Show HN: Render-graph-based 2D graphics framework for the web

A 2D graphics framework for learning and prototyping GPU pipelines.

Pins and Curves engine is an open-source 2D graphics framework that removes friction from GPU programming while preserving its mental model.

It sits halfway between WebGL and high-level creative coding frameworks, keeping GPU concepts visible (passes, resources, dependencies) whilst automating the tedious setup.

• For beginners: learn graphics pipelines and GPU resource flow without the boilerplate of raw WebGL
• For professionals: prototype rapidly, author graphics pipelines in a high-level serializable format

This project is in its very early stages of development. It started as the render engine behind Pins and Curves, a motion design editor. I'd love for it to evolve into a shared open-source effort (likely under a new name). If you'd like to get involved during this formative period, please contact me at [email protected]

The above code produces the following output (RenderGraph to the left, the actual rendered image to the right):

• RenderGraph API
  Author your GPU pipeline as a function that returns a RenderGraph, a graph consisting of Textures, Vertex-, Instance-, and Uniformbuffers. Draw calls are attached directly to Textures, providing a simple model to work with.

• Reactive Authoring Model
  The function you write is pure & reactive: Each invokation produces a new RenderGraph. Borrowing ideas from modern front-end frameworks, the engine diffs successive graphs and reevaluates only what's changed.

• Virtualized Resources
  The backend maps the logical resources to GPU memory, reusing allocations where possible through texture-memory aliasing.

• Composable Pipelines
  Offer and import partial RenderGraphs as plugins, enabling composable pipelines and reusable effects.

• Serializable Format
  RenderGraphs can be serialized and streamed, enabling server-side generation or networked composition of pipelines.

• Multiple Backends (planned)
  Currently, only WebGL2 is supported. I plan to support WebGPU in the future.

Play with some examples here:

MIT © 2025 Martin Trifonov

This project draws inspiration from modern render-graph architectures in real-time graphics engines, reimagined for the web. In particular, Yuriy O'Donell's talk "FrameGraph: Extensible Rendering Architecture in Frostbite" was an important inspiration.