v132 · graphics

WebGPU: 32-bit float textures blending

Functionality added to the WebGPU spec after its first shipment in a browser. The “float32-blendable” GPU feature makes GPU textures with formats "r32float", "rg32float", and "rgba32float" blendable.

concepts

  1. 32-bit float blending

    WebGPU supports blending on 32-bit float color textures (opt-in feature). HDR compositing pipelines stay in float through the whole graph.

  2. HDR bloom

    Real use case: hundreds of additive particles into rgba32float vs the rgba16float fallback — highlights stay distinguishable.

  3. format capability matrix

    WebGPU texture format matrix with v132's new column highlighted. Shows which formats become blendable with float32-blendable, plus the live adapter probe.

  4. HDR Gradient Painter

    Configure gradient stops, blend passes, and texture format to compare 8-bit SDR vs 16-bit vs 32-bit float precision. Feature-detects float32-blendable and falls back gracefully.

  5. HDR Range Visualizer

    Side-by-side comparison of what 8-bit (rgba8unorm) vs 32-bit float (rgba32float) textures can represent. Adjust source and destination brightness on an interactive blend demo to see exactly where 8-bit clamps and where float preserves the over-bright value.

why it shipped

Not all graphics cards and systems have the same capabilities when it comes to WebGPU. To address this, WebGPU has a GPU feature system where developers can check if a device supports specific functionalities.

references