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rust_workspace

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Rust workspace architecture, IR data structures, compiler transforms, CPU backend, FFI integration with C++, and crate dependencies in LuisaCompute

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LuisaCompute Rust Workspace

Overview

The Rust workspace (src/rust/) implements the legacy IR, compiler optimization passes, and the CPU/Remote backends. It integrates with C++ via FFI using cbindgen for header generation and static libraries for linking.


Workspace Structure

src/rust/
├── Cargo.toml (workspace root)
├── luisa_compute_ir/           # Core IR data structures and transforms
├── luisa_compute_ir_staticlib/ # Static library wrapper for C++ linking
├── luisa_compute_ir_v2/        # IR v2 bindings
├── luisa_compute_api_types/    # Shared C++/Rust API types
├── luisa_compute_cpu_kernel_defs/ # CPU kernel runtime definitions
├── luisa_compute_backend/      # Backend trait definitions
└── luisa_compute_backend_impl/ # Backend implementations (CPU, Remote)

Crate Dependency Graph

luisa_compute_api_types (base)
    ↑
    ├── luisa_compute_ir
    │       ├── luisa_compute_ir_staticlib
    │       ├── luisa_compute_ir_v2
    │       └── luisa_compute_backend
    │               └── luisa_compute_backend_impl
    │                       └── (uses luisa_compute_cpu_kernel_defs)
    │
    └── luisa_compute_cpu_kernel_defs

Crate Responsibilities

luisa_compute_api_types

Purpose: Defines shared types between C++ and Rust via FFI.

  • Crate Type: staticlib + rlib
  • Key Types:
    • Resource handles: Buffer, Texture, Stream, Device, Shader, Accel, Mesh
    • Command types: BufferUploadCommand, ShaderDispatchCommand, AccelBuildCommand
    • Pixel formats: PixelStorage, PixelFormat (28 variants including BC compression)
    • Sampler types: SamplerFilter, SamplerAddress
    • Ray tracing: AccelOption, AccelBuildModification, CurveBasis
    • Device interface: DeviceInterface (vtable of function pointers)
    • Denoiser extension types
  • Build Script: Uses cbindgen to generate api_types.hpp and api_types.h for C++

luisa_compute_ir

Purpose: Core IR data structures and compiler transforms.

  • Crate Type: rlib
  • Dependencies: luisa_compute_api_types, half, serde, bincode, indexmap

Core Data Structures (src/ir.rs):

pub enum Type {
    Void, Primitive(Primitive), Vector(VectorType), Matrix(MatrixType),
    Struct(StructType), Array(ArrayType), Opaque(CBoxedSlice<u8>)
}

pub struct Node {
    pub type_: CArc<Type>,
    pub next: NodeRef,
    pub prev: NodeRef,
    pub instruction: CArc<Instruction>,
}

pub enum Instruction {
    Local { init: NodeRef },
    Update { var: NodeRef, value: NodeRef },
    Call(Func, CBoxedSlice<NodeRef>),
    Phi(CBoxedSlice<PhiIncoming>),
    If { cond: NodeRef, true_branch: Pooled<BasicBlock>, false_branch: Pooled<BasicBlock> },
    Loop { body: Pooled<BasicBlock>, cond: NodeRef },
    GenericLoop { prepare, cond, body, update: Pooled<BasicBlock> },
    Switch { value: NodeRef, default: Pooled<BasicBlock>, cases: CBoxedSlice<SwitchCase> },
    AdScope { body: Pooled<BasicBlock>, forward: bool, n_forward_grads: usize },
    RayQuery { ray_query: NodeRef, on_triangle_hit: Pooled<BasicBlock>, on_procedural_hit: Pooled<BasicBlock> },
    // ... 20+ more variants
}

pub enum Func {
    // 180+ variants including arithmetic, math, memory, atomic, warp, ray tracing, AD
}

Memory Management:

  • CArc<T>: C-compatible atomic reference counting
  • CBoxedSlice<T>: C-compatible boxed slice
  • Pool<T>: Chunked memory pool for nodes
  • ModulePools: Separate pools for nodes and basic blocks

luisa_compute_ir_staticlib

Purpose: Static library wrapper for C++ linking.

  • Crate Type: staticlib
  • Exports: All luisa_compute_ir symbols as static library

luisa_compute_ir_v2

Purpose: IR v2 dynamic loading support.

  • Dependencies: libloading, luisa_compute_ir

luisa_compute_cpu_kernel_defs

Purpose: Runtime type definitions for CPU kernels.

  • Key Types:
    • KernelFnArgs: Arguments passed to CPU kernel functions
    • BufferView, Texture, Accel: Runtime resource wrappers
    • Ray, Hit, RayQuery: Ray tracing structures
    • CpuCustomOp: Custom CPU operation callback

luisa_compute_backend

Purpose: Backend trait abstraction.

  • Key Types:
    • Backend trait: Core interface with 20+ methods for resource management
    • Context: Loads backend DLLs (luisa-api.dll/libluisa-api.so)
    • ProxyBackend: Dynamic dispatch wrapper

luisa_compute_backend_impl

Purpose: Concrete backend implementations.

  • Crate Type: cdylib
  • Features: cpu, remote

CPU Backend (cpu/):

  • RustBackend: Main CPU backend using Rayon thread pool
  • shader.rs: JIT compilation via Clang/LLVM
  • codegen/cpp.rs: C++ code generation from IR
  • accel.rs: Embree ray tracing integration
  • stream.rs: Command queue management
  • texture.rs, resource.rs: Resource management

Rust IR Data Structures

Type System (src/ir.rs)

pub enum Type {
    Void,
    Primitive(Primitive),
    Vector(VectorType),
    Matrix(MatrixType),
    Struct(StructType),
    Array(ArrayType),
    Opaque(CBoxedSlice<u8>),
}

pub enum Primitive {
    Bool,
    Int8, Int16, Int32, Int64,
    Uint8, Uint16, Uint32, Uint64,
    Float16, Float32, Float64,
}

Node Structure

Intrusive doubly-linked list for cache-friendly traversal:

pub struct Node {
    pub type_: CArc<Type>,
    pub next: NodeRef,
    pub prev: NodeRef,
    pub instruction: CArc<Instruction>,
}

Control Flow

pub enum Instruction {
    Local { init: NodeRef },
    Update { var: NodeRef, value: NodeRef },
    Call(Func, CBoxedSlice<NodeRef>),
    Phi(CBoxedSlice<PhiIncoming>),
    If { cond: NodeRef, true_branch: Pooled<BasicBlock>, false_branch: Pooled<BasicBlock> },
    Loop { body: Pooled<BasicBlock>, cond: NodeRef },
    GenericLoop { prepare, cond, body, update: Pooled<BasicBlock> },
    Switch { value: NodeRef, default: Pooled<BasicBlock>, cases: CBoxedSlice<SwitchCase> },
    AdScope { body: Pooled<BasicBlock>, forward: bool, n_forward_grads: usize },
    RayQuery { ray_query: NodeRef, on_triangle_hit: Pooled<BasicBlock>, on_procedural_hit: Pooled<BasicBlock> },
    // ...
}

Function Registry (Func enum)

180+ built-in functions:

  • Math: Add, Mul, Sin, Cos, Exp, Log, Sqrt
  • Vector/Matrix: Cross, Dot, Determinant, Inverse, Transpose
  • Memory: BufferRead, BufferWrite, Texture2dRead
  • Atomic: AtomicExchange, AtomicFetchAdd, etc.
  • Warp: WarpActiveSum, WarpPrefixSum, etc.
  • Ray tracing: RayTracingTraceClosest, RayQueryCommitTriangle
  • AD: RequiresGradient, Backward, PropagateGrad

C-Compatible Smart Pointers (src/ffi.rs)

pub struct CArc<T> {
    pub ptr: *mut T,
    pub inner: *mut CArcInner,
}

pub struct CBox<T> {
    pub ptr: *mut T,
    pub drop: extern "C" fn(*mut T),
}

pub struct CBoxedSlice<T> {
    pub ptr: *mut T,
    pub len: usize,
    pub drop: extern "C" fn(*mut T, usize),
}

Key Algorithms and Transforms

Transform Pipeline (src/transform/mod.rs)

TransformPurpose
ssa::ToSSAConverts imperative Update instructions to SSA form with Phi nodes
autodiff::AutodiffReverse-mode automatic differentiation
fwd_autodiff::FwdAutodiffForward-mode automatic differentiation
dce::DceDead code elimination
inliner::inline_callableFunction inlining
canonicalize_control_flow::CanonicalizeControlFlowNormalizes control flow
ref2ret::Ref2RetConverts reference returns to value returns
reg2mem::Reg2MemRegister to memory conversion

Autodiff (src/transform/autodiff.rs)

Reverse-mode AD implementation:

  • Forward sweep: Marks nodes requiring gradients via RequiresGradient
  • Backward sweep: Accumulates gradients using chain rule

Supported gradient rules:

  • Arithmetic: add, sub, mul, div, neg
  • Vector: dot, cross, length, normalize
  • Matrix: matmul, determinant, inverse, transpose
  • Math: exp, log, sin, cos, sqrt, pow, trig functions
  • Selection: min, max, select, clamp

SSA Conversion (src/transform/ssa.rs)

  • Promotes mutable Local variables to SSA values
  • Handles Update instructions by tracking current value in stored map
  • Inserts Phi nodes at merge points (if/then/else, loops)
  • Supports GEP to ExtractElement/InsertElement conversion

Dead Code Elimination (src/transform/dce.rs)

  • Uses UseDef analysis to find unreachable nodes
  • Removes pure computation nodes with no side effects
  • Preserves memory operations and control flow

CPU Backend Implementation

Architecture (cpu/mod.rs)

  • Thread Pool: Rayon-based parallel execution
  • Warp Size: 1 (scalar execution)
  • Shader Compilation: JIT via Clang/LLVM to shared library
  • Code Generation: IR → C++ → LLVM IR → Machine code

Code Generation (cpu/codegen/cpp.rs)

  • Translates IR instructions to C++
  • Handles vector types, matrices, textures, buffers
  • Generates kernel entry point with proper argument marshaling
  • Supports ray tracing via Embree

Resource Management

  • BufferImpl: Aligned host memory allocation
  • TextureImpl: Mipmapped image storage
  • BindlessArrayImpl: Array of buffer/texture descriptors
  • AccelImpl: Embree scene acceleration structure

Rust ↔ C++ FFI Integration

C++ Header Generation

Both luisa_compute_ir and luisa_compute_api_types use cbindgen:

build.rs workflow:

  1. Parse Rust source with cbindgen
  2. Generate C++ headers (ir.hpp, api_types.hpp)
  3. Generate C headers (api_types.h)
  4. Write to include/luisa/rust/

Static Library Linking

  • luisa_compute_ir_staticlib builds as staticlib
  • C++ links against .a/.lib file
  • Uses #[no_mangle] extern "C" functions for C++ callable API

Key FFI Functions

// Transform pipeline
luisa_compute_ir_transform_pipeline_new() -> *mut TransformPipeline
luisa_compute_ir_transform_pipeline_add_transform(pipeline, name)
luisa_compute_ir_transform_pipeline_transform(pipeline, module) -> Module
luisa_compute_ir_transform_auto(module) -> Module

// Library interface
luisa_compute_lib_interface() -> LibInterface

API Types Sharing

  • All types marked with #[repr(C)] for C layout compatibility
  • Handle types are u64 wrappers (Buffer(u64), Texture(u64))
  • Callbacks use extern "C" function pointers
  • DeviceInterface is a vtable struct of function pointers

CMake Integration

File: src/rust/CMakeLists.txt

Build Process

  1. Custom Command: Invokes cargo build via CMake custom command
  2. Profile Selection: dev for Debug, release for Release
  3. Feature Flags: Passed based on CMake options (cpu, remote)

Rust Artifacts

  • Static libraries: luisa_compute_ir_static, luisa_compute_api_types
  • Shared library: luisa_compute_backend_impl
  • Platform-specific naming (.lib/.a, .dll/.so/.dylib)

CMake Targets

  • luisa-compute-rust-meta (INTERFACE): Links static Rust libs, Windows system libs
  • luisa_compute_backend_impl (INTERFACE): Links shared Rust backend impl

Platform Handling

  • macOS: install_name_tool for rpath patching
  • Linux: patchelf for rpath patching
  • Windows: Copies .dll, .lib, and .pdb files

Embree Integration

  • Environment variable EMBREE_ZIP_FILE for custom Embree
  • Downloads/builds Embree via Rust build script
  • Copies embree DLLs to output directory

Key Design Decisions

  1. IR Design: Intrusive linked list of nodes with pool allocation for cache efficiency
  2. Type System: Global type registry with structural equality via context.rs
  3. Memory Safety: Custom CArc with C-compatible destructor callbacks
  4. Transform System: Pipeline-based with modular passes (SSA, autodiff, DCE)
  5. CPU Backend: JIT compilation to native code via LLVM/Clang
  6. C++ Interop: Bidirectional via cbindgen (Rust→C++) and staticlib (C++→Rust)