[Feature Request] Batch Multiple Sprites into Single Draw Call (GPU Instancing)

[breno131c-prog]

Problem

When rendering multiple Rive sprites with the same artboard/animation, each sprite requires a separate draw call. This limits performance when displaying many identical sprites (e.g., particles, crowds, repeated elements).

Current Performance:

• 100 identical sprites = 100 draw calls

Expected with Instancing:

• 100 identical sprites = 1 draw call = + FPS

Proposed Solution

Implement GPU instancing or batching for sprites that share:

• Same artboard
• Same animation state
• Same texture/material

This would allow rendering hundreds or thousands of identical sprites with minimal performance impact.

Use Cases

• Particle systems
• Crowd simulations
• Repeated UI elements
• Tile-based games
• Background decorations

Technical Approach

Similar to how PixiJS implements sprite batching, the renderer could:

1. Group sprites with identical properties
2. Upload instance data (position, scale, rotation) to a single buffer
3. Use drawArraysInstanced or drawElementsInstanced for WebGL2
4. Fall back to manual batching for WebGL1

Current Workarounds

• Frustum culling (only render visible sprites)
• Shared artboards, animation (reduce memory, but not draw calls)