Use this skill when rendering live HTML/DOM elements (or frozen snapshots of them) as PixiJS v8 textures via the EXPERIMENTAL HTML-in-Canvas browser APIs. Covers the pixi.js/html-source side-effect import, feature-detection with canvas.requestPaint, HTMLSource for a live, repainting element kept int

HTMLSource and ElementImageSource turn a DOM element into a TextureSource you can use anywhere a normal texture works: on a Sprite , as a Texture frame, or mapped onto a Mesh . HTMLSource mirrors a live element's pixels into the GPU (the element stays editable and clickable in the browser); ElementImageSource wraps an immutable snapshot that never repaints. Both require a side effect import 'pixi.js/html source' to register their extensions. These sources rely on the experimental HTML in Canvas browser proposal and are marked EXPERIMENTAL in PixiJS v8. The browser API must be enabled or the texture uploader throws on first render; feature detect with canvas.requestPaint before relying on it. The API may change between minor releases. Assumes familiarity with pixijs scene sprite and textures. These are texture sources , not display objects: wrap them in a Sprite (or Texture / Mesh ) to put them on screen. Not available in Web Workers; a worker has no DOM to capture. Quick Start Related skills: pixijs scene sprite (display the texture), pixijs scene mesh (map onto geometry, PerspectiveMesh ), pixijs scene dom container (the opposite: overlay HTML above the canvas, outside the GPU pipeline), pixijs assets (texture sources vs the loader/cache), pixijs environments (no DOM in Web Workers). Constructor options Both sources extend TextureSource , so all TextureSourceOptions ( resolution , scaleMode , addressMode , label , etc.) are valid. resource is required on each. HTMLSourceOptions (live element): Option Type Default Description resource Element — Required. The live DOM element to render. Must be a direct child of the owning canvas, or the constructor throws. canvas HTMLSourceCanvas — The canvas that owns the element's layout subtree. Inferred from resource.parentElement when the element is a direct canvas child; pass it when inference is not possible. autoLayout boolean true Set the layoutsubtree attribute on the owning canvas. The browser only lays out and paints canvas children when it is present. Set false if you write <canvas layoutsubtree yourself. autoUpdate boolean true Listen for the canvas paint event and re upload when the element repaints. Set false for a static, captured once texture. autoRequestPaint boolean true Request one initial paint after construction. Set false and call source.requestPaint() yourself each frame for continuous animation. ElementImageSourceOptions (immutable snapshot): Option Type Default Description resource ElementImage — Required. A snapshot from canvas.captureElementImage(element) . autoClose boolean false Call snapshot.close() when the source is destroyed. Leave false when the snapshot is shared with other sources, or you risk a use after free. Core Patterns Setup and the side effect import pixi.js/html source calls extensions.add(...) to register HTMLSource , ElementImageSource , and their WebGL/WebGPU uploaders. Without it, the renderer has no 'html' uploader and these sources never render. The classes are exported from pixi.js/html source , not pixi.js . Importing a named export from pixi.js/html source also triggers the side effect, so a bare import 'pixi.js/html source' is only needed when you don't import anything else from that path. Feature detection and browser support The HTML in Canvas API is gated behind a browser flag. Feature detect before relying on it: Cast app.canvas to HTMLSourceCanvas for the typed requestPaint and captureElementImage members. source.requestPaint() returns false when the browser lacks the API; the texture uploader throws on first render when it is disabled. Live element with HTMLSource The element must be a direct child of the renderer's <canvas ; the source infers the owning canvas from resource.parentElement (or pass canvas ). With the defaults, it sets layoutsubtree on the canvas, listens for the canvas paint event, and requests one initial paint. source.isReady is false until that first paint lands, then true . resourceWidth / resourceHeight report the element's real pixel size ( offsetWidth / offsetHeight ). Continuous animation with requestPaint The browser only repaints canvas children on demand. For an element whose content changes every frame, set autoRequestPaint: false and call source.requestPaint() in your own ticker to drive repaints on your schedule. Immutable snapshot with ElementImageSource captureElementImage() freezes an element's current pixels into an immutable ElementImage . There is no owning canvas, no paint listener, and no repaint lifecycle, so the source is ready the moment it is constructed. Reach for it when you need a frozen copy that outlives its element or is transferred around (transitions, "shatter" or trail effects). Release the snapshot with snapshot.close() when done, or pass autoClose: true to let the source close it on destroy() . Using the source on a sprite, texture, or mesh Both sources are normal TextureSource s. Wrap them with Sprite.from(source) / Texture.from(source) , frame or slice them into sub textures, or map them onto a mesh: Auto detection and priority A generic HTML element or an ElementImage passed to Texture.from / Sprite.from resolves to these sources at the lowest texture source priority ( 10 ), so they only claim a resource no other built in source handles. Image, video, and canvas elements are deliberately rejected; they have dedicated, faster sources. Construct the source explicitly when you need options ( autoUpdate , autoClose ) or non HTML elements such as SVG. Common Mistakes [HIGH] Not importing pixi.js/html source Wrong: Correct: The 'html' uploaders are registered by the side effect import. Without it, the source has no uploader and the texture never renders. [HIGH] Assuming the browser API is enabled The HTML in Canvas proposal is not shipped by default. If the API is disabled, the uploader throws on first render. Feature detect first: [MEDIUM] Element not a direct child of the canvas HTMLSource requires the element to be a direct child of the owning canvas ( app.canvas.appendChild(form) ) and throws otherwise. Append the element to the canvas before constructing the source, or pass the canvas option. [MEDIUM] Expecting a live element to update without requestPaint A non animating element updates automatically on browser paint events ( autoUpdate: true ). Content that changes every frame will not re upload unless something triggers a paint; drive it with source.requestPaint() each frame (with autoRequestPaint: false ). [MEDIUM] Closing an ElementImage still in use Only set autoClose: true when the source owns the snapshot exclusively. For a shared snapshot, leave autoClose off and call snapshot.close() once, after the last source is destroyed. Cleanup HTMLSource.destroy() detaches the canvas paint listener and nulls its canvas reference. ElementImageSource.destroy() closes the snapshot when autoClose was set; otherwise call snapshot.close() yourself to release the memory. API Reference [HTMLSource](https://pixijs.download/release/docs/rendering.HTMLSource.html.md) [HTMLSourceOptions](https://pixijs.download/release/docs/rendering.HTMLSourceOptions.html.md) [ElementImageSource](https://pixijs.download/release/docs/rendering.ElementImageSource.html.md) [ElementImageSourceOptions](https://pixijs.download/release/docs/rendering.ElementImageSourceOptions.html.md) [HTMLSourceCanvas](https://pixijs.download/release/docs/rendering.HTMLSourceCanvas.html.md) [ElementImage](https://pixijs.download/release/docs/rendering.ElementImage.html.md)

pixijs-html-source