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Cover of Shaders Unchained: Writing Powerful Shaders for Every Platform FROM THE BOOK CATALOGUE

Computers & Technology

Shaders Unchained: Writing Powerful Shaders for Every Platform

By Kenwright

Master the art and science of writing high-performance, portable shaders for graphics and compute across all major modern APIs.

WHAT THE PUBLISHER HIGHLIGHTS

  • Understand the fundamental mathematics and algorithms that power modern shaders.
  • Learn the syntax and quirks of major shading languages: HLSL, GLSL, MSL, and WGSL.
  • Develop strategies for writing portable and performant shader code across different APIs.

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Catalogue reference: d0c064a3a3d220d5

INSIDE THE BOOK

About this book

This book is a comprehensive guide to shader programming in the modern era. It starts with the core mathematical and algorithmic concepts behind shaders and then dives into practical implementation across different shading languages and platforms (HLSL, GLSL, MSL, WGSL). You'll learn how to write shaders that are not only powerful and visually stunning but also efficient and portable, enabling you to target OpenGL, Vulkan, DirectX, Metal, and WebGPU from a solid foundation of knowledge.

From the publisher’s description

  • Understand the fundamental mathematics and algorithms that power modern shaders.
  • Learn the syntax and quirks of major shading languages: HLSL, GLSL, MSL, and WGSL.
  • Develop strategies for writing portable and performant shader code across different APIs.
  • Create advanced visual effects and leverage GPU compute for non-graphics tasks.

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ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

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Reader review4

Good, with realistic expectations

Very good, with a few caveats. The core material is strong.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

Adam LeeCloud architect · Buenos Aires, AR
Shaders Unchained: Writing Powerful Shaders for Every Platform
Reader review5

Highly recommended

Excellent from start to finish. No filler, no padding.

This is the third book I have read on computer graphics this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with computer graphics.

Greta WoodSecurity researcher · Bristol, UK
Shaders Unchained: Writing Powerful Shaders for Every Platform

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