Programmer Buddy Exploring the Art of Dynamic Color Transitions
To master the shape generation in shader you need to understand how shader programmers run for each pixel and shade them. Below image gives you better information where coordinates start xy=(0, 0) and where they end xy=(1, 1) which will help you in your shape generation journey. Here (0, 0) is on the bottom left corner. In some shader environments it might be on the top left corner, using this shader you will know where our (0, 0) lies in the geometry plane.
Example1: Draw gradient on the geometry surface: This shader will build a ground understanding of how shaders work and shade the pixel. In most of the cases this shader is used to troubleshoot the shader.
What is uv:
UVs are basically a copy of your model’s vertices, laid out in 2 dimensions so you can map out how the polygons lay on the textures. So when the shader runs, you normally read this UV value for a given pixel on a triangle to know where to sample the texture for that specific point on the mesh.
Note: Play around by uncommenting line in code. and build your logic, how code change the pattern.
Uncomment line “finalColor=vec4(vUv.x,vUv.y,0.0,1.0);” in the code.
Area with black color represents that xy=(0.0, 0.0) is at bottom, see bottom left corner on the image.
Example 2: Draw window relative gradient on the screen.
This fragment shader will draw gradient on the shape based on screen position. This example assumes you are working with a full-screen quad (covering the entire screen) in a fragment shader
gl_FragCoord: Contains the window-relative coordinates of the current fragment. Available only in the fragment shader.
Understanding Pixels on the Screen with a Linear Gradient Shader:
Imagine your computer screen is like a big canvas, and every tiny dot on that canvas is called a pixel.
- What’s a Pixel?
- A pixel is the smallest dot on your screen. Think of it like a little dot of color.
- Imagine your screen as a big grid of these tiny dots, and each dot is a pixel.
- How Do Pixels Work?
- Pixels work together to create images. Imagine them as building blocks. When you put a lot of them together, you see pictures, text, and everything else on your screen.
- What’s a Gradient Shader?
- A gradient shader is like a magic brush for your pixels. It helps you paint colors that smoothly change from one to another.
- Let’s Consider Simple Linear Gradient Example Shown in Below Image:
- Imagine you have a blank canvas, and you want to paint a gradient from left to right.
- On the left side, you might have a red color, and on the right side, you want it to smoothly turn into blue.
- The gradient shader helps each pixel figure out its color based on where it is on the screen.
- How Does It Work?
- The shader looks at each pixel and says, “Hey, you’re at this position on the screen. Let me calculate a color for you based on that.”
- Pixels on the left side might be more red, and as you move towards the right, they gradually become more blue.
- What Does It Teach Us About Pixels?
- By playing with a gradient shader, you start to see how the position of a pixel on the screen affects its color.
- You learn that pixels have coordinates, like points on a map. The shader helps you decide what color each point should be.
- Experimenting with Pixels:
- You can tweak the shader to make the gradient go from top to bottom or even create patterns.
- By changing the shader code, you’re basically telling each pixel how to behave and what color to wear.
In simple terms, a gradient shader is like a friendly guide for each pixel, helping it decide its color based on where it lives on the screen. It’s a fun way to explore and understand how pixels come together to create the images you see on your computer.