Shadertoy

This project is a ShaderToy clone created for learning and practicing shaders. It features hot reloading, allowing you to see changes to the shader in real time without needing to restart the program. This project serves as an interactive way to experiment with GLSL shaders and explore different visual effects.

Features

• Real-time shader updates: Hot reloading allows you to see changes instantly in the shader without restarting the program.
• Custom shader editing: Easily modify shaders to test new effects and learn GLSL syntax.
• Simple setup: Minimal configuration to get started, with just a few steps.

Setup

Clone the repository

Open your terminal and run the following command:

git clone https://github.com/Sengeki1/Shadertoy.git

Install dependencies

Ensure you have the necessary dependencies installed. For this project, you'll need:

• GLFW: For windowing and input handling.
• GLAD: For loading OpenGL extensions.
• GLM: For math operations.

If you’re using a package manager like vcpkg or brew, you can install these libraries with:

vcpkg install glfw3 glad glm

Open the project in VS Code

Launch VS Code and open the project folder you just cloned.

Modify the shader

Navigate to the default.frag file inside the project folder at the directory Shaders. This file contains the default fragment shader.

• Modify the shader code inside the main() function to see the effects in real time.
• When you make changes to default.frag, the shader will automatically reload, and you’ll see the updates immediately in the running program.

Run the program

You can compile and run the project directly from VS Code. Use the integrated terminal to run the build commands:

mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -G Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64

Next you need to build the solution inside the build directory and it will generate an .exe file in the Release folder. This will compile the project and run the executable. What you need to do next is to copy or drag the .exe file into the main folder or root directory where all the resources are.

The window will display your shader, and any changes you make to default.frag will be reflected instantly.

Contributing

Feel free to fork the repository, make your changes, and create a pull request! If you have any questions or suggestions, open an issue and I’ll be happy to help.

Resources

• A nice book to learn shaders https://thebookofshaders.com/