🎨 Palette: Add Camera Reset (Safety Net)

.Jules/palette.md

@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@
 ## 2024-10-25 - Window Title as Status Bar
 **Learning:** In C++ windowed applications without an overlay UI (like ImGui), the window title is the only persistent feedback mechanism. Moving state indicators (Denoiser ON/OFF, FOV) to the title provides immediate visibility without cluttering the console.
 **Action:** When working on native apps, check if the window title can be utilized for status feedback if no GUI is present.
+
 ## 2024-05-21 - Immediate Feedback in Native Apps
 **Learning:** In native applications (GLFW), state changes triggered by input callbacks often lack immediate visual feedback if the UI update is tied to a main loop timer.
 **Action:** Always call UI update functions directly from input callbacks for state toggles, rather than waiting for the next scheduled refresh.
+
+## 2024-10-27 - Safety Net Pattern
+**Learning:** in 3D navigation environments, users can easily become disoriented or drift too far. A "Safety Net" action (Reset to Default) is a critical accessibility feature that restores confidence and control.
+**Action:** Always implement a quick "Reset View" action (e.g., 'R' key) in 3D applications to help users recover from disorientation.

src/Camera.cpp

@@ -12,6 +12,20 @@ Camera::Camera(float fov, float aspectRatio, float nearPlane, float farPlane)
     yaw = -90.0f;
     pitch = -10.0f;  // Look down 10 degrees
 
+    // Capture initial state
+    initialPosition = position;
+    initialYaw = yaw;
+    initialPitch = pitch;
+    initialFov = fov;
+
+    updateCameraVectors();
+}
+
+void Camera::reset() {
+    position = initialPosition;
+    yaw = initialYaw;
+    pitch = initialPitch;
+    fov = initialFov;
     updateCameraVectors();
 }
 

src/Camera.h

@@ -35,9 +35,17 @@ class Camera {
     float mouseSensitivity = 0.1f;
     float fov;
 
+    void reset();
+
 private:
     void updateCameraVectors();
 
+    // Initial state
+    glm::vec3 initialPosition;
+    float initialYaw;
+    float initialPitch;
+    float initialFov;
+
     // Camera position and orientation
     glm::vec3 position;
     glm::vec3 front;

src/main.cpp

@@ -188,9 +188,6 @@ class RacingEngine {
     AsyncLogger logger;
 
     // UX State Tracking
-    float currentFPS = 0.0f;
-    float frameTimeMs = 0.0f;
-
     void updateWindowTitle() {
         glm::vec3 pos = camera.getPosition();
         char title[512];
@@ -225,6 +222,7 @@ class RacingEngine {
         std::cout << "GLFW window created successfully!\n";
         std::cout << "Camera controls: WASD - move, QE - up/down, Mouse - look, Shift - faster\n";
         std::cout << "                 TAB - toggle cursor lock, Scroll - zoom (FOV)\n";
+        std::cout << "                 R - Reset Camera\n";
         std::cout << "Press D to toggle AI Denoiser (Tensor Cores)\n";
     }
 
@@ -299,6 +297,14 @@ class RacingEngine {
         if (key == GLFW_KEY_D && action == GLFW_RELEASE) {
             engine->denoiserKeyPressed = false;
         }
+
+        // R key to reset camera
+        if (key == GLFW_KEY_R && action == GLFW_PRESS) {
+            engine->camera.reset();
+            engine->accumulationFrames = 0; // Reset accumulation immediately
+            engine->logger.log("\n[CAMERA] Reset to default view\n");
+            engine->updateWindowTitle();
+        }
     }
 
     void initVulkan() {