User Guide
Synthclipse allows you to develop shaders in two ways: Using Fragx shaders or JSX scripts. Below is short description and comparison of both methods. More detailed informations can be found in dedicated sections in the left menu.
Fragx shaders
Fragx shaders are executable Fragment Shader files with .fragx or .stoy extensions. They are ordinary GLSL Fragment Shaders extended with metadata used in comments. The idea of using metadata in shaders comes from Mikael Hvidtfeldt Christensen and his Fragmentarium.
Pros:
- Very compact. Typically one Fragment Shader is all you need.
- Compatible with Fragmentarium, Shadertoy, and GLSL Sandbox. (You can easily import files from these services/programs by using just few mouse clicks).
- Does not require OpenGL knowledge. Knowing only GLSL is sufficient.
Cons:
- Limited to Fragment and Vertex Shaders.
- Limited to max 2 rendering passes.
- Limited control of rendering.
JSX scripts
JSX scripts are JavaScript executable files with .jsx extension. They allow you to exploit full potential of Desktop OpenGL in WebGL manner. In JSX scripts you can create all types of shaders: Fragment, Vertex, Geometry, Tessellation and Compute. You can create them using using raw OpenGL API or with higher-level, more convenient Synth API. With JSX scripts you can render and mix Fragx shaders as well.
Pros:
- Supports all types of shaders (Fragment, Vertex, Geometry, Tessellation and Compute).
- Allows you to exploit every feature of modern OpenGL (3+/4+).
- Compatible with WebGL.
- Fully programmable rendering flow (possible multi-pass).
- Allows combining Fragx shaders.
Cons:
- Less compact. Could require few files (one JSX file + couple of shader files).
- Advanced things require OpenGL knowledge.