Utilize code to assess the efficiency of canvas animations

Question

Utilize code to assess the efficiency of canvas animations

Currently, I am in the process of developing a test platform dedicated to JavaScript performance competitions. Among the various challenges presented to participants, one task involves optimizing JavaScript code that handles a canvas animation. Once a solution is submitted, the server executes it using PhantomJS and determines the average frames per second (FPS) after 20 seconds of animation. However, I am encountering an issue where both optimized and unoptimized code are yielding only 3-4FPS, making it difficult to gauge the effectiveness of optimization efforts.

Here are some key points to consider:

I have confirmed that PhantomJS accurately renders the animation (verified through screenshots).
In a browser, unoptimized code achieves 13FPS while optimized code performs at 58FPS.
Due to PhantomJS not supporting requestAnimationFrame, I had to implement a polyfill as a workaround.
For FPS testing, I am utilizing the code snippet provided below:

frameCounter.js

 var frameCounter = (function() {
    var frames = 0;
    var startTime = new Date();

    function bump() {
        frames++;
        window.requestAnimationFrame(bump);
    }

    bump();

    return {
        getFPS: function() {
            var time = (new Date() - startTime) / 1000;

            return (frames/time).toPrecision(4);
        }
    }
 })();

My primary query revolves around finding a reliable method to programmatically measure the performance of a canvas animation.

javascript performance canvas phantomjs requestanimationframe

Answer 1

Answer №1

After encountering limitations with phantomjs, which could only manage 3-4 FPS on animations, I resorted to using a live browser for the task. Leveraging Chrome's remote debugging protocol, I was able to automate the process efficiently.

To streamline the testing of new code, I developed a node.js application that undertook the following actions:

Established a connection with a tab in the Chrome browser (ensuring the browser operated with the --remote-debugging-port=9222 flag)
Directed the tab to the designated test page
Executed code within the tab to render 300 frames of animation swiftly
Measured the execution time

Below is an excerpt from the code I implemented:

// Establish connection with a tab (locate <tab-debug-id> on http://localhost:9222/json page)
var ws = new WebSocket("ws://localhost:9222/devtools/page/<tab-debug-id>");

ws.onerror = function() {
  // Handle any errors
};

ws.onopen = function()
{
    // Perform a hard reload of the page upon connection establishment
    ws.send(JSON.stringify({
        id: 1,
        method: "Page.reload",
        params: {
            ignoreCache: true
        }
    }));
};

ws.onmessage = function (evt)
{
    var data = JSON.parse(evt.data);

    if(data.id === 1) {
        // Page reload successful - inject the test script
        setTimeout(function(){
           ws.send(JSON.stringify({
              id: 2,
              method: "Runtime.evaluate",
              params: {
                expression: '(' + injectedCode.toString() + '());'
              }
           }));
        }, 1000);
    } else if(data.id === 2) {
        // Animation completion - extract the result
        var result = data.result.result.value;
    }
};

Answer 2

After encountering limitations with phantomjs, which could only manage 3-4 FPS on animations, I resorted to using a live browser for the task. Leveraging Chrome's remote debugging protocol, I was able to automate the process efficiently.

To streamline the testing of new code, I developed a node.js application that undertook the following actions:

Established a connection with a tab in the Chrome browser (ensuring the browser operated with the --remote-debugging-port=9222 flag)
Directed the tab to the designated test page
Executed code within the tab to render 300 frames of animation swiftly
Measured the execution time

Below is an excerpt from the code I implemented:

// Establish connection with a tab (locate <tab-debug-id> on http://localhost:9222/json page)
var ws = new WebSocket("ws://localhost:9222/devtools/page/<tab-debug-id>");

ws.onerror = function() {
  // Handle any errors
};

ws.onopen = function()
{
    // Perform a hard reload of the page upon connection establishment
    ws.send(JSON.stringify({
        id: 1,
        method: "Page.reload",
        params: {
            ignoreCache: true
        }
    }));
};

ws.onmessage = function (evt)
{
    var data = JSON.parse(evt.data);

    if(data.id === 1) {
        // Page reload successful - inject the test script
        setTimeout(function(){
           ws.send(JSON.stringify({
              id: 2,
              method: "Runtime.evaluate",
              params: {
                expression: '(' + injectedCode.toString() + '());'
              }
           }));
        }, 1000);
    } else if(data.id === 2) {
        // Animation completion - extract the result
        var result = data.result.result.value;
    }
};

Answer 3

Answer №2

A while ago, I created a simple script to specifically track FPS and consumption related to requestAnimationFrame.

Although it may not be perfect, it can certainly point you in the right direction.

Using it is quite straightforward:

Start by initializing the meter somewhere in your code before the loop, specifying the div element to be used as the meter.
Ensure you capture the argument provided by requestAnimationFrame, as it indicates the time spent (if not available, it will fallback to using the date/time method).
Simply call its method with this argument.

The color coding gives you a quick overview: green for optimal FPS (typically 60), yellow for higher consumption reducing the rate to around half, and orange for double the budget or more.

The meter calculates a weighted FPS to provide a more precise measurement.

For example:

var meter = new animMeter('divElementId');

function animate(timeArg) {

    /// your animation logic here

    meter.update(timeArg);

    requestAnimationFrame(animate);
}

You can see a demo here.

You'll find the meter code near the bottom, minimized for your convenience. You are welcome to use it under the MIT license.

Keep in mind that using meters like this will add a slight delay for graphic updates, introducing a small margin of error.

Also, note that rAF always aims for 60 FPS, so the meter cannot measure frame rates higher than this.

If you need to measure higher frame rates, calling the update method without an argument and utilizing setTimeout instead of rAF will give you more FPS numbers, although slightly less accurate (since the monitor is typically synced to display 60 fps).

Answer 4

A while ago, I created a simple script to specifically track FPS and consumption related to requestAnimationFrame.

Although it may not be perfect, it can certainly point you in the right direction.

Using it is quite straightforward:

Start by initializing the meter somewhere in your code before the loop, specifying the div element to be used as the meter.
Ensure you capture the argument provided by requestAnimationFrame, as it indicates the time spent (if not available, it will fallback to using the date/time method).
Simply call its method with this argument.

The color coding gives you a quick overview: green for optimal FPS (typically 60), yellow for higher consumption reducing the rate to around half, and orange for double the budget or more.

The meter calculates a weighted FPS to provide a more precise measurement.

For example:

var meter = new animMeter('divElementId');

function animate(timeArg) {

    /// your animation logic here

    meter.update(timeArg);

    requestAnimationFrame(animate);
}

You can see a demo here.

You'll find the meter code near the bottom, minimized for your convenience. You are welcome to use it under the MIT license.

Keep in mind that using meters like this will add a slight delay for graphic updates, introducing a small margin of error.

Also, note that rAF always aims for 60 FPS, so the meter cannot measure frame rates higher than this.

If you need to measure higher frame rates, calling the update method without an argument and utilizing setTimeout instead of rAF will give you more FPS numbers, although slightly less accurate (since the monitor is typically synced to display 60 fps).

Answer 5

Answer №3

Utilizing Date.now() can help minimize the time spent on object creation, potentially enhancing precision by a small margin.

Answer 6

Utilizing Date.now() can help minimize the time spent on object creation, potentially enhancing precision by a small margin.

Utilize code to assess the efficiency of canvas animations

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

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