Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

The Book of Shaders VS ShaderFrog

Compare The Book of Shaders VS ShaderFrog and see what are their differences

The Book of Shaders logo The Book of Shaders

Extensive guide through fragment shaders with live coding examples

ShaderFrog logo ShaderFrog

Shader Frog is a WebGL shader editor that lets you design shaders without writing code.
  • The Book of Shaders Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-05
Not present

The Book of Shaders features and specs

  • Comprehensive Introduction
    The Book of Shaders provides a thorough introduction to the fundamentals of shader programming, making it accessible for beginners.
  • Interactive Examples
    It includes interactive examples that allow readers to experiment with code snippets in real-time, enhancing the learning experience through hands-on practice.
  • Clear Explanations
    The book offers clear and concise explanations of complex concepts, helping readers to grasp tricky topics more easily.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source resource, it is freely available to anyone interested, promoting wider accessibility and learning opportunities.
  • Gradual Progression
    The content is structured to gradually increase in complexity, enabling learners to build their knowledge step-by-step.

Possible disadvantages of The Book of Shaders

  • Advanced Topics
    It may not cover some advanced topics in-depth, which could require readers to seek additional resources for more complex shader programming concepts.
  • Online Format Limitations
    As an online resource, it may not be as convenient for some users who prefer physical books or offline materials for study.
  • Limited Context
    The book focuses specifically on GLSL shaders and may not provide broader context or applications in different graphics programming environments.
  • Assumes Basic Graphics Knowledge
    Some sections might assume a basic understanding of graphics programming, which could be challenging for absolute beginners without any prior exposure.

ShaderFrog features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    ShaderFrog provides an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced users to create and edit shaders without deep coding knowledge.
  • Node-Based System
    The platform offers a node-based system for building shaders, which simplifies the process by allowing users to visually connect different components and see the immediate effects.
  • Collaborative Platform
    ShaderFrog supports collaboration, enabling users to share and work on shader projects together in real-time, enhancing productivity and creativity.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Shaders created with ShaderFrog can be exported and used across various platforms and engines, improving versatility and applicability for different projects.

Possible disadvantages of ShaderFrog

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While ShaderFrog is great for beginners, it may lack some advanced features and customization options that professionals might require for complex shader development.
  • Dependency on Internet Connection
    As a cloud-based tool, ShaderFrog requires an internet connection to access and use its features, which can be a limitation in offline scenarios.
  • Potential Performance Issues
    Real-time rendering and previewing in ShaderFrog might experience performance issues depending on the complexity of the shaders and the hardware used.
  • Limited Shader Library
    The available shader library might be limited in scope, necessitating additional custom work for specific project needs that aren't covered by existing presets.

Analysis of The Book of Shaders

Overall verdict

  • Yes, The Book of Shaders is highly regarded as a valuable resource for learning about shaders.

Why this product is good

  • The Book of Shaders is praised for its clear and concise explanations, making complex topics accessible for beginners. It provides interactive examples and exercises that help reinforce concepts and encourage experimentation. This structured approach facilitates both learning the fundamentals and exploring advanced shader techniques. Moreover, its online format allows for regular updates and community-contributed content.

Recommended for

    This resource is ideal for graphics programmers, game developers, digital artists, and anyone interested in real-time rendering and shader programming. Beginners and intermediate learners will find it particularly beneficial due to its approachable format and interactive elements.

The Book of Shaders videos

No The Book of Shaders videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

ShaderFrog videos

Shaderfrog new algorithm demonstration

More videos:

  • Review - Dynamic Control of Imported ShaderFrog Shader Uniforms

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to The Book of Shaders and ShaderFrog)
3D
82 82%
18% 18
VJ
75 75%
25% 25
Interactive Exhibits
74 74%
26% 26
Writing Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using The Book of Shaders and ShaderFrog. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, The Book of Shaders seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 146 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

The Book of Shaders mentions (146)

  • WebGL Water
    I like https://thebookofshaders.com/ . It’s unfinished and I don’t think it’s been updated in years, but what’s there is pretty good. - Source: Hacker News / 19 days ago
  • Shadertoys Ported to Rust GPU
    FYI apparently the www.* link doesn't actually have the menu for some reason? It's just the world graphic and a blank menu bar. You need to visit http://thebookofshaders.com/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Dissecting "Tiny Clouds" shadertoy (2017)
    Yes, but you can learn it! 1. Get inspired, get motivated. Shaders like these are breathtaking: https://www.shadertoy.com/view/l3cfW4 2. Watch "Learn to paint with mathematics" to see a simple shader being built gradually: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ifChJ0nJfM 3. Work through https://thebookofshaders.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Tiny Glade 'built' its way to >600k sold in a month
    The Book of Shaders (https://thebookofshaders.com/) perhaps? It's about shaders rather than geometry but it felt like a good introduction to generating things with programmatically. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Breaking Down the WebGL Triangle Setup
    In the code above we are creating both a vertexShader and fragmentShader constant and storing the shader code in them. The Book of Shaders is a great resource for learning how to write GLSL code. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
View more

ShaderFrog mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ShaderFrog yet. Tracking of ShaderFrog recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing The Book of Shaders and ShaderFrog, you can also consider the following products

Shadertoy - Build shaders, share them, and learn from the best community.

SHADERed - Lightweight, full-featured desktop tool for creating and testing HLSL and GLSL shaders

GLSL Sandbox - An online GSGL Shader Gallery and live development tool.

Shader Editor - Android app to create GLSL shaders and use them as live wallpaper

Shdr - Shdr is an online ESSL (GLSL) shader editor, viewer and validator powered by WebGL.

KodeLife - Real-time GPU shader editor, live-code performance tool and graphics prototyping sketchpad.