Composable function systems as a general-purpose rendering framework

Function systems exist as a natural language for the meshless creation and manipulation of complex objects while maintaining minimal memory on the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) or Central Processing Unit (CPU). This paper proposes a new method for general-purpose (non-fractal) visualizations and simulations with function systems and introduces Quibble, a metaprogramming framework for composing such systems on the GPU. We also discuss several core advantages of this method including runtime performance, the creation of topologically non-trivial objects, and interoperability with other graphical algorithms. Beyond general-purpose imagery and animations, this method can also be used to give artists more control over in-between frames in low-framerate animations, controllably deform point clouds, and metaprogram difficult animation workflows.