Double Buffer
Also known as
- Buffer Switching
- Ping-Pong Buffer
Intent
The Double Buffer pattern aims to reduce the time necessary for rendering and displaying graphical or computational data by utilizing two buffers. One buffer is used for rendering the next frame or computing the next set of data, while the other is used to display the current frame or data set to the user.
Explanation
Real-world example
Imagine a busy restaurant kitchen where chefs are constantly preparing dishes, and waitstaff are constantly picking up ready dishes to serve to customers. To avoid confusion and delays, the restaurant uses a double buffer system. They have two counters: one for chefs to place newly prepared dishes and another for waitstaff to pick up the dishes. While the chefs are filling one counter with prepared dishes, the waitstaff are simultaneously clearing the other counter by picking up dishes to serve. Once the waitstaff have cleared all dishes from their counter, they switch to the counter where the chefs have placed the newly prepared dishes, and the chefs start filling the now-empty counter. This system ensures a smooth and continuous workflow without either party waiting idly, maximizing efficiency and minimizing downtime.
In plain words
It ensures a state that is being rendered correctly while that state is modifying incrementally. It is widely used in computer graphics.
Wikipedia says
In computer science, multiple buffering is the use of more than one buffer to hold a block of data, so that a "reader" will see a complete (though perhaps old) version of the data, rather than a partially updated version of the data being created by a "writer". It is very commonly used for computer display images.
Programmatic Example
A typical example, and one that every game engine must address, is rendering. When the game draws the world the users see, it does so one piece at a time - the mountains in the distance, the rolling hills, the trees, each in its turn. If the user watched the view draw incrementally like that, the illusion of a coherent world would be shattered. The scene must update smoothly and quickly, displaying a series of complete frames, each appearing instantly. Double buffering solves the problem.
Buffer interface that assures basic functionalities of a buffer.
public interface Buffer {
void clear(int x, int y);
void draw(int x, int y);
void clearAll();
Pixel[] getPixels();
}
One of the implementations of Buffer interface.
public class FrameBuffer implements Buffer {
public static final int WIDTH = 10;
public static final int HEIGHT = 8;
private final Pixel[] pixels = new Pixel[WIDTH * HEIGHT];
public FrameBuffer() {
clearAll();
}
@Override
public void clear(int x, int y) {
pixels[getIndex(x, y)] = Pixel.WHITE;
}
@Override
public void draw(int x, int y) {
pixels[getIndex(x, y)] = Pixel.BLACK;
}
@Override
public void clearAll() {
Arrays.fill(pixels, Pixel.WHITE);
}
@Override
public Pixel[] getPixels() {
return pixels;
}
private int getIndex(int x, int y) {
return x + WIDTH * y;
}
}
We support black and white pixels.
public enum Pixel {
WHITE,
BLACK
}
Scene represents the game scene where current buffer has already been rendered.
@Slf4j
public class Scene {
private final Buffer[] frameBuffers;
private int current;
private int next;
public Scene() {
frameBuffers = new FrameBuffer[2];
frameBuffers[0] = new FrameBuffer();
frameBuffers[1] = new FrameBuffer();
current = 0;
next = 1;
}
public void draw(List<? extends Pair<Integer, Integer>> coordinateList) {
LOGGER.info("Start drawing next frame");
LOGGER.info("Current buffer: " + current + " Next buffer: " + next);
frameBuffers[next].clearAll();
coordinateList.forEach(coordinate -> {
var x = coordinate.getKey();
var y = coordinate.getValue();
frameBuffers[next].draw(x, y);
});
LOGGER.info("Swap current and next buffer");
swap();
LOGGER.info("Finish swapping");
LOGGER.info("Current buffer: " + current + " Next buffer: " + next);
}
public Buffer getBuffer() {
LOGGER.info("Get current buffer: " + current);
return frameBuffers[current];
}
private void swap() {
current = current ^ next;
next = current ^ next;
current = current ^ next;
}
}
Now, we can show the App class that drives the double buffering example.
@Slf4j
public class App {
public static void main(String[] args) {
final var scene = new Scene();
var drawPixels1 = List.of(
new MutablePair<>(1, 1),
new MutablePair<>(5, 6),
new MutablePair<>(3, 2)
);
scene.draw(drawPixels1);
var buffer1 = scene.getBuffer();
printBlackPixelCoordinate(buffer1);
var drawPixels2 = List.of(
new MutablePair<>(3, 7),
new MutablePair<>(6, 1)
);
scene.draw(drawPixels2);
var buffer2 = scene.getBuffer();
printBlackPixelCoordinate(buffer2);
}
private static void printBlackPixelCoordinate(Buffer buffer) {
StringBuilder log = new StringBuilder("Black Pixels: ");
var pixels = buffer.getPixels();
for (var i = 0; i < pixels.length; ++i) {
if (pixels[i] == Pixel.BLACK) {
var y = i / FrameBuffer.WIDTH;
var x = i % FrameBuffer.WIDTH;
log.append(" (").append(x).append(", ").append(y).append(")");
}
}
LOGGER.info(log.toString());
}
}
The console output:
12:33:02.525 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.Scene -- Start drawing next frame
12:33:02.529 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.Scene -- Current buffer: 0 Next buffer: 1
12:33:02.529 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.Scene -- Swap current and next buffer
12:33:02.529 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.Scene -- Finish swapping
12:33:02.529 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.Scene -- Current buffer: 1 Next buffer: 0
12:33:02.530 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.Scene -- Get current buffer: 1
12:33:02.530 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.App -- Black Pixels: (1, 1) (3, 2) (5, 6)
12:33:02.530 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.Scene -- Start drawing next frame
12:33:02.530 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.Scene -- Current buffer: 1 Next buffer: 0
12:33:02.530 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.Scene -- Swap current and next buffer
12:33:02.530 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.Scene -- Finish swapping
12:33:02.530 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.Scene -- Current buffer: 0 Next buffer: 1
12:33:02.530 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.Scene -- Get current buffer: 0
12:33:02.530 [main] INFO com.iluwatar.doublebuffer.App -- Black Pixels: (6, 1) (3, 7)
Applicability
- Real-time applications where the display needs to be updated frequently and smoothly, such as video games, simulations, and graphical user interfaces.
- Applications requiring high computational resources to prepare data, where the preparation can be done in parallel with data consumption.
- Scenarios where the goal is to minimize the perception of lag or stutter in the display of data or graphics.
Known Uses
- Graphics Rendering Engines: Used extensively in 2D and 3D rendering engines to ensure smooth animations and transitions.
- User Interface Frameworks: Employed in GUI frameworks to enhance the responsiveness and smoothness of interfaces.
- Simulation and Modeling: Utilized in simulations to display real-time updates without interrupting the simulation process.
- Video Playback Software: Applied in video players to provide seamless playback by preloading the next frame while the current one is displayed.
Consequences
Benefits:
- Smooth User Experience: Provides a seamless display experience by pre-rendering frames, leading to smoother animations and transitions.
- Performance Optimization: Allows intensive rendering or data preparation tasks to be performed in the background, optimizing overall performance.
- Minimizes Flickering: Reduces or eliminates flickering and visual artifacts in graphical applications.
Trade-offs:
- Memory Overhead: Requires additional memory for the secondary buffer, potentially doubling the memory usage for the buffered data.
- Implementation Complexity: Adds complexity to the system architecture, requiring careful management of the two buffers.
- Latency: Can introduce a slight delay, as the data must be fully rendered or prepared in the back buffer before being displayed.
Related Patterns
- Triple Buffering: An extension of the Double Buffer pattern, where three buffers are used to further optimize rendering and reduce latency.
- Producer-Consumer: The Double Buffer pattern can be seen as a variant of the Producer-Consumer pattern, with one buffer being "produced" while the other is "consumed".
- Strategy: Often used in conjunction with the Strategy pattern to dynamically choose the buffering strategy based on runtime conditions.