ANARI-SDK v0.16.0 — Highlights

🆕 New helide_gpu device

The headline addition is a new GPU-backed reference device (helide_gpu) alongside the existing CPU helide. It shares the same reference-renderer semantics but exercises the GPU execution path, giving implementers and downstream apps a second built-in device to validate against. This came with substantial supporting work in the helium base layer:

• Double-buffered deferred commits and a reworked TaskQueue (FIFO worker-side enqueue with growable storage) for more robust cross-thread commit handling.
• Worker-thread gpu_enqueue_method now runs inline when already on the worker thread, and a macOS commit-buffer deadlock was fixed.
• Object parameters are now snapshotted at anariCommitParameters() time, matching spec expectations for commit semantics.

🧪 CTS (Conformance Test Suite) overhaul

Major rework of the conformance test suite (#359):

• Reports are now generated in C++ (text + HTML); the Python reporting layer was reduced to PDF-only.
• Added ray/primitive intersection edge-case tests.
• CTS can now pass custom, device-agnostic renderer parameters.
• Test coverage and code generation were synced to the current spec.

📐 Spec & JSON / code-gen updates

• New extension KHR_SAMPLER_IMAGExD_CLAMP_TO_BORDER added.
• wrapMode1 renamed to wrapMode for image1D (per spec) — note: potential breaking change for consumers reading that parameter name.
• Correct REPEAT-mode coordinate wrapping for Image1D/2D/3D samplers.
• code_gen re-synced to the current spec (typo fixes, updated queries; JSON null now returns nullptr).
• Removed primitive.id support from helide/helide_gpu.

🎨 helide rendering improvements

• Implicit aspect ratio support in both helide and helide_gpu.
• Fixed incorrect sRGB color-data handling on input.
• Support for the visible parameter on volume and surface objects.
• New debug render mode that skips ray intersection.
• Geometry commit priority adjusted so isosurface is handled correctly after fields; implicit curve index fix.

🖥️ Platform & integration fixes

• High-DPI (HiDPI) support on macOS, plus a configurable high-DPI flag and custom flags for SDL windows.
• Fixed a crash on window resize (stale frame contents / format mismatc
• Fixed Embree alignment error via alignas on the Ray struct.
• ANARI library lifetime fixes — libraries are unloaded/deleted as Librd until after destruction, resolving lifetime issues in applications.

🔌 hdAnari (Hydra plugin)

• Updated to OpenUSD 26.05 (and build fixes for 25.11).
• Migrated the MDL plugin from the Ndr to the Sdr API.

📚 Docs & housekeeping

• Added helium code documentation comments and agent-context files across several libraries.
• Generic helium::Array improvements: 1D attribute helpers moved to thew access the data modified-timestamp.
• README fixes (typos, broken links, python-bindings notes), copyright date updates.

Merged PRs

• Add clamp to border extension by @tarcila in #329
• README: fix typos and broken links by @lucas-givord in #330
• Apply correct coordinate wrapping for REPEAT mode in Image1D/2D/3D by @sankhesh in #335
• add render mode that doesn't intersect rays for debugging purposes by @jeffamstutz in #336
• v0.15.0 codegen build fix by @kvankooten in #337
• support visible parameter on volume and surface objects by @jeffamstutz in #338
• Fixed size and format crash when resized window maps old frame contents by @kvankooten in #340
• add high DPI flag for SDL window, allow custom flags from downstream by @jeffamstutz in #341
• Fix HDPI support on MacOS by @tarcila in #342
• Add Claude docs and libhelium code documentation by @jeffamstutz in #343
• move 1D attribute helpers to base Array for more generic consumption by @jeffamstutz in #345
• fix incorrect handling of input sRGB color data by @jeffamstutz in #346
• double buffer deferred commits in helium, more robust helide frame handling by @jeffamstutz in #347
• add new helide_gpu device by @jeffamstutz in #348
• helium + helide_gpu fixes by @jeffamstutz in #349
• implement implicit aspect ratio in helide + helide_gpu devices by @jeffamstutz in #350
• update hdAnari to OpenUSD 26.05 by @jeffamstutz in #351
• fix: return nullptr for JSON null values in generate_queries by @sankhesh in #352
• convert to generic agent context files by @jeffamstutz in #354
• Fix Embree alignment error by adding alignas to the Ray struct by @sankhesh in #355
• fixed stb warnings by @ingowald in #353
• Update to latest openusd by @tarcila in #356
• Fix ANARIlibrary release by @tarcila in #357
• fix ANARILibrary lifetime issues in applications by @jeffamstutz in #358
• CTS overhaul by @jeffamstutz in #359
• adjust geometry commit priority to account for 'isosurface' after fields by @jeffamstutz in #360
• Fix curve with implicit index by @johguenther in #361
• cts: Add ray/primitive intersection edge-case tests by @tarcila in #362
• cts: Add html report generation from run output by @tarcila in #363
• Sync code_gen to current spec, fix typos, adapt CTS coverage, tests and devices by @johguenther in #364
• helium: misc fixes by @jeffamstutz in #365

New Contributors

• @lucas-givord made their first contribution in #330
• @sankhesh made their first contribution in #335

Full Changelog: v0.15.0...v0.16.0