From a08f4f55b07df5d5cc44106634cd2b0d461826ea Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ilia Denisov <evilcart@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 20 May 2026 16:53:54 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] fix(ui-map): cut the visibility fog with an inverse stencil
 mask (Safari pan perf, stage 2)
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Stage 1 (render-on-demand) removed the idle / whole-system freeze, but
panning a loaded map with "visible hyperspace" on stayed heavy in Safari:
the fog still cut its visibility holes by opaque overpaint — on KNNTS041
that is ~260 near-world-sized opaque circles blended over the fog every
rendered frame, a fill-rate cliff for Safari's WebGPU / Apple's tile-based
GPU.

Replace the overpaint with an INVERSE stencil mask: setVisibilityFog now
draws the FOG_COLOR rectangle(s) into fogLayer and collects the visibility
circles into one Graphics set as fogLayer.setMask({ mask, inverse: true }),
so the fog shows everywhere except the union of the circles. Per-frame cost
drops from dozens of blended opaque circle fills to one rect fill + a
stencil pass (no colour writes), which Apple's TBDR GPU handles cheaply,
and the fog stays fully vector — crisp at any zoom.

fogPaintOps and its unit tests are unchanged (the circle ops now feed the
mask instead of an overpaint). Verified with a high-contrast screenshot
during development (fog field with a correct circle-union hole) plus the
existing fog / render-on-demand e2e green on chromium + webkit.

Docs: renderer.md fog section + PLAN.md Phase 29 decision 9.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 ui/PLAN.md                              | 23 ++++++-
 ui/docs/renderer.md                     | 42 +++++++-----
 ui/frontend/src/map/render.ts           | 86 ++++++++++++++++++-------
 ui/frontend/tests/fog-paint-ops.test.ts | 22 ++++---
 4 files changed, 120 insertions(+), 53 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ui/PLAN.md b/ui/PLAN.md
index f9b7a3e..c988b25 100644
--- a/ui/PLAN.md
+++ b/ui/PLAN.md
@@ -3293,9 +3293,26 @@ Decisions:
    is removed so a released drag stops instantly and the viewport
    goes idle immediately. `RendererHandle.getRenderCount()` (mirrored
    on `__galaxyDebug` as `getMapRenderCount`) backs the e2e
-   assertions. If Safari pan is still heavy after this, stage 2 cuts
-   the overpaint itself (an inverse stencil mask of the circle union,
-   kept vector so the map stays crisp at any zoom).
+   assertions. The owner confirmed this removed the idle / whole-system
+   freeze, but panning a loaded map with the fog on stayed heavy in
+   Safari (the overpaint fill-rate was untouched) — addressed in
+   decision 9.
+9. **Inverse stencil mask for the fog (fog perf, stage 2).** The fog's
+   visibility holes were previously cut by opaque background-coloured
+   circle overpaint — on a large report dozens of near-world-sized
+   opaque circles repainted every frame, the fill-rate cliff that kept
+   Safari's WebGPU pan heavy after stage 1. Stage 2 replaces the
+   overpaint with an INVERSE stencil mask: `setVisibilityFog` draws the
+   `FOG_COLOR` rectangle(s) into `fogLayer` and collects the visibility
+   circles into one `Graphics` set as
+   `fogLayer.setMask({ mask, inverse: true })`, so the fog shows
+   everywhere except the union of the circles. Per-frame cost drops to
+   one rectangle fill plus a stencil pass (no blended colour writes,
+   friendly to Apple's tile-based GPU), and the fog stays fully vector
+   — crisp at any zoom. `fogPaintOps` and its unit tests are unchanged
+   (the circle ops now feed the mask instead of an overpaint); the
+   rendered result is verified by a high-contrast screenshot during
+   development plus the existing fog / render-on-demand e2e.
 
 ## Phase 30. Calculator Tab
 
diff --git a/ui/docs/renderer.md b/ui/docs/renderer.md
index 30b60d9..b4e12e6 100644
--- a/ui/docs/renderer.md
+++ b/ui/docs/renderer.md
@@ -333,22 +333,32 @@ Phase 29 fog overlay used to highlight the player's visible
 hyperspace. Each entry describes a circle around a LOCAL planet
 where the player has scanner / visibility coverage:
 
-- An empty list destroys the existing fog `Graphics`.
+- An empty list destroys the existing fog rectangles and mask.
 - A non-empty list rebuilds a single viewport-level `fogLayer` (a
-  sibling that sits below the nine torus copies, not a child of
-  them). `fogPaintOps` returns an ordered op list — one world-sized
-  rectangle filled with `FOG_COLOR` (two shades lighter than the
-  dark theme background), then an opaque background-coloured circle
-  for every visibility circle — and the renderer dispatches each op
-  onto its own `Graphics`. The overpaint order naturally unions
-  overlapping circles — earlier iterations used Pixi v8's
-  `Graphics.cut()` to subtract holes, but `cut()` produces incorrect
-  unions for multiple overlapping holes; layered repainting trades
-  one extra fill per circle for a predictable, geometry-free union.
-- The ops carry world-space positions, so wrap mode is baked into
-  the op list rather than into copy visibility: `torus` emits the
+  sibling below the nine torus copies). `fogPaintOps` returns an
+  ordered op list — one world-sized rectangle filled with `FOG_COLOR`
+  (two shades lighter than the dark theme background) plus one circle
+  per visibility circle. The renderer draws the rectangle ops into
+  `fogLayer` and collects the circle ops into a single `Graphics` set
+  as `fogLayer`'s **inverse stencil mask**
+  (`setMask({ mask, inverse: true })`), so the fog shows everywhere
+  EXCEPT inside the union of the circles. Overlapping circles union
+  for free in the stencil.
+- Why a mask: earlier iterations subtracted holes with Pixi v8's
+  `Graphics.cut()` (incorrect unions for overlapping holes), then with
+  opaque background-coloured overpaint. The overpaint was a fill-rate
+  cliff — on a large report it painted dozens of near-world-sized
+  opaque circles every frame, which froze panning under Safari's
+  WebGPU backend. An inverse stencil mask rasterises the same circles
+  far cheaper (no blended colour writes, friendly to Apple's
+  tile-based GPU) and stays fully vector, so the fog edge is crisp at
+  any zoom.
+- The ops carry world-space positions, so wrap mode is baked into the
+  op list rather than into copy visibility: `torus` emits the
   rectangle and every circle at the nine `{-1,0,1}²` tile offsets;
-  `no-wrap` emits only the central tile. `fogLayer` has no transform.
+  `no-wrap` emits only the central tile. `fogLayer` and the mask are
+  both untransformed children of the viewport, so the coordinates line
+  up.
 - The fog layer sits below every primitive copy in z-order, so
   primitives paint on top.
 - The fog never participates in hit-test. Planet glyphs sit on
@@ -356,8 +366,8 @@ where the player has scanner / visibility coverage:
 
 The map view recomputes the fog input only when the report or the
 `visibleHyperspace` toggle changes, and under render-on-demand a
-static fog paints no frames at all — the layered overpaint cost is
-only paid on the frames where the camera is actually moving.
+static fog paints no frames at all — the mask-cheap fog cost is only
+paid on the frames where the camera is actually moving.
 
 ## Debug surface
 
diff --git a/ui/frontend/src/map/render.ts b/ui/frontend/src/map/render.ts
index efe6b0d..c142bc8 100644
--- a/ui/frontend/src/map/render.ts
+++ b/ui/frontend/src/map/render.ts
@@ -394,14 +394,20 @@ export async function createRenderer(opts: RendererOptions): Promise<RendererHan
 
 	// Phase 29 fog layer: a single Container sharing the viewport's
 	// coordinate space, populated by `setVisibilityFog`. Added to
-	// the viewport BEFORE the nine torus copies so the layered
-	// repaint (fog rectangles + background-coloured circles) always
-	// renders underneath every primitive. An earlier per-copy
-	// approach with `copy.addChildAt(fog, 0)` ended up with fog on
-	// top in practice — moving the fog to a sibling of the copies
-	// avoids any reorder ambiguity.
+	// the viewport BEFORE the nine torus copies so the fog always
+	// renders underneath every primitive. The layer holds the
+	// fog-coloured world rectangle(s); the visibility holes are cut by
+	// an inverse stencil mask (`fogMask`, the union of the visibility
+	// circles) rather than by opaque overpaint — see `setVisibilityFog`.
+	// An earlier per-copy approach with `copy.addChildAt(fog, 0)` ended
+	// up with fog on top in practice — moving the fog to a sibling of
+	// the copies avoids any reorder ambiguity.
 	const fogLayer = new Container();
 	viewport.addChild(fogLayer);
+	// Inverse mask for `fogLayer`, rebuilt by `setVisibilityFog`. Pixi
+	// requires a mask to live in the display list, so it sits as a
+	// sibling under the viewport; `null` whenever the fog is off.
+	let fogMask: Graphics | null = null;
 
 	// Create nine torus copies, each holding its own primitive
 	// graphics. Origin copy is always visible; the other eight
@@ -868,13 +874,17 @@ export async function createRenderer(opts: RendererOptions): Promise<RendererHan
 		},
 		isPrimitiveHidden: (id) => hiddenIds.has(id),
 		setVisibilityFog: (circles) => {
-			// Drop the previous fog children — every flip rebuilds
-			// from scratch instead of mutating in place. Pixi v8's
-			// `Container.removeChildren()` returns the detached
-			// children so we can destroy each one explicitly.
+			// Detach the old mask before destroying its Graphics, then
+			// drop the previous fog rectangles. Every flip rebuilds from
+			// scratch instead of mutating in place.
+			fogLayer.mask = null;
 			for (const old of fogLayer.removeChildren()) {
 				old.destroy({ children: true });
 			}
+			if (fogMask !== null) {
+				fogMask.destroy();
+				fogMask = null;
+			}
 			// Repaint whether or not new fog is added: clearing the layer
 			// (toggling the fog off) is itself a scene change.
 			requestRender();
@@ -886,21 +896,44 @@ export async function createRenderer(opts: RendererOptions): Promise<RendererHan
 				mode,
 			);
 			if (ops.length === 0) return;
-			// Each op gets its own Graphics so any multi-shape Pixi
-			// quirks cannot drop a layer (an earlier all-in-one
-			// implementation surfaced exactly that symptom in DEV —
-			// only the last planet's glyph stayed visible inside the
-			// bg holes). The ops carry world-space positions; the
-			// `fogLayer` has no transform.
+			// The fog is the fog-coloured rectangle(s); the visibility
+			// holes are cut by an INVERSE stencil mask built from the
+			// union of the visibility circles. This replaces the earlier
+			// opaque-circle overpaint, which on a large report painted
+			// dozens of near-full-world opaque circles every frame — a
+			// fill-rate cliff that froze panning under Safari's WebGPU
+			// backend. A stencil mask rasterises the same circles far
+			// cheaper (no blended colour writes) and stays fully vector,
+			// so the fog edge is crisp at any zoom. The circle ops carry
+			// `bgColor`, unused here — a mask only needs the shape.
+			const mask = new Graphics();
+			let hasHole = false;
 			for (const op of ops) {
-				const g = new Graphics();
 				if (op.kind === "fillRect") {
+					const g = new Graphics();
 					g.rect(op.x, op.y, op.width, op.height);
+					g.fill({ color: op.color, alpha: op.alpha });
+					fogLayer.addChild(g);
 				} else {
-					g.circle(op.x, op.y, op.radius);
+					// One fill per circle keeps each shape independent;
+					// overlapping fills simply union in the stencil, which
+					// is exactly the visibility coverage we want to cut.
+					mask.circle(op.x, op.y, op.radius);
+					mask.fill(0xffffff);
+					hasHole = true;
 				}
-				g.fill({ color: op.color, alpha: op.alpha });
-				fogLayer.addChild(g);
+			}
+			if (hasHole) {
+				// The mask must be in the display list for its transform
+				// to resolve; it shares the viewport's untransformed world
+				// space with `fogLayer`, so the world-space op coordinates
+				// line up. `inverse: true` shows the fog everywhere EXCEPT
+				// inside the circle union.
+				viewport.addChild(mask);
+				fogLayer.setMask({ mask, inverse: true });
+				fogMask = mask;
+			} else {
+				mask.destroy();
 			}
 		},
 		resize: (w, h) => {
@@ -932,13 +965,18 @@ export async function createRenderer(opts: RendererOptions): Promise<RendererHan
 			}
 			// `app.destroy({...children: true})` below recursively
 			// destroys every container in the scene graph, fogLayer
-			// included. The explicit removeChildren()/destroy here
-			// drops the fog children eagerly so a future caller
-			// querying the renderer mid-dispose does not see stale
-			// fog instances still parented under the layer.
+			// included. The explicit teardown here drops the fog
+			// rectangles + the inverse mask eagerly so a future caller
+			// querying the renderer mid-dispose does not see stale fog
+			// instances still parented under the layer.
+			fogLayer.mask = null;
 			for (const old of fogLayer.removeChildren()) {
 				old.destroy({ children: true });
 			}
+			if (fogMask !== null) {
+				fogMask.destroy();
+				fogMask = null;
+			}
 			viewport.off("moved", enforceCentreWhenLarger);
 			viewport.off("moved", wrapTorusCamera);
 			viewport.off("clicked", handleViewportClicked);
diff --git a/ui/frontend/tests/fog-paint-ops.test.ts b/ui/frontend/tests/fog-paint-ops.test.ts
index 3363f70..07a2489 100644
--- a/ui/frontend/tests/fog-paint-ops.test.ts
+++ b/ui/frontend/tests/fog-paint-ops.test.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,17 @@
-// Phase 29 unit coverage for the visible-hyperspace overlay's
-// layered overpaint logic. `fogPaintOps` lives in `src/map/render.ts`
-// next to its sole consumer (`RendererHandle.setVisibilityFog`) —
-// the renderer dispatches each op onto its own Pixi `Graphics`
-// inside a `fogLayer` container that sits below every primitive
-// copy. The natural rendering order paints fog underneath the
-// world, replacing the earlier `cut()` implementation that
-// produced disconnected arc segments.
+// Phase 29 unit coverage for the visible-hyperspace overlay's paint
+// ops. `fogPaintOps` lives in `src/map/render.ts` next to its sole
+// consumer (`RendererHandle.setVisibilityFog`): the renderer draws
+// the rectangle ops into a `fogLayer` container (below every
+// primitive copy) and feeds the circle ops into an inverse stencil
+// mask that cuts the visibility holes out of the fog. `fogPaintOps`
+// only produces the ordered op list — rect(s) first, then one circle
+// per visibility circle — which is what these tests pin; earlier
+// renderer implementations used Pixi `cut()` (disconnected arcs) and
+// then opaque overpaint (a fill-rate cliff under Safari's WebGPU).
 //
 // Coordinates returned by `fogPaintOps` are in world space because
-// `fogLayer` has no transform — wraps for torus mode are baked
-// into the ops directly.
+// `fogLayer` and the mask have no transform — wraps for torus mode
+// are baked into the ops directly.
 
 import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";