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Computer graphics & rendering: videos Hacker News recommends
Computer graphics: ray tracing, path tracing, shaders, GPU rendering, real-time graphics, SIGGRAPH, procedural generation, simulation, volumetric displays, physics-based rendering. Below: every video in this topic that at least three HN users linked with real commentary, in at least three different months (54 demos, 24 talks, 18 explainers), best-scored first, with the comments on each video page.
- 16 HN recommenders 13 months 2021–2026HN repeatedly calls it one of the best math and graphics explainers on YouTube, praised for bridging game dev and math.
- 10 HN recommenders 11 months 2022–2026It is the go-to recommendation for anyone who wants to genuinely understand Bezier curves and splines, and commenters repeatedly call it one of the best programming-related educational videos.
- 7 HN recommenders 10 months 2013–2025Held up as the landmark demoscene production and a counterpoint to software bloat.
- 13 HN recommenders 10 months 2021–2025HN repeatedly calls it a mind-blowing and accessible introduction to SDFs and procedural art from a master explainer.
- 13 HN recommenders 10 months 2013–2026M Mladen Mijatov · talkHN treats it as the definitive, funny and educational answer to why X could not be fixed, and links it in almost every Wayland vs X argument.
- 7 HN recommenders 9 months 2021–2026S SIGGRAPH Advances in Real-Time Rendering · talkHN treats it as the definitive deep dive on Nanite, admired for the engineering ambition behind pixel-sized triangles and compute-driven rendering.
- 8 HN recommenders 10 months 2020–2022B Bivector · lectureHN commenters repeatedly point people to it as the most accessible, developer-friendly introduction to geometric algebra and its use in graphics and physics.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2022–2025HN commenters point to it as the best demonstration of procedural graphics from a master, accessible to beginners yet deep enough for advanced viewers.
- 7 HN recommenders 7 months 2009–2025B BUTTONTANG · demoHN repeatedly holds it up as the benchmark for what procedural generation and size-coding can achieve in 4K.
- 3 HN recommenders 5 months 2015–2019A favorite on Ask HN lists of programming YouTube channels, praised for mind-blowing systems and graphics programming and a watchable coding style.
- 6 HN recommenders 5 months 2021–2024S Sebastian Lague · demoHN recommends it as a beautiful example of what simple rules and compute shaders can produce, and many commenters were inspired by it.
- 7 HN recommenders 6 months 2017–2026M Media Molecule · talkHN calls it an inspirational must-see on SDF rendering and a favorite tech talk for graphics programmers.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2016–2025I Interface Studies · demoHN returns to it as a striking demonstration that core GUI, CAD and constraint-programming ideas existed in the 1960s.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2019–2026HN considers it a fantastic, mind-blowing talk that shows how a single skilled artist can build detailed VFX scenes quickly.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2020–2024B BUas Games · talkThe go-to talk whenever Wave Function Collapse, Townscaper or tile-based procedural generation comes up.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2013–2021HN treats it as one of the best intros to the math of 3D graphics and a staple answer to how to learn graphics programming.
- 4 HN recommenders 5 months 2015–2026HN cites it as the accessible go-to explanation of gamma and color blending errors in image programs.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2015–2024I insideHPC Report · talkHN points to it as evidence of SpaceX's serious simulation capability and as a showcase of GPU compute for CFD.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2018–2024L Linux.conf.au 2013 -- Canberra, Australia · talkHN uses it as the go-to answer to claims that Wayland is unnecessary, from a developer who knew X's codebase well.
- 2 HN recommenders 4 months 2016–2020HN commenters use it as the standard example of how much a tiny program can do, in contrast to bloated modern software.
- 5 HN recommenders 5 months 2019–2026M Marc Levoy · lectureHN recommends it as a free, serious introduction to digital and computational photography from a professor who helped build the early Pixel cameras.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2026D Daniel Hands · demoHN points to it as the standard example of procedural content generation and extreme size optimization in games.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2018–2025Y Yusuke Endoh · demoCommenters repeatedly point to it as an astonishing, beautiful piece of obfuscated-C code golf.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2023–2025A AngeTheGreat · demoHN points to it as a standout example of physics-based sound synthesis and engine simulation.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2014–2026R Red Martian · demoHN cites it as a startling example of how advanced Lisp machine interactive graphics were, often in Lisp and REPL-driven development discussions.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2013–2026M mm648230 · demoCited whenever threads discuss recovering hidden images or non-line-of-sight imaging, as a clear demonstration of light transport.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2026R Retro Game Mechanics Explained · explainerRecommended whenever Atari vector games come up as an excellent, deep technical explanation of how they worked.
- 5 HN recommenders 4 months 2014–2021A Andrew Adams · talkRecommended as the clearest explanation of Halide's ideas and of scheduling for performance.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2021–2025HN points to it as proof that a small, straightforward renderer can beat Windows Terminal on speed and memory, whenever software slowness comes up.
- 3 HN recommenders 4 months 2025–2026R runevision · explainerHN recommends it as the original explainer for a clever dithering technique and the go-to video in dithering threads.
- FreeCAD 0.20 For Beginners | 1 | Setup , preferences and navigation | Easy Tutorial for Learning CAD3 HN recommenders 3 months 2023–2024M MangoJelly Solutions for FreeCAD · tutorialHN recommends it as an excellent beginner series that fills FreeCAD's gap in learning material.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2024N Nick Black · demoHN people share it as a striking demonstration of how much graphics a modern terminal can do.
- 4 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2023Called a rite of passage for new Blender users and the standard first recommendation for learning the program.
- 4 HN recommenders 4 months 2010–2026K kb · demoHN recommends it as the demoscene showpiece to show someone what extreme size-limited real-time graphics look like.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2022M Martin Donald · explainerCommenters recommend it as the clearest way to understand WFC, especially in threads about Townscaper and tiled content generation.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2013–2024D David Carroll · demoHN points people to it as the canonical demo of early interactive graphics, constraints and objects, and as one of Alan Kay's favorite things to show.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2022Recommended as a prime example of large-scale procedural generation used in a shipped AAA game.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2020–2023D DemosceneVids · demoHN commenters cite it as the landmark demo of the demoscene's golden era, and this capture lets people watch it without running it under DOS.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2018N NVScene · talkRecommended as an excellent talk from a demoscene practitioner on how to build sophisticated scenes from distance functions.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2022–2025Recommended as the most beginner-friendly way into shader programming and procedural graphics.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2025J John Lin · demoHN cites it as a showcase of one of the best voxel engines, impressive for its detail and smoothness.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2023Pointed to when non-Euclidean geometry or games in hyperbolic space come up, along with the creator's well-liked devlog.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2023–2026I IndividualKex · explainerHN uses it as a quick, non-expert primer whenever Gaussian splatting comes up.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2024U University of Utah · talkHN points to specific segments, especially Sutherland's SFQ talk and graphics pioneers, rather than the full seven hours.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2021HN fans praise Bisqwit as a favorite programming YouTuber and this video as an excellent look at dithering.
- Exclusive: Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition Analysis - The First Triple-A Game Built Around Ray Tracing3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2025D Digital Foundry · explainerHN recommends it as a good overview of what ray-traced lighting changes for developers and players.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2019–2022H Houdini · talkHN points people to it as a rare, concrete look at how a AAA studio uses procedural tools to fill huge worlds with natural-looking environments.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2024–2026HN recommends it as an accessible introduction to Gaussian splats, made by people who understand the subject.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2017–2021W Walt Disney Animation Studios · explainerRecommended as an approachable intro to path tracing in ray tracing and rendering threads.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2025Recommended as a good first-steps shader tutorial that also teaches broad graphics knowledge.
- 3 HN recommenders 3 months 2021–2026Recommended among the nice visual explorations and tech demos of non-Euclidean geometry for games.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2022HN commenters point to it as a patient, full-length walkthrough of how a raymarched shader is built from scratch.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2013–2024D Daniel CohenOr · demoHN recalls it as a mind-blowing pre-AI demo of 2D-to-3D object extraction.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2025S Sean Barrett · demoRemembered fondly as a tiny, efficient demo that inspired graphics programmers and is a benchmark for modern terrain rendering.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2024–2025A Alexander the ok · documentaryHN commenters recommend it as an amazing overview of the technical feats and history behind Elite, and cite it for what the 6502 could do.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2024R RustNL · talkHN commenters recommend it for the live-coded demos running at high frame rates, calling the performance impressive.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2020–2024HN recommends it as a striking example of rendering with distance-estimated fractals and non-standard graphics approaches.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2025I ISL and Collaborators · demoUsed as a go-to example of neural networks enhancing game rendering, referenced in later AI-graphics discussions.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2026J James Lambert · demoPointed to as an impressive technical N64 homebrew demo showing unexpectedly high-res textures.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2023Cited as an impressive real-time rendering showcase, with Nanite and a huge photorealistic city, that rivals film CGI.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2022T The Art of Code · demoShared as a stunning shader demo, with praise for its clear explanations of how it works.
- 3 HN recommenders 2 months 2023–2025N nickkallen1 · explainerCited in CAD threads as a rare plain-spoken comparison of commercial geometry kernels and their limitations.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2019Cited as an accessible explanation of AI denoising, which underpins real-time ray tracing on RTX hardware.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2020HN commenters call it a great beginner-friendly introduction and enjoy watching Quilez work through graphics.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2023Whenever Wayland versus X comes up, HN points to this talk as the authoritative explanation from an X maintainer of why X was replaced.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2018–2025T The Art of Code · tutorialRecommended in shader and rain-simulation threads as an engaging tutorial from a well-liked graphics-programming channel.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2017–2022N Nat and Friends · explainerPeople link it as the quick answer to how Google builds 3D maps, and as evidence that planes are still used to capture the imagery.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2021–2022HN recommends it for first-hand accounts of how early 3D games like Doom worked within tight hardware limits.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2019–2025HN points to it as the definitive example of making 3D rendering look like 2D animation through cel shading, outlines, and framerate tricks.
- 2 HN recommenders 2 months 2016–2025J Jeija · demoPointed to in Minetest and spherical-voxel-world threads as a striking example of what the open-source engine can do.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2025Recommended as a great visual explanation of the infall experience, including when spaghettification happens.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2025HN points to it as a concrete demonstration of object-oriented versus cache-friendly design and the performance effects of branch misprediction.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2022–2023M minimme · documentaryHN people recommend it as the best overview of how 3D on the GBA progressed over the console's life, usually in threads about GBA ports and homebrew 3D engines.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2014–2022O Oscars · videoHN points to it as proof that the Physically Based Rendering book won an Oscar and for the speech crediting Knuth's literate programming.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2021A arrow in my gluteus maximus · demoHN points to it as a showpiece of what Factorio's circuit network can compute, alongside other absurd in-game computing feats.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017� 𝓖𝓷𝓸𝓶𝓮💫𝓢𝓪𝓷𝓮 · talkHN commenters point to it when discussing how WebRender works and as evidence of what GPU-based browser rendering can achieve.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2014–2018I icelaglace · demoHN cites it as the example of real-time GPU path tracing, noting its noise problem.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019HN uses it as a reference for how noisy raw real-time ray tracing is and how it compares with traditional faked lighting.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2013–2025HN cites it as an example of computational mechanism design, especially in threads on gears, linkages and animatronics.
- 2 HN recommenders 1 months 2024–2025D Digital Dragons · talkHN points to it as a detailed production example of mesh shaders and GPU-driven rendering, though some find it daunting.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2011–2014J JanRrrolaKadlec · demoHN commenters cite it as the most impressive 256-byte production and as an example of how much graphics code can fit in a tiny binary.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2014–2022H Hugh Lomas · demoLinked in ant-simulation threads as a compact, open-source example of emergent behavior.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2012–2025HN links it as the author's own breakdown of Pointer Pointer's inner workings.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2022HN people cite it for solo-dev inspiration and for the rendering technique behind the game's look.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2014–2019S Sam Lapere (Supergastrocnemius) · demoCited as an early proof that real-time path tracing was feasible, years before it reached mainstream games.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2022X X.Org Foundation · talkLinked for the Microsoft talks on WSL GUI support and how WDDM drivers map into the Linux VM.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2024–2026A Acerola · tutorialPointed to as a nice overview of implementing ASCII rendering as a post-processing shader.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2024A AnimusicLLC · music videoHN people bring it up whenever music-playing machines or robot bands come up, as the classic CG precursor.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2024It is cited as an early example of neural networks learning physics, and recalled during later discussions of AI video generation.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2024–2025G Graphics Programming Conference · talkCited as a talk full of rendering tricks, and as an example of what a small team can do with custom tech.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2019–2021A Artificial Life Lab Graz · demoShared as an example of simple rules yielding complex emergent, life-like behavior, alongside Game of Life and particle simulators.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2017–2022G Goatstream · demoHN cites it as an earlier, smoother precedent whenever new learned-locomotion or simulated-walking work appears.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2024P PenguinWeirdness · demoHN cites it as the example showing why CRT emulation is needed to render effects the original artists intended.
- 2 HN recommenders 1 months 2014–2018D Douglas Lanman · demoHN cites it in Magic Leap and VR threads as a clear overview of how light fields could solve focus and bulk problems.
- 1 HN recommenders 1 months 2020–2022Used as the accessible explanation of PS1 rendering quirks whenever retro 3D graphics or PS1-style renderers come up.
- cited 6× 0 months 2015–2020A Axiom Holographics · demoHN mostly mentions it as the infamous voxel demo that generated hype and then faded, with some viewing it as snake oil.
- cited 3× 0 months 2015–2020HN commenters cite it as the go-to talk on a job-system-based multithreaded game engine architecture.
- cited 3× 0 months 2013–2023HN shares it as a classic glimpse of early SGI hardware graphics in retro-computing and IRIX threads.
- cited 5× 0 months 2015–2024Y Yoichi Ochiai · demoLinked as the demo behind femtosecond plasma displays, often noting the touch burns skin and the system is loud.
- cited 4× 0 months 2025–2026B Branta Games · demoHN people cite it as the origin of the vanishing-in-a-screenshot effect, used in ideas for captchas and AI-resistant text.
Showing the 100 best-scored of 114. Use search to find the rest.
Questions
What is the most recommended computer graphics & rendering video on Hacker News?
The Beauty of Bézier Curves by Freya Holmér: HN repeatedly calls it one of the best math and graphics explainers on YouTube, praised for bridging game dev and math.
How is this computer graphics & rendering list ranked?
By HackerTube's score: the number of distinct months in which an HN comment recommended the video, plus half a point for every month with a strong recommendation. One viral thread counts less than steady recommendations over years.
Where do the videos come from?
From every Hacker News comment between 2007 and 2026 that linked a YouTube video, labeled by an AI model as a recommendation, a citation, a joke or a criticism. The list is published by HackerTube under ODC-By 1.0; this edition adds indexable pages and the comment context.
Video list and Hacker News comment labels from HackerTube (prompted by @karpathy), released under ODC-By 1.0, built on the open-index/hacker-news archive. Hacker News data is provided by Y Combinator; comments remain the work of their authors. Video titles, channel names and thumbnails belong to their creators and are shown via YouTube. HackerTube Watch is an unofficial edition. Data export of 2026-10-31.