THE CRUNCH
Makepad creator Rik Arends has built a 3D source code visualizer that can navigate 2.5 million lines of code at over 120 frames per second. The tool initially consumed 21GB of RAM, but Arends says he has since reduced the memory footprint to 3.5GB using indexing and streaming compression. The visualizer can load the entire source tree of Chromium in 60 seconds, though the author admits its practical use is limited.
Arends says he intends to turn the visualizer into a product and charge a small fee, though he admits its usefulness is questionable. He created the tool simply because he could, and a commenter suggested adding a time element or 3D tracking of dependencies would make it more practical. The visualizer is not the first of its kind, as CodeCharta is a commercial tool that visualises changes and hotspots in 3D, though its flybys are not as impressive.
The visualizer demonstrates the raw power of modern hardware, but its practical application remains to be seen. While it is a fun way to explore code, it is unclear how it would be used in a professional setting. The author's admission that he created the tool simply because he could suggests that it may be more of a novelty than a productivity tool.