From 2d660e05a0a6a8e9e7eaa02c7f08fc6192d25420 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Mark Kalsbeek <Mark@Kalsbeek.dev>
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2026 20:42:56 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] fix: pause animation loop while not rendering

---
 ui/src/ShadingSandbox.vue | 71 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++----
 1 file changed, 65 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ui/src/ShadingSandbox.vue b/ui/src/ShadingSandbox.vue
index f9e7b06..f934149 100644
--- a/ui/src/ShadingSandbox.vue
+++ b/ui/src/ShadingSandbox.vue
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@ let mesh = null;
 let directionalLight = null;
 let ambientLight = null;
 let animationId = null;
+let animationPaused = false;
 
 // Geometry cache for height exaggeration
 let geometryCache = null;
@@ -233,8 +234,19 @@ const initThreeJS = () => {
 
   updateLightPosition();
 
-  // Animation loop
+  // Don't start animation loop yet - will be controlled by pause/resume
+};
+
+// Animation loop control
+const startAnimation = () => {
+  if (animationId) return; // Already running
+  
   const animate = () => {
+    if (animationPaused) {
+      animationId = null;
+      return;
+    }
+    
     animationId = requestAnimationFrame(animate);
     if (renderer && scene && camera) {
       renderer.render(scene, camera);
@@ -243,6 +255,26 @@ const initThreeJS = () => {
   animate();
 };
 
+const pauseAnimation = () => {
+  animationPaused = true;
+  if (animationId) {
+    cancelAnimationFrame(animationId);
+    animationId = null;
+  }
+};
+
+const resumeAnimation = () => {
+  animationPaused = false;
+  startAnimation();
+};
+
+// Render a single frame (for when animation is paused but we need to update the view)
+const renderSingleFrame = () => {
+  if (renderer && scene && camera) {
+    renderer.render(scene, camera);
+  }
+};
+
 // Handle canvas resize
 const handleResize = () => {
   if (!canvasRef.value || !renderer || !camera) return;
@@ -422,11 +454,13 @@ const updateHeightScale = () => {
 
   geometryCache.geometry.attributes.position.needsUpdate = true;
   geometryCache.geometry.computeVertexNormals();
+  renderSingleFrame(); // Render once to show the change
 };
 
 // Update scene (for real-time preview)
 const updateScene = () => {
   updateLightPosition();
+  renderSingleFrame(); // Render once to show the change
 };
 
 // Color conversion utilities
@@ -438,6 +472,7 @@ const updateColor = (e) => {
   settings.terrainColor = parseInt(e.target.value.replace('#', ''), 16);
   if (mesh && mesh.material) {
     mesh.material.color.setHex(settings.terrainColor);
+    renderSingleFrame(); // Render once to show the change
   }
 };
 
@@ -634,9 +669,7 @@ const downloadLastRender = () => {
 
 // Cleanup
 const cleanup = () => {
-  if (animationId) {
-    cancelAnimationFrame(animationId);
-  }
+  pauseAnimation();
   if (resizeObserver) {
     resizeObserver.disconnect();
     resizeObserver = null;
@@ -663,6 +696,11 @@ onMounted(() => {
         });
         resizeObserver.observe(canvasRef.value);
       }
+      
+      // Only start animation if visible and not offscreen
+      if (!props.offscreen) {
+        resumeAnimation();
+      }
     });
   }
 });
@@ -680,7 +718,29 @@ watch(() => props.visible, (newVal) => {
         });
         resizeObserver.observe(canvasRef.value);
       }
+      
+      // Start animation when visible and not offscreen
+      if (!props.offscreen) {
+        resumeAnimation();
+      }
     });
+  } else if (newVal && !props.offscreen) {
+    // Component already initialized, just resume animation
+    resumeAnimation();
+  } else if (!newVal) {
+    // Hidden - pause animation
+    pauseAnimation();
+  }
+});
+
+// Watch for offscreen changes
+watch(() => props.offscreen, (newVal) => {
+  if (newVal) {
+    // Offscreen mode - pause animation (we only render single frames on demand)
+    pauseAnimation();
+  } else if (props.visible) {
+    // Not offscreen and visible - resume animation
+    resumeAnimation();
   }
 });
 
@@ -721,8 +781,7 @@ defineExpose({
 }
 
 .modal-container.offscreen {
-  left: -10000px;
-  top: -10000px;
+  display: none;
 }
 
 .modal-header {