Demo mode

[pmudry]

Best additions are features that make the demo clear, interactive, and robust for non-technical visitors.

High-Impact Features (Do These First)

1. Kiosk/Attract Mode

   • Auto-start camera orbit after inactivity.
   • Cycle through 3 curated scenes every 20-30s.
   • Big overlay: “Real-time Path Tracing | Press any key to interact”.
     Why: keeps booth engaging even when nobody is touching controls.

2. One-Key Preset System

   • Keys 1..4: Fast, Balanced, Beauty, Extreme.
   • Each preset changes resolution scale, spp, max depth, BVH, and lighting quality.
     Why: you can instantly recover performance if machine/room conditions are bad.

3. Feature Toggles for Live “Wow” Moments

   • Hotkeys for BVH, CUDA/CPU, direct-only vs full GI, roughness sweep.
   • Brief on-screen toast: “BVH OFF: 18 FPS -> ON: 92 FPS”.
     Why: audience sees algorithmic value immediately.

4. Camera Tour Bookmarks

   • Save 5 cinematic camera viewpoints and animate transitions.
   • Each viewpoint has a one-line explanation (“Caustics through glass”, “Soft area-light shadows”).
     Why: gives structure and narrative, not random camera movement.

5. Clean HUD + Presenter Mode

   • Minimal HUD for public.
   • Hidden advanced HUD for you (frame time breakdown, rays/sec, sample count).
     Why: avoids intimidating UI while preserving your debugging visibility.

6. Screenshot + QR Export

   • Press P to save frame and auto-generate a QR to image or result page.
   • Why: visitors can take something home and share it.

Very Good If You Have Time

1. Interactive Material Painter

   • Click an object to cycle material presets (diffuse, metal, glass, emissive).
     Teaches materials instantly.

2. Time-of-Day Slider

   • Simple lighting/environment rotation over “morning/noon/sunset/night”.
     Very intuitive for the public.

3. Object Spawn Toy

   • Spawn random spheres with random materials in a sandbox corner.
     “Build your own scene” attracts crowds.

4. Comparison Split-Screen

   • Left: rasterized approximation or low samples.
   • Right: path-traced convergence.
     Great educational hook.

So overall quick wins

1. Preset profiles (start samples, target FPS behavior, adaptive depth).
2. Kiosk orbit + idle detection.
3. Live BVH/CUDA toggles with overlay stats.
4. Curated YAML scene pack specifically for short demos.