Real Time Shader Playground

Shadyr

Learn shaders by building them. Edit code or use nodes, and see results instantly. No experience needed!

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The Concept

One shader.
Many ways to see it.

Most shader tools are either powerful but overwhelming, or simple but limiting. Shadyr sits in the middle. You can start by dragging sliders and watching what happens, then slowly dig into the actual code behind it, if you're ready.

There's no separate "graph mode" or "code mode" You can switch between them at any time. Change a slider in the node graph, the GLSL updates in real time. They're always in sync.

The fastest way to learn
1

Change something

Load a preset. Move a slider. Don't think too hard, just change things, it will make sense eventually.

2

See what happens

The preview updates instantly. Watch how the visual responds to every tweak.

3

Repeat

That's it . Break things, understand why, fix them, make them better.

What you can do

Everything you need.
Nothing you don't.

A shader creation environment, built with a focus on ease of use and instant feedback.

⬡

Nodes and Code, always in sync

Build logic visually in the node graph, or write raw GLSL, they stay perfectly synchronized. The same underlying shader, two different views. Stuck on the math? Use a node. Ready to go deeper? Flip to the code.

▶

Live preview

Every change renders instantly, no need to recompile to see tiny changes!

⊞

Multipass pipelines

Build layered effects, feedback loops, post-processing, simulation. Passes can feed into each other freely.

🎬

Image, video & audio inputs

Plug in images, video, or audio as pass inputs. React to sound, animate with footage, or chain passes together.

◈

Starter presets

A curated library of beautiful shaders to learn from, tweak, and be inspired by. Save your own and they persist locally.

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Shadertoy compatible

Coming from Shadertoy? iTime, iResolution, iChannel0 all normalize automatically. Paste and run!

The Editor

Four panels. One Workspace.

Everything is always visible and in sync. No hidden menus, no context switching. Just the shader and all the tools to shape it.

Who it's for

Anybody who wants to create shaders.

Whether you've never written a shader or you've been living in GLSL for years.

Complete beginners

Never touched a shader? Start with a preset and move sliders. You'll learn without realizing it.

Graphics learners

Learning game dev or graphics programming? Shadyr bridges theory and practice instantly.

Creative coders

Just here to make beautiful things? The node system lets you compose effects visually, fast.

Experienced devs

Already know GLSL? Use Shadyr as a quick iteration tool to prototype and test ideas rapidly.

The learning path

You don't learn shaders by reading.

You learn by changing things, breaking things, and slowly realizing it's making sense.

1

Load a preset and mess with it

Start with something that already looks good. Move sliders until something changes. Ask yourself: what did I actually affect? What didn't change?

2

Look at the structure

Open the node graph. You don't need to understand everything. Just notice what connects to what, and what seems important.

3

Peek at the code

Switch to the code editor. You'll start seeing patterns, UVs, colors, time based motion. If you're new to shaders, it won't fully make sense yet, and that's fine.

4

Break it on purpose

Change things you probably shouldn't. Extra numbers, strange functions, wrong connections. Seeing it fail is how you understand what it needs to succeed.

5

Build something small

A gradient. A circle. Something that moves. Keep it simple and finish it. That first one you made yourself is when it clicks.

Pick your path

How do you want to start?

Jump in wherever feels right. You can always switch later, it's the same shader, just a different view.

Jump in when you're ready

Choose your starting point

Whether you want to explore, learn, or build, just start. You can switch paths anytime as you go.

01
Explore
Open a beautiful preset and start playing. Move sliders, watch things change, get a feel for what shaders can do. No pressure to understand anything yet.
Just play
02
Learn
Start the guided lessons. From "what is a fragment?" to building real shader effects, one step at a time, at your own pace.

Read the Conceptual Guide
Start Lessons
03
Build
Jump straight into the editor with a blank canvas. Full node and code editor. For when you know what you want to make.
Full control