy setting.
      *
@@ -827,32 +819,6 @@ class GraphicsDevice extends EventHandler {
         return this._deviceType;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Queries the maximum number of bones that can be referenced by a shader. The shader
-     * generators (programlib) use this number to specify the matrix array size of the uniform
-     * 'matrix_pose[0]'. The value is calculated based on the number of available uniform vectors
-     * available after subtracting the number taken by a typical heavyweight shader. If a different
-     * number is required, it can be tuned via {@link GraphicsDevice#setBoneLimit}.
-     *
-     * @returns {number} The maximum number of bones that can be supported by the host hardware.
-     * @ignore
-     */
-    getBoneLimit() {
-        return this.boneLimit;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Specifies the maximum number of bones that the device can support on the current hardware.
-     * This function allows the default calculated value based on available vector uniforms to be
-     * overridden.
-     *
-     * @param {number} maxBones - The maximum number of bones supported by the host hardware.
-     * @ignore
-     */
-    setBoneLimit(maxBones) {
-        this.boneLimit = maxBones;
-    }
-
     startRenderPass(renderPass) {
     }
 

src/platform/graphics/null/null-graphics-device.js

@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ class NullGraphicsDevice extends GraphicsDevice {
         this.maxAnisotropy = 16;
         this.supportsUniformBuffers = false;
         this.supportsVolumeTextures = true;
-        this.supportsBoneTextures = true;
         this.supportsMorphTargetTexturesCore = true;
         this.supportsAreaLights = true;
         this.supportsGpuParticles = false;
@@ -50,7 +49,6 @@ class NullGraphicsDevice extends GraphicsDevice {
         this.textureFloatRenderable = true;
         this.extTextureHalfFloat = true;
         this.textureHalfFloatRenderable = true;
-        this.boneLimit = 1024;
         this.supportsImageBitmap = true;
         this.extBlendMinmax = true;
         this.areaLightLutFormat = PIXELFORMAT_RGBA8;

src/platform/graphics/webgl/webgl-graphics-device.js

@@ -711,25 +711,6 @@ class WebglGraphicsDevice extends GraphicsDevice {
             gl.uniformMatrix4fv(uniform.locationId, false, value);
         };
 
-        this.supportsBoneTextures = this.extTextureFloat && this.maxVertexTextures > 0;
-
-        // Calculate an estimate of the maximum number of bones that can be uploaded to the GPU
-        // based on the number of available uniforms and the number of uniforms required for non-
-        // bone data.  This is based off of the Standard shader.  A user defined shader may have
-        // even less space available for bones so this calculated value can be overridden via
-        // pc.GraphicsDevice.setBoneLimit.
-        let numUniforms = this.vertexUniformsCount;
-        numUniforms -= 4 * 4; // Model, view, projection and shadow matrices
-        numUniforms -= 8;     // 8 lights max, each specifying a position vector
-        numUniforms -= 1;     // Eye position
-        numUniforms -= 4 * 4; // Up to 4 texture transforms
-        this.boneLimit = Math.floor(numUniforms / 3);   // each bone uses 3 uniforms
-
-        // Put a limit on the number of supported bones when texture skinning is not supported.
-        // Some GPUs have demonstrated performance issues if the number of vectors allocated to the
-        // skin matrix palette is left unbounded
-        this.boneLimit = Math.min(this.boneLimit, 128);
-
         this.constantTexSource = this.scope.resolve("source");
 
         if (this.extTextureFloat) {

src/platform/graphics/webgpu/webgpu-graphics-device.js

@@ -142,7 +142,6 @@ class WebgpuGraphicsDevice extends GraphicsDevice {
         this.vertexUniformsCount = limits.maxUniformBufferBindingSize / 16;
         this.supportsUniformBuffers = true;
         this.supportsVolumeTextures = true;
-        this.supportsBoneTextures = true;
         this.supportsMorphTargetTexturesCore = true;
         this.supportsAreaLights = true;
         this.supportsGpuParticles = true;
@@ -153,7 +152,6 @@ class WebgpuGraphicsDevice extends GraphicsDevice {
         this.textureHalfFloatFilterable = true;
         this.extTextureHalfFloat = true;
         this.textureHalfFloatRenderable = true;
-        this.boneLimit = 1024;
         this.supportsImageBitmap = true;
         this.extBlendMinmax = true;
         this.areaLightLutFormat = this.textureFloatFilterable ? PIXELFORMAT_RGBA32F : PIXELFORMAT_RGBA8;

src/scene/batching/batch-manager.js

@@ -434,7 +434,7 @@ class BatchManager {
     prepare(meshInstances, dynamic, maxAabbSize = Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY, translucent) {
         if (meshInstances.length === 0) return [];
         const halfMaxAabbSize = maxAabbSize * 0.5;
-        const maxInstanceCount = this.device.supportsBoneTextures ? 1024 : this.device.boneLimit;
+        const maxInstanceCount = 1024;
 
         // maximum number of vertices that can be used in batch (do this for non-indexed as well,
         // as in some cases (UI elements) non-indexed geometry gets batched into indexed)
@@ -632,10 +632,8 @@ class BatchManager {
         // #endif
 
         if (!this._init) {
-            const boneLimit = '#define BONE_LIMIT ' + this.device.getBoneLimit() + '\n';
-            this.transformVS = boneLimit + '#define DYNAMICBATCH\n' + shaderChunks.transformVS;
+            this.transformVS = '#define DYNAMICBATCH\n' + shaderChunks.transformVS;
             this.skinTexVS = shaderChunks.skinBatchTexVS;
-            this.skinConstVS = shaderChunks.skinBatchConstVS;
             this.vertexFormats = {};
             this._init = true;
         }
@@ -782,7 +780,6 @@ class BatchManager {
                 material = material.clone();
                 material.chunks.transformVS = this.transformVS;
                 material.chunks.skinTexVS = this.skinTexVS;
-                material.chunks.skinConstVS = this.skinConstVS;
                 material.update();
             }
 

src/scene/renderer/renderer.js

@@ -200,7 +200,6 @@ class Renderer {
         const scope = graphicsDevice.scope;
         this.boneTextureId = scope.resolve('texture_poseMap');
         this.boneTextureSizeId = scope.resolve('texture_poseMapSize');
-        this.poseMatrixId = scope.resolve('matrix_pose[0]');
 
         this.modelMatrixId = scope.resolve('matrix_model');
         this.normalMatrixId = scope.resolve('matrix_normal');
@@ -760,13 +759,10 @@ class Renderer {
         const skinInstance = meshInstance.skinInstance;
         if (skinInstance) {
             this._skinDrawCalls++;
-            if (device.supportsBoneTextures) {
-                const boneTexture = skinInstance.boneTexture;
-                this.boneTextureId.setValue(boneTexture);
-                this.boneTextureSizeId.setValue(skinInstance.boneTextureSize);
-            } else {
-                this.poseMatrixId.setValue(skinInstance.matrixPalette);
-            }
+
+            const boneTexture = skinInstance.boneTexture;
+            this.boneTextureId.setValue(boneTexture);
+            this.boneTextureSizeId.setValue(skinInstance.boneTextureSize);
         }
     }
 

src/scene/shader-lib/chunks/chunks.js

@@ -162,9 +162,7 @@ import shadowStandardPS from './lit/frag/shadowStandard.js';
 import shadowStandardGL2PS from './lit/frag/shadowStandardGL2.js';
 import shadowVSM8PS from './lit/frag/shadowVSM8.js';
 import shadowVSM_commonPS from './lit/frag/shadowVSM_common.js';
-import skinBatchConstVS from './common/vert/skinBatchConst.js';
 import skinBatchTexVS from './common/vert/skinBatchTex.js';
-import skinConstVS from './common/vert/skinConst.js';
 import skinTexVS from './common/vert/skinTex.js';
 import skyboxEnvPS from './skybox/frag/skyboxEnv.js';
 import skyboxHDRPS from './skybox/frag/skyboxHDR.js';
@@ -374,9 +372,7 @@ const shaderChunks = {
     shadowStandardGL2PS,
     shadowVSM8PS,
     shadowVSM_commonPS,
-    skinBatchConstVS,
     skinBatchTexVS,
-    skinConstVS,
     skinTexVS,
     skyboxEnvPS,
     skyboxHDRPS,

src/scene/shader-lib/programs/shader-generator.js

@@ -14,10 +14,7 @@ class ShaderGenerator {
     }
 
     static skinCode(device, chunks = shaderChunks) {
-        if (device.supportsBoneTextures) {
-            return chunks.skinTexVS;
-        }
-        return "#define BONE_LIMIT " + device.getBoneLimit() + "\n" + chunks.skinConstVS;
+        return chunks.skinTexVS;
     }
 
     static fogCode(value, chunks = shaderChunks) {

src/scene/skin-instance.js

@@ -56,32 +56,26 @@ class SkinInstance {
 
     init(device, numBones) {
 
-        if (device.supportsBoneTextures) {
-
-            // texture size - roughly square that fits all bones, width is multiply of 3 to simplify shader math
-            const numPixels = numBones * 3;
-            let width = Math.ceil(Math.sqrt(numPixels));
-            width = math.roundUp(width, 3);
-            const height = Math.ceil(numPixels / width);
-
-            this.boneTexture = new Texture(device, {
-                width: width,
-                height: height,
-                format: PIXELFORMAT_RGBA32F,
-                mipmaps: false,
-                minFilter: FILTER_NEAREST,
-                magFilter: FILTER_NEAREST,
-                name: 'skin'
-            });
-
-            this.boneTextureSize = [width, height, 1.0 / width, 1.0 / height];
-
-            this.matrixPalette = this.boneTexture.lock({ mode: TEXTURELOCK_READ });
-            this.boneTexture.unlock();
-
-        } else {
-            this.matrixPalette = new Float32Array(numBones * 12);
-        }
+        // texture size - roughly square that fits all bones, width is multiply of 3 to simplify shader math
+        const numPixels = numBones * 3;
+        let width = Math.ceil(Math.sqrt(numPixels));
+        width = math.roundUp(width, 3);
+        const height = Math.ceil(numPixels / width);
+
+        this.boneTexture = new Texture(device, {
+            width: width,
+            height: height,
+            format: PIXELFORMAT_RGBA32F,
+            mipmaps: false,
+            minFilter: FILTER_NEAREST,
+            magFilter: FILTER_NEAREST,
+            name: 'skin'
+        });
+
+        this.boneTextureSize = [width, height, 1.0 / width, 1.0 / height];
+
+        this.matrixPalette = this.boneTexture.lock({ mode: TEXTURELOCK_READ });
+        this.boneTexture.unlock();
     }
 
     destroy() {
@@ -132,12 +126,7 @@ class SkinInstance {
     }
 
     uploadBones(device) {
-
-        // TODO: this is a bit strange looking. Change the Texture API to do a reupload
-        if (device.supportsBoneTextures) {
-            this.boneTexture.lock();
-            this.boneTexture.unlock();
-        }
+        this.boneTexture.upload();
     }
 
     _updateMatrices(rootNode, skinUpdateIndex) {