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Show HN: Physically accurate black hole simulation using your iPhone camera

(apps.apple.com)
313 points yunyu | 3 comments | 19 Nov 24 17:06 UTC | HN request time: 0.65s | source
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01HNNWZ0MV43FF ◴[19 Nov 24 17:22 UTC] No.42185904[source]▶
Does it use iPhone-specific features or could it work on, e.g., a desktop
replies(2): >>42185950 #>>42186990 #
lupsasca ◴[19 Nov 24 17:25 UTC] No.42185950[source]▶
We wanted the app to work on an iPhone and that required the use of Apple Metal code. This could of course be ported to a desktop but we're not sure there would be much interest in that?
replies(1): >>42186098 #
1. lagrange77 ◴[19 Nov 24 17:38 UTC] No.42186098[source]▶
Maybe WebGPU would be a good porting target.

Really cool app btw!

I have once seen a video of Kip Thorne, explaining that the black hole visual effects of Interstellar were an actual physical simulation. I wouldn't have thought, that it was feasible to run on an iPhone.

replies(1): >>42186180 #
2. lupsasca ◴[19 Nov 24 17:46 UTC] No.42186180[source]▶
The black hole simulation that was shown in the movie Interstellar is explained in detail in this paper, freely available on the arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1502.03808

As a physicist with a modest background in computing, I was also surprised by how powerful the iPhone GPU is. It can indeed lens the input from the camera at high resolution and in real time with high FPS.

replies(1): >>42186232 #
3. lagrange77 ◴[19 Nov 24 17:50 UTC] No.42186232[source]▶
Cool, thanks for the reference!