Hi I am NOOB here so please don't bite too hard . Lot's of development experience not so much GSAP, WEBGL, PIXI experience.
So, i've decided to jump in and believe that GSAP is the recipe I need based on the all of the research i've done.
Some cool pens I've seen that relate to my need are these. One codepen is showing up on the bottom so sorry couldn't get them one after the other.
https://codepen.io/osublake/pen/ExPMgQq
https://codepen.io/chrisgannon/pen/dypvKvR
Now, with that said I don't believe I can achieve what I need with straight SVG or even canvas as there will be too many plot points incoming. I think PIXI runner may help to solve the incoming data stream. As well, PIXI uses webGL and I think that combined with a port-view / canvas with GSAP will get me to the right place.
The requirement need is to plot an X,Y graph of incoming data over a period of time. about 100 - 500(worry about that later) per second of streaming data points.
My idea, is that I will use GSAP pixi plugin to create the animation (questions about this later). The plugin, in my mind, will allow for GSAP type "creation" and PIXI will provide the webGL type of rendering. Along with the montionPathPlugin that will allow me to adhere to an incoming path stream of vector points to animate onto the canvas more easily than not. So in short, GSAP create PIXI push to screen using webGL = performant real-time graph.
For now that would get me up and going. So I have some questions.
1. Am I thinking of this correctly? Does the GSAP pixi plugin allow for animation that is more GSAP with the idea that pixi is more the renderer agent? Or is it the opposite GSAP only helps pixi but pixi is more of the animation.
1a. Here is why I ask and this is an important thing for me to understand. Pixi probably is not great for doing a graph animation PERHAPS. When I look at that code pen that are SVG renders they are so silky and smooth. I want that. But can I do that with not using SVG but rather Pixi because if it's the rendered than it has to be rendering something. if I draw a grap that the line goes up like a D3 animation of data plots and is smooth, clear and appealing that is the effect I want. I don't think and perhaps I am very wrong, that I want a sprite that is doing the animation as opposed to the SVG straight vector graphic.
I hope I am making sense with question 1.
2. Based on question 1. Does my recipe seem plausible and what is the actual rendering that I will be going after in terms of the thing that the user sees. I am thinking it is absolutely not SVG so what is it exactly that I am trying to build? Either a sprite or a line stroke from PIXI? If my 2 options are either a stroke line or a sprite I am thinking the sprite will be better? But is it? How can I get the line not to be jagged, clean and clear like the code pens of the SVG? The line stroke seems like perhaps that is not a great idea. Imagine if someone took a digital pen and the were doing up and down strokes with an Apple/Surface pen versus in 1992 doing it with a mouse and a bitmap editor. See/imagine the difference there.
3. Maybe I am overthinking this. Perhaps 100 data points per second isn't all that bad and SVG wouldn't be an issue. 500 has to be too much to be performant. Pixi has this culling thing where you can only concern yourself of what is visible on the canvas. Perhaps there could be this concept here.
4. If I am not thinking of something or should explore something else please let me know.
Your help is appreciate and I look forward to being a a greensock expert some day.