Circular Rendering

# Circular Rendering English | (https://github.com/Uniaball/circular-rendering/blob/26.2/README_zh.md) This is a Fabric mod that modifies chunk rendering to a circular (or elliptical) shape around the player. By default, it renders chunks within a perfect circle (radius = view distance × 16 blocks). You can optionally scale the left/right radius to create an ellipse, culling more chunks to the sides while keeping forward/backward visibility unchanged. This reduces GPU load and improves FPS without affecting gameplay mechanics. ## Features - Renders chunks in a circle centered on the player (default behavior). - Optional elliptical rendering: the forward/backward radius remains fixed, while the left/right radius is scaled by a configurable factor (`renderRadiusScale`). - When `renderRadiusScale = 1.0`, it's a perfect circle. - When `renderRadiusScale < 1.0`, it becomes an ellipse (narrower left/right). - Optional vertical range limitation: limit rendering to a certain number of chunk layers above and below the player. - Chunk loading (logic updates) remains square, so all chunks are still loaded and updated. - Presets & Custom Mode: Quickly switch between predefined configurations (Balanced, Performance, Aggressive) or choose **Custom** to freely adjust all parameters. - Compatible with Sodium: - When Sodium is present, configuration appears in the Video Settings screen. - Without Sodium, the mod works standalone using a JSON config file. - No effect on entities or other objects – only chunk rendering is affected. ## Dependencies - **Required:** (https://fabricmc.net/) ≥0.18.4 - **Optional:** (https://modrinth.com/mod/sodium) 0.8.6+ (for in-game GUI configuration) ## Installation 1. Install Fabric Loader. 2. Download the latest `circular-rendering-<version>.jar` from the (https://github.com/Uniaball/circular-rendering/releases) page. 3. Put the JAR into your `mods` folder. 4. (Optional) Install Sodium if you want the in-game configuration sliders and presets. ## Configuration ### With Sodium installed 1. Go to **Options → Video Settings**. 2. Scroll down to find the **Circular Rendering** section. #### Presets - **Render Preset** dropdown: - **Balanced**: `Render Radius Scale = 100%`, vertical range disabled (vanilla behavior, but still optimized). - **Performance**: `Render Radius Scale = 80%`, vertical range enabled, 10 layers. - **Aggressive**: `Render Radius Scale = 40%`, vertical range enabled, 3 layers. - **Custom**: All sliders become unlocked, allowing you to freely adjust the parameters below. Selecting a non‑Custom preset automatically applies its parameters and locks the manual controls. #### Manual Configurations (available only when “Custom” preset is selected) - **Render Radius Scale** (10% – 100%): - **100%** = perfect circle (radius = view distance × 16). - **Lower values** make the left/right radius smaller, turning the circle into an ellipse and culling more chunks to the sides. - **Enable Custom Vertical Range** (toggle) – when enabled, you can set: - **Vertical Range** (1–32 layers): Number of chunk layers (16 blocks each) to render above and below the player. ### Without Sodium The mod creates a JSON config file at `config/circular-rendering.json`. Example content: ```json { "renderRadiusScale": 1.0, "enableVerticalRange": false, "verticalRange": 16, "preset": "BALANCED" } ``` - `renderRadiusScale` – a double between 0.1 and 1.0. - `1.0` = perfect circle. - `< 1.0` = ellipse (narrower left/right). - `enableVerticalRange` – a boolean, enables vertical range limiting when true. - `verticalRange` – an integer (1–32), number of chunk layers to render above and below the player (each layer = 16 blocks). - `preset` – one of `"BALANCED"`, `"PERFORMANCE"`, `"AGGRESSIVE"`, or `"CUSTOM"`. - If the preset is not `"CUSTOM"`, the three manual parameters are ignored and the preset's values are used. - If the preset is `"CUSTOM"`, the manual parameters are used exactly as set. Changes take effect after restarting the game or reloading chunks. ## How It Works - **Vanilla mode (no Sodium):** The mod injects into `LevelRenderer.cullTerrain` and filters the chunk list using the shape defined by: ``` (forward² / a²) + (right² / b²) ≤ 1 ``` where `a = view distance × 16` (fixed forward/backward radius) and `b = a × renderRadiusScale` (left/right radius). When `b = a`, the shape is a circle. If vertical range is enabled, it also checks chunk Y layers. - **Sodium mode:** The injection point depends on the Minecraft version: - **MC 26.1.2 and above:** The mod redirects the `testDistance` call inside `OcclusionCuller.visitNode`. This replaces Sodium's default cylindrical distance check with the elliptical formula directly within the graph‑based occlusion culling traversal, preserving the full culling structure. - **MC 26.1.1 and below:** The mod injects into `OcclusionCuller.is