Taichi user experience lifting wish list

[neozhaoliang]

Taichi wish list

1

• Support syntax like ti.f32(x) for variables.

[neozhaoliang]

2

• Call a ti.func in Python scope.

[neozhaoliang]

3

• Call a kernel function inside another kernel.

  For example:

  @ti.kernel
  def render():
      grid.fill(0)  # clear a field

[neozhaoliang]

4

• Create / delete local fields in a kernel (top level)

  For example:

@ti.kernel
def task():
    field = ti.field(int,shape=(10, 10))
   
    for i in range(10):
        field[i, i] = 1

[neozhaoliang]

5

• Create a field from numpy.ndarry or torch.tensor.

  For example:

  arr = np.random.random((100, 100))
  field = ti.field.from_nparray(arr)

[neozhaoliang]

6

• No need to explicitly write down the (name, val) pair when initializing a struct:

  For example:

  import taichi as ti
  ti.init()
  
  vec2_t = ti.types.vector(2, float)
  
  @ti.dataclass
  class Foo:
      pos: vec2_t
      val: float
      delay: float
  
  @ti.kernel
  def test():
      F = Foo((0.0, 0.0), 1.0)
      print(F.pos, F.val, F.delay)
  
  test()

[neozhaoliang]

7

• Raw kernel, like NV Warp/CUDA kernel, proposed by @yuanming-hu

[neozhaoliang]

8

• Global time counter like shadertoy's iTime, usually used for animations.

  For example:

  tick = ti.Clock()  # start at 0
  tick.pause()
  tick.continue()   # continue from last pause
  tick.stop()

[yuanming-hu]

Could you add a usage example here?

[bobcao3]

Do not like this idea... Why can't the user just use Python builtin clocks

[neozhaoliang]

When an animations is paused or resumed by user input, we hope the time counter resumes from the last time it's paused. I don't know if the built-in module support this? Also this counter should be different if there are several animations in one program?

[neozhaoliang]

9

• Display line number ranges when there are multiply offloaded tasks in a KernelProfiler.

[neozhaoliang]

10

• Assign name to ti.field, so that when debugging the out of indexing error it can print the field name, not just SNode_xxx.

[neozhaoliang]

open an issue

[neozhaoliang]

11

• Make examples a top level directory.

(and as well as docs, tests folders?)