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+## Future Trends
+The role of shaders continues to evolve with advancements in [Graphics Hardware](/wiki/Graphics_Hardware) and rendering techniques.
+- **[Mesh Shaders](/wiki/Mesh_Shader):** Emerging in modern APIs like [DirectX](/wiki/DirectX) and [Vulkan](/wiki/Vulkan), mesh shaders replace the traditional vertex and geometry shader stages. They provide much greater flexibility and control over geometry processing, allowing for more efficient culling and procedural generation directly on the [GPU](/wiki/GPU).
+- **[Ray Tracing](/wiki/Ray_Tracing):** While specialized hardware handles ray intersections, shaders are crucial for defining ray origins, directions, and, most importantly, for shading the surfaces encountered by rays, enabling highly realistic lighting and reflections. This often involves specific types of shaders (e.g., ray generation, closest hit, any hit, miss shaders) within [Ray Tracing](/wiki/Ray_Tracing) pipelines.
+- **Machine Learning Integration:** Shaders are increasingly used to implement [Machine Learning](/wiki/Machine_Learning) models directly on the [GPU](/wiki/GPU) for tasks like [Upscaling](/wiki/Upscaling) (e.g., DLSS, FSR), denoising [Ray Tracing](/wiki/Ray_Tracing) output, or even generating new content.
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-- [Rendering](/wiki/Rendering)
+## Performance and Optimization
+Shaders, while powerful, are computationally intensive and their efficient execution is critical for maintaining high [Frame Rate](/wiki/Frame_Rate)s. Developers often optimize shaders by reducing instruction count, minimizing texture fetches, avoiding complex calculations, and managing branching. Techniques like [Shader Caching](/wiki/Shader_Caching) and [Level of Detail](/wiki/Level_of_Detail) for shaders can also improve performance.
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+- **[Cg](/wiki/Cg):** (C for Graphics) A high-level shader language developed by NVIDIA, compatible with both OpenGL and DirectX.
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-A **shader** is a small program executed on a [GPU](/wiki/GPU) during the rendering process. It dictates how light interacts with surfaces, determining the color, texture, and final appearance of pixels, crucial for modern [Computer Graphics](/wiki/Computer_Graphics). Shaders provide immense flexibility, allowing artists and developers to create a vast range of visual effects.
-## Types of Shaders
-Shaders come in various **kinds**, each specialized for a different stage of the [Rendering Pipeline](/wiki/Rendering_Pipeline):
-- **[Vertex Shaders](/wiki/Vertex_Shader):** Process individual [Vertex](/wiki/Vertex) data, transforming their positions in 3D space, and calculating attributes like normals or texture coordinates.
-- **[Tessellation Shaders](/wiki/Tessellation_Shader):** Work in conjunction with a fixed-function tessellator to dynamically subdivide geometry, increasing mesh detail.
+A **shader** is a small program executed on a [GPU](/wiki/GPU) during the rendering process. It dictates how light interacts with surfaces, determining the color, texture, and final appearance of pixels, crucial for modern [Computer Graphics](/wiki/Computer_Graphics). Shaders provide immense flexibility, allowing artists and developers to create a vast range of visual effects and control every aspect of a scene's appearance.
+## The Shader Pipeline
+Modern [Graphics Hardware](/wiki/Graphics_Hardware) employs a programmable **rendering pipeline**, where specific stages are handled by different types of shaders. These shaders work in sequence to transform 3D models into the final 2D image displayed on screen.
+- **[Vertex Shaders](/wiki/Vertex_Shader):** The first programmable stage. They process individual [Vertex](/wiki/Vertex) data, transforming their positions in 3D space (e.g., from model space to clip space), and calculating attributes like normals or texture coordinates.
+- **[Tessellation Shaders](/wiki/Tessellation_Shader):** (Optional stage) Work in conjunction with a fixed-function tessellator to dynamically subdivide geometry, increasing mesh detail based on factors like distance from the camera.
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-Shaders are typically written in specialized programming [Language](/wiki/Language)s, forming various **shader formats**. Prominent examples include [GLSL](/wiki/GLSL) (OpenGL Shading Language), [HLSL](/wiki/HLSL) (High-Level Shading Language) for DirectX, and [WGSL](/wiki/WGSL) (WebGPU Shading Language). These source languages are compiled into an intermediate representation, such as [SPIR-V](/wiki/SPIR-V), or directly to hardware-specific instructions. The choice of language and underlying **shader standards** is often dictated by the chosen [Graphics API](/wiki/Graphics_API) (e.g., [OpenGL](/wiki/OpenGL), [DirectX](/wiki/DirectX), [Vulkan](/wiki/Vulkan), [WebGPU](/wiki/WebGPU)) and target platform.
+Shaders are written in specialized programming [Language](/wiki/Language)s and executed via [Graphics API](/wiki/Graphics_API)s.
+### Shader Languages
+These are the source languages used to define shader programs:
+- **[GLSL](/wiki/GLSL):** (OpenGL Shading Language) Primarily used with [OpenGL](/wiki/OpenGL) and [Vulkan](/wiki/Vulkan).
+- **[HLSL](/wiki/HLSL):** (High-Level Shading Language) Primarily used with [DirectX](/wiki/DirectX).
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-A **shader** is a small program executed on a [GPU](/wiki/GPU) during the rendering process. It dictates how light interacts with surfaces, determining the color, texture, and final appearance of pixels, crucial for modern [Computer Graphics](/wiki/Computer_Graphics).
-Shaders come in various **kinds**, each specialized for a different stage of the [Rendering Pipeline](/wiki/Rendering_Pipeline). Common types include [Vertex Shaders](/wiki/Vertex_Shader), which process vertex data; [Fragment Shaders](/wiki/Fragment_Shader) (also known as pixel shaders), which determine the final color of individual pixels; [Geometry Shaders](/wiki/Geometry_Shader), which can modify primitive geometry; and [Compute Shaders](/wiki/Compute_Shader), used for general-purpose parallel computation.
-- [Vertex Shader](/wiki/Vertex_Shader)
-- [Fragment Shader](/wiki/Fragment_Shader)
+A **shader** is a small program executed on a [GPU](/wiki/GPU) during the rendering process. It dictates how light interacts with surfaces, determining the color, texture, and final appearance of pixels, crucial for modern [Computer Graphics](/wiki/Computer_Graphics). Shaders provide immense flexibility, allowing artists and developers to create a vast range of visual effects.
+Historically, [Graphics Hardware](/wiki/Graphics_Hardware) used a [Fixed-Function Pipeline](/wiki/Fixed-Function_Pipeline), where rendering operations were hardcoded. The advent of programmable shaders revolutionized [Real-time Graphics](/wiki/Real-time_Graphics) by allowing developers to define custom algorithms for lighting, shading, and visual effects, leading to more realistic and diverse scenes.
+## Types of Shaders
+Shaders come in various **kinds**, each specialized for a different stage of the [Rendering Pipeline](/wiki/Rendering_Pipeline):
+- **[Vertex Shaders](/wiki/Vertex_Shader):** Process individual [Vertex](/wiki/Vertex) data, transforming their positions in 3D space, and calculating attributes like normals or texture coordinates.
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-- [Texture](/wiki/Texture)
-- [GLSL](/wiki/GLSL)
-- [Vertex](/wiki/Vertex)
+Shaders come in various **kinds**, each specialized for a different stage of the [Rendering Pipeline](/wiki/Rendering_Pipeline). Common types include [Vertex Shaders](/wiki/Vertex_Shader), which process vertex data; [Fragment Shaders](/wiki/Fragment_Shader) (also known as pixel shaders), which determine the final color of individual pixels; [Geometry Shaders](/wiki/Geometry_Shader), which can modify primitive geometry; and [Compute Shaders](/wiki/Compute_Shader), used for general-purpose parallel computation.
+Shaders are typically written in specialized programming [Language](/wiki/Language)s, forming various **shader formats**. Prominent examples include [GLSL](/wiki/GLSL) (OpenGL Shading Language), [HLSL](/wiki/HLSL) (High-Level Shading Language) for DirectX, and [WGSL](/wiki/WGSL) (WebGPU Shading Language). These source languages are compiled into an intermediate representation, such as [SPIR-V](/wiki/SPIR-V), or directly to hardware-specific instructions. The choice of language and underlying **shader standards** is often dictated by the chosen [Graphics API](/wiki/Graphics_API) (e.g., [OpenGL](/wiki/OpenGL), [DirectX](/wiki/DirectX), [Vulkan](/wiki/Vulkan), [WebGPU](/wiki/WebGPU)) and target platform.
+- [Vertex Shader](/wiki/Vertex_Shader)
+- [Fragment Shader](/wiki/Fragment_Shader)
+- [Graphics API](/wiki/Graphics_API)
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#13 months ago
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Auto-generated stub article
+A **shader** is a small program executed on a [GPU](/wiki/GPU) during the rendering process. It dictates how light interacts with surfaces, determining the color, texture, and final appearance of pixels, crucial for modern [Computer Graphics](/wiki/Computer_Graphics).
+## See also
+- [Rendering](/wiki/Rendering)
+- [Texture](/wiki/Texture)
+- [GLSL](/wiki/GLSL)
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