The Best GLSL Books of All Time

OpenGL® SuperBible, Sixth Edition,is the definitive programmer’s guide, tutorial, and reference for the world’s leading 3D API for real-time computer graphics, OpenGL 4.3. The best all-around introduction to OpenGL for developers at all levels of experience, it clearly explains both the newest API and indispensable related concepts. You’ll find up-to-date, hands-on guidance for all facets of modern OpenGL development on both desktop and mobile platforms, including transformations, texture mapping, shaders, buffers, geometry management, and much more. Extensively revised, this edition presents many new OpenGL 4.

3 features, including compute shaders, texture views, indirect draws, and enhanced API debugging. It has been reorganized to focus more tightly on the API, to cover the entire pipeline earlier, and to help you thoroughly understand the interactions between OpenGL and graphics hardware. Coverage includes. A practical introduction to the essentials of realtime 3D graphicsCore OpenGL 4.3 techniques for rendering, transformations, and texturingFoundational math for creating interesting 3D graphics with OpenGLWriting your own shaders, with examples to get you startedCross-platform OpenGL, including essential platform-specific API initialization material for Linux, OS X, and WindowsVertex processing, drawing commands, primitive processing, fragments, and framebuffersUsing compute shaders to harness today’s graphics cards for more than graphicsMonitoring and controlling the OpenGL graphics pipelineAdvanced rendering: light simulation, artistic and non-photo-realistic rendering, and deferred shadingModern OpenGL debugging and performance optimizationBonus material and sample code are available from the companion Web site,openglsuperbible.com.

Includes Complete Coverage of the OpenGL® Shading Language! Today’s OpenGL software interface enables programmers to produce extraordinarily high-quality computer-generated images and interactive applications using 2D and 3D objects, color images, and programmable shaders. OpenGL® Programming Guide: The Official Guide to Learning OpenGL®, Version 4.3, Eighth Edition, has been almost completely rewritten and provides definitive, comprehensive information on OpenGL and the OpenGL Shading Language. This edition of the best-selling “Red Book” describes the features through OpenGL version 4.3.

It also includes updated information and techniques formerly covered in OpenGL® Shading Language (the “Orange Book”). For the first time, this guide completely integrates shader techniques, alongside classic, functioncentric techniques. Extensive new text and code are presented, demonstrating the latest in OpenGL programming techniques. OpenGL® Programming Guide, Eighth Edition, provides clear explanations of OpenGL functionality and techniques, including processing geometric objects with vertex, tessellation, and geometry shaders using geometric transformations and viewing matrices; working with pixels and texture maps through fragment shaders; and advanced data techniques using framebuffer objects and compute shaders. New OpenGL features covered in this edition include. Best practices and sample code for taking full advantage of shaders and the entire shading pipeline (including geometry and tessellation shaders) Integration of general computation into the rendering pipeline via compute shaders Techniques for binding multiple shader programs at once during application execution Latest GLSL features for doing advanced shading techniques Additional new techniques for optimizing graphics program performance.

Over 70 recipes that cover advanced techniques for 3D programming such as Lighting, Shading, Textures, Particle Systems, and Image processing with OpenGL 4.6. Key Features. Explore techniques for implementing shadows using shadow maps and shadow volumesLearn to use GLSL features such as compute, geometry, and tessellation shadersUse GLSL to create a wide variety of modern, realistic visual effectsBook Description.

OpenGL 4 Shading Language Cookbook, Third Edition provides easy-to-follow recipes that first walk you through the theory and background behind each technique, and then proceed to showcase and explain the GLSL and OpenGL code needed to implement them. The book begins by familiarizing you with beginner-level topics such as compiling and linking shader programs, saving and loading shader binaries (including SPIR-V), and using an OpenGL function loader library. We then proceed to cover basic lighting and shading effects. After that, you'll learn to use textures, produce shadows, and use geometry and tessellation shaders. Topics such as particle systems, screen-space ambient occlusion, deferred rendering, depth-based tessellation, and physically based rendering will help you tackle advanced topics. OpenGL 4 Shading Language Cookbook, Third Edition also covers advanced topics such as shadow techniques (including the two of the most common techniques: shadow maps and shadow volumes). You will learn how to use noise in shaders and how to use compute shaders. The book provides examples of modern shading techniques that can be used as a starting point for programmers to expand upon to produce modern, interactive, 3D computer-graphics applications. What you will learn. Compile, debug, and communicate with shader programsUse compute shaders for physics, animation, and general computingLearn about features such as shader storage buffer objects and image load/storeUtilize noise in shaders and learn how to use shaders in animationsUse textures for various effects including cube maps for reflection or refractionUnderstand physically based reflection models and the SPIR-V Shader binaryLearn how to create shadows using shadow maps or shadow volumesCreate particle systems that simulate smoke, fire, and other effectsWho this book is for:. If you are a graphics programmer looking to learn the GLSL shading language, this book is for you. A basic understanding of 3D graphics and programming experience with C++ are required.

Graphics Shaders: Theory and Practice is intended for a second course in computer graphics at the undergraduate or graduate level, introducing shader programming in general, but focusing on the GLSL shading language. While teaching how to write programmable shaders, the authors also teach and reinforce the fundamentals of computer graphics. The second edition has been updated to incorporate changes in the OpenGL API (OpenGL 4.x and GLSL 4.x0) and also has a chapter on the new tessellation shaders, including many practical examples.

The book starts with a quick review of the graphics pipeline, emphasizing features that are rarely taught in introductory courses, but are immediately exposed in shader work. It then covers shader-specific theory for vertex, tessellation, geometry, and fragment shaders using the GLSL 4.x0 shading language. The text also introduces the freely available glman tool that enables you to develop, test, and tune shaders separately from the applications that will use them. The authors explore how shaders can be used to support a wide variety of applications and present examples of shaders in 3D geometry, scientific visualization, geometry morphing, algorithmic art, and more. Features of the Second Edition:. Written using the most recent specification releases (OpenGL 4.x and GLSL 4.x0) including code examples brought up-to-date with the current standard of the GLSL language.More examples and more exercisesA chapter on tessellation shadersAn expanded Serious Fun chapter with examples that illustrate using shaders to produce fun effectsA discussion of how to handle the major changes occurring in the OpenGL standard, and some C++ classes to help you manage that transitionThe authors thoroughly explain the concepts, use sample code to describe details of the concepts, and then challenge you to extend the examples. They provide sample source code for many of the book’s examples at www.cgeducation.org.

It’s time to stop thinking that shaders are magical. You can use shaders to turn data into stunning visual effects, and get your hands dirty by building your own shader with this step-by-step introduction to shader development for game and graphics developers. Learn how to make shaders that move, tint, light up, and look awesome, all without cracking open a math textbook. Practical Shader Development teaches the theory behind how shaders work. The book also shows you how to apply that theory to create eye-popping visual effects.

You’ll learn to profile and optimize those effects to make sure your projects keep running quickly with all their new visuals. You’ll learn good theory, good practices, and without getting bogged down in the math. Author Kyle Halladay explains the fundamentals of shader development through simple examples and hands-on experiments. He teaches you how to find performance issues in shaders you are using and then how to fix them. Kyle explains (and contrasts) how to use the knowledge learned from this book in three of the most popular game engines today. What You'll LearnUnderstand what shaders are and how they work. Get up to speed on the nuts and bolts of writing vertex and fragment shaders. Utilize color blending and know how blend equations work. Know the coordinate spaces used when rendering real-time computer graphics. Use simple math to animate characters, simulate lights, and create a wide variety of visual effects. Find and fix performance problems in shaders. See how three popular game engines (Unity, UE4, Godot) handle shaders. Who This Book Is For. Programmers who are interested in writing their own shaders but do not know where to start, anyone who has ever seen shader code on a forum and wished they knew how to modify it just a little bit to fit into their own projects, and game developers who are tired of using the default shaders found in the game engines they are using. The book is especially useful for those who have been put off by existing shader tutorials which introduce complex math and graphics theory before ever getting something on the screen.

In this book you will find three main sections: how to set up a convenient GLSL workflow in TouchDesigner, a guide on two dimensions drawing and realtime animations, how to generate and bring to life 3D particle systems. Complete with examples, images, code snippets, and project files, this easily accessible guide is the perfect coding companion for new users as well as for professionals, giving you new tools for confidently entering the shader world.

With over 60 recipes, this Cookbook will teach you both the elementary and finer points of the OpenGL Shading Language, and get you familiar with the specific features of GLSL 4.0. A totally practical, hands-on guide. Overview A full set of recipes demonstrating simple and advanced techniques for producing high-quality, real-time 3D graphics using GLSL 4.0 How to use the OpenGL Shading Language to implement lighting and shading techniques Use the new features of GLSL 4.

0 including tessellation and geometry shaders How to use textures in GLSL as part of a wide variety of techniques from basic texture mapping to deferred shading Simple, easy-to-follow examples with GLSL source code, as well as a basic description of the theory behind each technique What you will learn from this book Compile, install, and communicate with shader programs Use new features of GLSL 4.0 such as subroutines and uniform blocks Implement basic lighting and shading techniques such as diffuse and specular shading, per-fragment shading, and spotlights Apply single or multiple textures Use textures as environment maps for simulating reflection or refraction Implement screen-space techniques such as gamma correction, blur filters, and deferred shading Implement geometry and tessellation shaders Learn shadowing techniques including shadow mapping and screen space ambient occlusion Use noise in shaders Use shaders for animation Approach This hands-on guide cuts short the preamble and gets straight to the point - actually creating graphics, instead of just theoretical learning. Each recipe is specifically tailored to satisfy your appetite for producing real-time 3-D graphics using GLSL 4.0. Who this book is written for If you are an OpenGL programmer looking to use the modern features of GLSL 4.0 to create real-time, three-dimensional graphics, then this book is for you. Familiarity with OpenGL programming, along with the typical 3D coordinate syste.

OpenGL® Shading Language, Third Edition, extensively updated for OpenGL 3.1, is the experienced application programmer’s guide to writing shaders. Part reference, part tutorial, this book thoroughly explains the shift from fixed-functionality graphics hardware to the new era of programmable graphics hardware and the additions to the OpenGL API that support this programmability. With OpenGL and shaders written in the OpenGL Shading Language, applications can perform better, achieving stunning graphics effects by using the capabilities of both the visual processing unit and the central processing unit.

In this book, you will find a detailed introduction to the OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL) and the new OpenGL function calls that support it. The text begins by describing the syntax and semantics of this high-level programming language. Once this foundation has been established, the book explores the creation and manipulation of shaders using new OpenGL function calls. OpenGL® Shading Language, Third Edition, includes updated descriptions for the language and all the GLSL entry points added though OpenGL 3.1, as well as updated chapters that discuss transformations, lighting, shadows, and surface characteristics. The third edition also features shaders that have been updated to OpenGL Shading Language Version 1.40 and their underlying algorithms, including. Traditional OpenGL fixed functionality Stored textures and procedural textures Image-based lighting Lighting with spherical harmonics Ambient occlusion and shadow mapping Volume shadows using deferred lighting Ward’s BRDF model. The color plate section illustrates the power and sophistication of the OpenGL Shading Language. The API Function Reference at the end of the book is an excellent guide to the. API entry points that support the OpenGL Shading Language.

OpenGL® Shading Language, Third Edition, extensively updated for OpenGL 3.1, is the experienced application programmer’s guide to writing shaders. Part reference, part tutorial, this book thoroughly explains the shift from fixed-functionality graphics hardware to the new era of programmable graphics hardware and the additions to the OpenGL API that support this programmability. With OpenGL and shaders written in the OpenGL Shading Language, applications can perform better, achieving stunning graphics effects by using the capabilities of both the visual processing unit and the central processing unit.

In this book, you will find a detailed introduction to the OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL) and the new OpenGL function calls that support it. The text begins by describing the syntax and semantics of this high-level programming language. Once this foundation has been established, the book explores the creation and manipulation of shaders using new OpenGL function calls. OpenGL® Shading Language, Third Edition, includes updated descriptions for the language and all the GLSL entry points added though OpenGL 3.1, as well as updated chapters that discuss transformations, lighting, shadows, and surface characteristics. The third edition also features shaders that have been updated to OpenGL Shading Language Version 1.40 and their underlying algorithms, including. Traditional OpenGL fixed functionality Stored textures and procedural textures Image-based lighting Lighting with spherical harmonics Ambient occlusion and shadow mapping Volume shadows using deferred lighting Ward’s BRDF model. The color plate section illustrates the power and sophistication of the OpenGL Shading Language. The API Function Reference at the end of the book is an excellent guide to the. API entry points that support the OpenGL Shading Language.

This book is a practical guide to the OpenGL Shading Language, which contains several real-world examples that will allow you to grasp the core concepts easily and the use of the GLSL for graphics rendering applications. If you want upgrade your skills, or are new to shader programming and want to learn about graphic programming, this book is for you. If you want a clearer idea of shader programming, or simply want to upgrade from fixed pipeline systems to state-of-the-art shader programming and are familiar with any C-based language, then this book will show you what you need to know.