Awesome-omni-skill shader-fx

GPU-accelerated shader effects framework built on Babylon.js. Provides composable graph-based post-processing, multi-pass rendering, feedback loops, and fluid simulation. Use when writing code that uses @avtools/shader-fx for shader effects, effect chains, or GPU computations.

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/diegosouzapw/awesome-omni-skill
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/diegosouzapw/awesome-omni-skill "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/development/shader-fx" ~/.claude/skills/diegosouzapw-awesome-omni-skill-shader-fx && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: skills/development/shader-fx/SKILL.md
source content

@avtools/shader-fx

GPU-accelerated shader effects framework built on Babylon.js. Provides a composable, graph-based system for real-time post-processing effects and GPU computations. Supports both WebGPU (WGSL shaders via

babylon
subpath) and WebGL (GLSL shaders via
babylonGL
subpath).

Package Location

packages/shader-fx/
  mod.ts                          # Re-exports babylon and babylonGL namespaces
  deno.json                       # Package config, name: @avtools/shader-fx
  babylon/
    mod.ts                        # Re-exports shaderFXBabylon.ts
    shaderFXBabylon.ts            # Core framework (WebGPU/WGSL)
  babylonGL/
    mod.ts                        # Re-exports shaderFXBabylon_GL.ts
    shaderFXBabylon_GL.ts         # Core framework (WebGL/GLSL)
  generated/
    postFX/                       # 22 generated post-processing effects (WGSL)
    fluidSimulation/              # 13 generated fluid simulation stages (WGSL)
    fluidSimulationHack/          # 13 fluid sim stages (alternate variant, WGSL)
    babylonGL/postFX/             # 9 generated post-processing effects (GLSL)

Import Paths

// Top-level namespace (rarely used directly)
import { babylon, babylonGL } from "@avtools/shader-fx";

// WebGPU API (primary)
import {
  ShaderEffect, CustomShaderEffect, PassthruEffect, CanvasPaint, FeedbackNode,
  type ShaderSource, type Dynamic, type ShaderUniforms, type UniformDescriptor,
  type RenderPrecision, type ShaderGraph, type GraphNode, type GraphEdge,
  type CustomShaderEffectOptions, type MaterialHandles, type ShaderMaterialFactory,
  type PassTextureSourceSpec, type TextureInputKey,
} from "@avtools/shader-fx/babylon";

// WebGL API (same exports, GLSL shaders)
import { ShaderEffect, CustomShaderEffect, ... } from "@avtools/shader-fx/babylonGL";

// Generated effects (WebGPU)
import { WobbleEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/postFX/wobble.frag.generated.ts";
import { BloomEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/postFX/bloom.frag.generated.ts";
import { VelocityAdvectionEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/fluidSimulation/velocityAdvection.frag.generated.ts";

// Generated effects (WebGL)
import { WobbleEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/babylonGL/postFX/wobble.frag.gl.generated.ts";

Dependencies

  • babylonjs@^8.20.0
    -- Babylon.js rendering engine (WebGPU and WebGL)
  • Generated effects are produced by the
    @avtools/power2d-codegen
    package

Core Concepts

Effect Graph

Effects form a directed acyclic graph (DAG). Each effect takes one or more

ShaderSource
inputs and produces a
RenderTargetTexture
output. The framework performs topological sorting to determine render order, and
renderAll()
traverses the full graph from a terminal effect.

ShaderSource

A

ShaderSource
is the union of all valid input types to an effect:

type ShaderSource =
  | BABYLON.BaseTexture
  | BABYLON.RenderTargetTexture
  | HTMLCanvasElement
  | OffscreenCanvas
  | ShaderEffect          // Uses effect.output automatically

When a

ShaderEffect
is passed as a source, the framework automatically extracts its
.output
RenderTargetTexture. When an
HTMLCanvasElement
or
OffscreenCanvas
is passed, the framework creates and manages a dynamic texture internally.

Dynamic Uniforms

Uniform values can be static or dynamic (functions evaluated each frame):

type Dynamic<T> = T | (() => T)

This allows uniforms to be driven by animation loops, audio analysis, or any other time-varying source without manually updating every frame.

Multi-Pass Rendering

CustomShaderEffect
supports multi-pass rendering. Each pass has its own
ShaderMaterial
and can route textures from earlier passes or from external inputs via
PassTextureSourceSpec
:

type PassTextureSourceSpec<I> =
  | { binding: string; source: { kind: 'input'; key: TextureInputKey<I> } }
  | { binding: string; source: { kind: 'pass'; passIndex: number } }

The default behavior chains the primary texture through passes: pass N reads from pass N-1's output.

Render Precision

type RenderPrecision = 'unsigned_int' | 'half_float'
  • 'half_float'
    (default) -- Higher precision for accumulation effects, fluid simulation, HDR
  • 'unsigned_int'
    -- Standard 8-bit RGBA, lower memory usage

Core API

ShaderEffect<I>
(abstract base class)

The root class for all effects. Provides graph traversal, rendering orchestration, and the common interface.

abstract class ShaderEffect<I extends ShaderInputShape<I> = ShaderInputs> {
  readonly id: string                              // Unique effect ID (UUID or counter)
  debugId: string                                  // User-assigned debug label
  effectName: string                               // Effect type name
  width: number                                    // Output width (default 1280)
  height: number                                   // Output height (default 720)
  inputs: Partial<I>                               // Current input sources
  uniforms: ShaderUniforms                         // Current uniform values (may include Dynamic)
  lastRenderedFrameId?: string                      // Frame deduplication token

  abstract output: BABYLON.RenderTargetTexture     // The rendered output texture
  abstract setSrcs(fx: Partial<I>): void           // Update input sources
  abstract render(engine: BABYLON.Engine, frameId?: string): void  // Render this effect only
  abstract setUniforms(uniforms: ShaderUniforms): void             // Set uniform values
  abstract updateUniforms(): void                  // Resolve Dynamic uniforms and push to GPU
  abstract dispose(): void                         // Dispose this effect's GPU resources

  disposeAll(): void                // Recursively dispose this effect and all input effects
  getOrderedEffects(): ShaderEffect[]  // Topological sort of the effect graph (leaves first)
  getGraph(): ShaderGraph           // Returns { nodes: GraphNode[], edges: GraphEdge[] }
  renderAll(engine: BABYLON.Engine, frameId?: string): void  // Render entire graph in order
}

Key behaviors:

  • renderAll()
    calls
    getOrderedEffects()
    to topologically sort the graph, then renders each effect once. If
    frameId
    is provided, effects that have already rendered for that frame ID are skipped (only
    updateUniforms()
    is called).
  • getOrderedEffects()
    detects cycles and throws
    "Cycle detected in shader graph"
    .
  • disposeAll()
    recursively walks the input graph and disposes every
    ShaderEffect
    it finds.

CustomShaderEffect<U, I>
(main implementation)

The concrete implementation that handles Babylon.js scenes, materials, render targets, and multi-pass rendering.

class CustomShaderEffect<U extends object, I extends ShaderInputShape<I> = ShaderInputs>
  extends ShaderEffect<I> {

  readonly engine: BABYLON.WebGPUEngine  // (or BABYLON.Engine for GL variant)
  readonly scene: BABYLON.Scene
  readonly output: BABYLON.RenderTargetTexture
  readonly uniformMeta: UniformDescriptor[]

  // Constructor
  constructor(
    engine: BABYLON.WebGPUEngine,
    inputs: I,
    options: CustomShaderEffectOptions<U, I>
  )

  // Methods
  setSrcs(fx: Partial<I>): void
  setUniforms(uniforms: ShaderUniforms): void
  updateUniforms(): void
  render(engine: BABYLON.Engine): void
  dispose(): void

  // Accessors
  get material(): BABYLON.ShaderMaterial          // First pass material
  getPassOutput(passIndex: number): BABYLON.RenderTargetTexture | undefined
  getUniformsMeta(): UniformDescriptor[]
  getUniformRuntime(): Record<string, UniformRuntime>
  getFloatUniformNames(): string[]
  setTextureSampler(sampler: BABYLON.TextureSampler): void
}

CustomShaderEffectOptions<U, I>

interface CustomShaderEffectOptions<U, I> {
  factory: ShaderMaterialFactory<U, string>         // Creates MaterialHandles for each pass
  textureInputKeys: Array<TextureInputKey<I>>       // Input texture names (must have >= 1)
  textureBindingKeys?: string[]                     // Shader binding names (defaults to textureInputKeys)
  passTextureSources?: readonly (readonly PassTextureSourceSpec<I>[])[]  // Per-pass texture routing
  passCount?: number                                // Number of render passes (default 1)
  primaryTextureKey?: keyof I & string              // Key chained across passes (default: first input)
  width?: number                                    // Output width (default 1280)
  height?: number                                   // Output height (default 720)
  sampler?: BABYLON.TextureSampler                  // Custom sampler
  materialName?: string                             // Base name for materials
  sampleMode?: 'nearest' | 'linear'                // Texture filtering (default 'linear')
  precision?: RenderPrecision                       // Render target format (default 'half_float')
  uniformMeta?: UniformDescriptor[]                 // Metadata for uniform introspection/UI
}

PassthruEffect

Simple passthrough that copies a source texture to a render target. Useful as an initial node in a chain or for capturing a texture.

class PassthruEffect extends CustomShaderEffect<PassthruUniforms, PassthruInputs> {
  constructor(
    engine: BABYLON.WebGPUEngine,
    inputs: { src: ShaderSource },
    width?: number,       // default 1280
    height?: number,      // default 720
    sampleMode?: 'nearest' | 'linear',  // default 'linear'
    precision?: RenderPrecision,         // default 'half_float'
  )
}

CanvasPaint

Renders a

ShaderSource
directly to the screen (default framebuffer) rather than to a render target. This is the terminal node that displays the effect chain on a canvas.

class CanvasPaint extends CustomShaderEffect<Record<string, never>, CanvasPaintInputs> {
  constructor(
    engine: BABYLON.WebGPUEngine,  // or BABYLON.Engine for GL
    inputs: { src: ShaderSource },
    width?: number,
    height?: number,
    sampleMode?: 'nearest' | 'linear',
    precision?: RenderPrecision,
    targetCanvas?: HTMLCanvasElement,  // For multi-view rendering
  )
}

Key behavior:

render()
calls
engine.restoreDefaultFramebuffer()
and renders to the screen via
scene.render()
instead of to a render target. Supports multi-view rendering via
targetCanvas
parameter.

FeedbackNode

Creates temporal feedback loops by cycling a previous frame's output back as input. Essential for iterative effects like fluid simulation, reaction-diffusion, trails, and motion blur.

class FeedbackNode extends ShaderEffect<FeedbackInputs> {
  constructor(
    engine: BABYLON.WebGPUEngine,
    startState: ShaderEffect,           // Initial state (rendered on first frame)
    width?: number,
    height?: number,
    sampleMode?: 'nearest' | 'linear',
    precision?: RenderPrecision,
  )

  setFeedbackSrc(effect: ShaderEffect): void  // Set the effect whose output feeds back
}

Key behavior:

  • On the first frame, copies
    startState.output
    to its own output.
  • After the first frame, swaps to reading from the feedback source's output.
  • The feedback source is NOT added to
    inputs
    to avoid creating a cycle in the DAG traversal. The feedback connection is managed separately.

Type Definitions

UniformDescriptor

Metadata for a shader uniform, enabling introspection and UI generation:

interface UniformDescriptor {
  name: string                        // Logical uniform name (e.g., 'xStrength')
  kind: 'f32' | 'i32' | 'u32' | 'bool' | 'vec2f' | 'vec3f' | 'vec4f' | 'mat4x4f'
  bindingName: string                 // Actual shader binding name (e.g., 'uniforms_xStrength')
  default?: unknown                   // Default value
  isArray?: boolean
  arraySize?: number
  ui?: {
    min?: number
    max?: number
    step?: number
  }
}

UniformRuntime

Runtime tracking for uniform values (used for UI sliders, range detection):

interface UniformRuntime {
  isDynamic: boolean       // true if the value is a function
  current?: number         // Most recently resolved value
  min?: number             // Observed minimum
  max?: number             // Observed maximum
}

MaterialHandles<U, TName>

The bridge between the framework and Babylon.js shader materials:

interface MaterialHandles<U, TName extends string = string> {
  material: BABYLON.ShaderMaterial
  setTexture(name: TName, texture: BABYLON.BaseTexture): void
  setTextureSampler(name: TName, sampler: BABYLON.TextureSampler): void
  setUniforms(uniforms: Partial<U>): void
}

ShaderGraph

interface ShaderGraph {
  nodes: GraphNode[]
  edges: GraphEdge[]
}
interface GraphNode {
  id: string
  name: string
  ref: ShaderEffect
}
interface GraphEdge {
  from: string    // Source effect ID
  to: string      // Destination effect ID
}

Generated Effects

All generated effects follow a consistent pattern. Each

.generated.ts
file exports:

  • XxxVertexSource
    -- WGSL (or GLSL) vertex shader string
  • XxxFragmentSources
    -- Array of fragment shader strings (one per pass)
  • XxxPassCount
    -- Number of render passes
  • XxxPrimaryTextureName
    -- Primary texture binding name
  • XxxPassTextureSources
    -- Per-pass texture routing spec
  • XxxUniformMeta
    -- Uniform metadata array
  • XxxUniforms
    interface -- TypeScript interface for uniform values
  • setXxxUniforms()
    -- Function to push uniforms to a ShaderMaterial
  • XxxInputs
    interface -- TypeScript interface for texture inputs
  • createXxxMaterial()
    -- Factory function returning MaterialHandles
  • XxxEffect
    class -- Concrete
    CustomShaderEffect
    subclass

Post-Processing Effects (postFX)

EffectInputsKey UniformsPassesDescription
WobbleEffect
srcxStrength, yStrength, time1Sinusoidal UV distortion
BloomEffect
srcpreBlackLevel, preGamma, preBrightness, minBloomRadius, maxBloomRadius, bloomThreshold, bloomSCurve, bloomFill, bloomIntensity, outputMode, inputImage2Multi-pass bloom with preprocessing
PixelateEffect
srcpixelSize1Pixelation/mosaic
AlphaThresholdEffect
srcthreshold1Alpha cutoff
PolygonMaskEffect
src(polygon data)1Polygon-shaped masking
TransformEffect
srcrotate, anchor(vec2f), translate(vec2f), scale(vec2f)12D affine transform
HorizontalBlurEffect
srcradius11D horizontal gaussian blur
VerticalBlurEffect
srcradius11D vertical gaussian blur
EdgeEffect
src(edge detection params)1Edge detection
InvertEffect
src--1Color inversion
LayerBlendEffect
src1, src2--1Alpha-based layer compositing
LevelEffect
src(level params)1Levels adjustment
LimitEffect
src(limit params)1Value limiting
MathOpEffect
src(math params)1Mathematical operations
InputCropEffect
src(crop params)1Input cropping
DualViewEffect
src(view params)1Dual-view display
AlphaTimeTagEffect
src(time params)1Alpha-based time tagging
FloodFillStepEffect
src(fill params)1Flood fill step (JFA)
FluidSimEffect
src(fluid params)1Single-pass fluid sim
FluidVisualizeEffect
src(vis params)1Fluid visualization
ReactionDiffusionEffect
src(RD params)1Reaction-diffusion step
ReactionVisualizeEffect
src(vis params)1Reaction-diffusion visualization

Fluid Simulation Stages (fluidSimulation)

These are individual pipeline stages composable into a full Navier-Stokes fluid simulation:

EffectInputsKey UniformsDescription
VelocityAdvectionEffect
velocitytimeStep, dissipationSemi-Lagrangian velocity advection
DyeAdvectionEffect
velocity, dyetimeStep, dissipationAdvects dye/color field by velocity
CurlEffect
velocity--Computes curl of velocity field
VorticityConfinementEffect
velocity, curlstrength, timeStepRestores small-scale vortices
DivergenceEffect
velocity--Computes divergence of velocity
PressureJacobiEffect
pressure, divergence--Jacobi iteration for pressure solve
PressureDampEffect
pressuredampingDamps pressure field
GradientSubtractionEffect
velocity, pressure--Projects velocity to be divergence-free
ForceApplicationEffect
velocity(force params)Applies external forces to velocity
DyeForceApplicationEffect
dye(force params)Applies dye/color forces
SplatEffect
src(splat params)Gaussian splat injection
SplatUnifiedEffect
src(splat params)Unified splat variant
AddEffect
src1, src2--Additive blending of two fields

WebGL Variants (babylonGL/postFX)

A subset of effects available as GLSL for WebGL fallback:

  • wobble, bloom, pixelate, alphaThreshold, polygonMask, transform, horizontalBlur, verticalBlur, layerBlend

Usage Patterns

Pattern 1: Simple Effect Chain

import { PassthruEffect, CanvasPaint } from "@avtools/shader-fx/babylon";
import { WobbleEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/postFX/wobble.frag.generated.ts";

// engine is a BABYLON.WebGPUEngine
const passthru = new PassthruEffect(engine, { src: someTexture }, 1280, 720);
const wobble = new WobbleEffect(engine, { src: passthru }, 1280, 720);
const canvasPaint = new CanvasPaint(engine, { src: wobble }, 1280, 720);

// Set uniforms (static values)
wobble.setUniforms({ xStrength: 0.02, yStrength: 0.01, time: 0 });

// Render loop
engine.runRenderLoop(() => {
  wobble.setUniforms({ time: performance.now() / 1000 });
  canvasPaint.renderAll(engine);
});

Pattern 2: Dynamic Uniforms

import { WobbleEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/postFX/wobble.frag.generated.ts";

const wobble = new WobbleEffect(engine, { src: passthru });

// Pass functions instead of values -- evaluated each frame during updateUniforms()
wobble.setUniforms({
  xStrength: () => Math.sin(performance.now() / 1000) * 0.05,
  yStrength: 0.02,
  time: () => performance.now() / 1000,
});

Pattern 3: Canvas as Input Source

import { PassthruEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/babylon";

const drawCanvas = document.createElement('canvas');
drawCanvas.width = 1280;
drawCanvas.height = 720;
const ctx = drawCanvas.getContext('2d')!;

// The framework creates a DynamicTexture internally and updates it each render
const passthru = new PassthruEffect(engine, { src: drawCanvas }, 1280, 720);

engine.runRenderLoop(() => {
  ctx.clearRect(0, 0, 1280, 720);
  ctx.fillStyle = 'red';
  ctx.fillRect(100, 100, 200, 200);
  passthru.renderAll(engine);
});

Pattern 4: Multi-Input Effects

import { LayerBlendEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/postFX/layerBlend.frag.generated.ts";

const layer1 = new PassthruEffect(engine, { src: texture1 });
const layer2 = new PassthruEffect(engine, { src: texture2 });

// LayerBlend takes two inputs: src1 and src2
const blend = new LayerBlendEffect(engine, { src1: layer1, src2: layer2 });
blend.renderAll(engine);

Pattern 5: Feedback Loops (Temporal Effects)

import { FeedbackNode, PassthruEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/babylon";
import { WobbleEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/postFX/wobble.frag.generated.ts";

// Create initial state
const initialState = new PassthruEffect(engine, { src: blackTexture });

// FeedbackNode: first frame uses initialState, then switches to feedback source
const feedback = new FeedbackNode(engine, initialState, 1280, 720);

// Processing effect reads from the feedback node
const wobble = new WobbleEffect(engine, { src: feedback }, 1280, 720);
wobble.setUniforms({ xStrength: 0.01, yStrength: 0.01, time: () => performance.now() / 1000 });

// Close the loop: feedback reads from wobble's output on subsequent frames
feedback.setFeedbackSrc(wobble);

// Display
const paint = new CanvasPaint(engine, { src: wobble });

engine.runRenderLoop(() => {
  // renderAll handles the entire graph
  // FeedbackNode is NOT in wobble's input graph to avoid cycles;
  // it must be rendered explicitly before the rest
  feedback.render(engine);
  paint.renderAll(engine);
});

Pattern 6: Multi-Pass Effects (Blur Example)

import { HorizontalBlurEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/postFX/horizontalBlur.frag.generated.ts";
import { VerticalBlurEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/postFX/verticalBlur.frag.generated.ts";

// Two-pass separable Gaussian blur
const hBlur = new HorizontalBlurEffect(engine, { src: inputEffect }, 1280, 720);
const vBlur = new VerticalBlurEffect(engine, { src: hBlur }, 1280, 720);

// BloomEffect is a single effect with 2 internal passes:
// pass0 preprocesses, pass1 samples from pass0's output
import { BloomEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/postFX/bloom.frag.generated.ts";
const bloom = new BloomEffect(engine, { src: inputEffect }, 1280, 720);

Pattern 7: Fluid Simulation Pipeline

import { FeedbackNode, PassthruEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/babylon";
import { VelocityAdvectionEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/fluidSimulation/velocityAdvection.frag.generated.ts";
import { CurlEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/fluidSimulation/curl.frag.generated.ts";
import { VorticityConfinementEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/fluidSimulation/vorticityConfinement.frag.generated.ts";
import { DivergenceEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/fluidSimulation/divergence.frag.generated.ts";
import { PressureJacobiEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/fluidSimulation/pressureJacobi.frag.generated.ts";
import { GradientSubtractionEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/fluidSimulation/gradientSubtraction.frag.generated.ts";
import { ForceApplicationEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/fluidSimulation/forceApplication.frag.generated.ts";
import { DyeAdvectionEffect } from "@avtools/shader-fx/generated/fluidSimulation/dyeAdvection.frag.generated.ts";

const w = 512, h = 512;
const precision = 'half_float';

// Velocity pipeline with feedback
const velInit = new PassthruEffect(engine, { src: zeroTexture }, w, h, 'linear', precision);
const velFeedback = new FeedbackNode(engine, velInit, w, h, 'linear', precision);

const forceApp = new ForceApplicationEffect(engine, { velocity: velFeedback }, w, h, 'nearest', precision);
const velAdvect = new VelocityAdvectionEffect(engine, { velocity: forceApp }, w, h, 'linear', precision);
velAdvect.setUniforms({ timeStep: 1.0, dissipation: 0.99 });

const curl = new CurlEffect(engine, { velocity: velAdvect }, w, h, 'nearest', precision);
const vorticity = new VorticityConfinementEffect(engine, { velocity: velAdvect, curl: curl }, w, h, 'nearest', precision);

const divergence = new DivergenceEffect(engine, { velocity: vorticity }, w, h, 'nearest', precision);

// Pressure solve (multiple Jacobi iterations)
const pressureInit = new PassthruEffect(engine, { src: zeroTexture }, w, h, 'nearest', precision);
const pressureFeedback = new FeedbackNode(engine, pressureInit, w, h, 'nearest', precision);
const jacobi = new PressureJacobiEffect(engine, { pressure: pressureFeedback, divergence: divergence }, w, h, 'nearest', precision);
pressureFeedback.setFeedbackSrc(jacobi);

const gradSub = new GradientSubtractionEffect(engine, { velocity: vorticity, pressure: jacobi }, w, h, 'nearest', precision);
velFeedback.setFeedbackSrc(gradSub);

// Dye pipeline
const dyeInit = new PassthruEffect(engine, { src: zeroTexture }, w, h, 'linear', precision);
const dyeFeedback = new FeedbackNode(engine, dyeInit, w, h, 'linear', precision);
const dyeAdvect = new DyeAdvectionEffect(engine, { velocity: gradSub, dye: dyeFeedback }, w, h, 'linear', precision);
dyeFeedback.setFeedbackSrc(dyeAdvect);

Pattern 8: Custom Effect from Scratch

import * as BABYLON from "babylonjs";
import { CustomShaderEffect, type ShaderSource, type MaterialHandles } from "@avtools/shader-fx/babylon";

interface MyInputs { src: ShaderSource }
interface MyUniforms { intensity: number }

function createMyMaterial(scene: BABYLON.Scene, options?: { name?: string }): MaterialHandles<MyUniforms, 'src'> {
  const name = options?.name ?? 'MyMaterial';
  const vertexName = `${name}VertexShader`;
  const fragmentName = `${name}FragmentShader`;

  BABYLON.ShaderStore.ShadersStoreWGSL[vertexName] = `/* your WGSL vertex shader */`;
  BABYLON.ShaderStore.ShadersStoreWGSL[fragmentName] = `/* your WGSL fragment shader */`;

  const material = new BABYLON.ShaderMaterial(name, scene, {
    vertex: name, fragment: name,
  }, {
    attributes: ['position', 'uv'],
    uniforms: ['intensity'],
    samplers: ['src'],
    samplerObjects: ['srcSampler'],
    shaderLanguage: BABYLON.ShaderLanguage.WGSL,
  });

  return {
    material,
    setTexture: (n, tex) => material.setTexture(n, tex),
    setTextureSampler: (n, s) => material.setTextureSampler('srcSampler', s),
    setUniforms: (u) => { if (u.intensity !== undefined) material.setFloat('intensity', u.intensity); },
  };
}

class MyEffect extends CustomShaderEffect<MyUniforms, MyInputs> {
  effectName = 'MyEffect';
  constructor(engine: BABYLON.WebGPUEngine, inputs: MyInputs, width = 1280, height = 720) {
    super(engine, inputs, {
      factory: (scene, opts) => createMyMaterial(scene, opts),
      textureInputKeys: ['src'],
      width, height,
      materialName: 'MyMaterial',
    });
  }
}

Pattern 9: Graph Introspection

const graph = canvasPaint.getGraph();
console.log('Nodes:', graph.nodes.map(n => n.name));
console.log('Edges:', graph.edges.map(e => `${e.from} -> ${e.to}`));

const ordered = canvasPaint.getOrderedEffects();
console.log('Render order:', ordered.map(e => e.effectName));

// Uniform introspection
const meta = bloom.getUniformsMeta();
// [{ name: 'preBlackLevel', kind: 'f32', bindingName: 'uniforms_preBlackLevel', default: 0.05 }, ...]

const runtime = bloom.getUniformRuntime();
// { preBlackLevel: { isDynamic: false, current: 0.05, min: 0.05, max: 0.05 }, ... }

Pattern 10: Using Frame IDs for Deduplication

let frameCounter = 0;
engine.runRenderLoop(() => {
  const frameId = `frame-${frameCounter++}`;
  // If multiple terminal effects share subgraphs, frameId prevents double-rendering
  canvasPaint1.renderAll(engine, frameId);
  canvasPaint2.renderAll(engine, frameId);  // Shared effects only updateUniforms, not re-render
});

Important Caveats

  1. WebGPU vs WebGL: The

    babylon
    subpath uses
    BABYLON.WebGPUEngine
    and WGSL shaders. The
    babylonGL
    subpath uses
    BABYLON.Engine
    and GLSL shaders. The APIs are structurally identical but the engine types and shader languages differ. Not all generated effects are available in the GL variant (only 9 of the 22 postFX effects have GL versions).

  2. Scene management: Each

    CustomShaderEffect
    creates its own
    BABYLON.Scene
    internally. This is by design for isolation but means creating many effects creates many scenes. Always call
    dispose()
    or
    disposeAll()
    when effects are no longer needed.

  3. FeedbackNode and cycles:

    FeedbackNode.setFeedbackSrc()
    intentionally does NOT add the feedback source to the node's
    inputs
    map. This prevents cycles during
    renderAll()
    traversal. Because of this,
    FeedbackNode
    must be rendered separately or placed correctly in the render order. The feedback source's output is only swapped in after the first frame.

  4. Generated code -- do not edit: All files under

    generated/
    are auto-generated by
    @avtools/power2d-codegen
    . Manual edits will be overwritten. To modify effects, edit the source definitions in
    @avtools/power2d
    and regenerate.

  5. Canvas inputs: When passing an

    HTMLCanvasElement
    or
    OffscreenCanvas
    as a
    ShaderSource
    , the framework creates a
    DynamicTexture
    (WebGL) or uses
    createDynamicTexture
    +
    updateDynamicTexture
    (WebGPU). The canvas is re-uploaded to the GPU every frame during
    render()
    . This is convenient but not free; for high-performance scenarios, consider pre-rendering to a Babylon texture.

  6. Default resolution: All effects default to 1280x720. Always pass explicit width/height when your target resolution differs.

  7. Sampler defaults: All effects use

    CLAMP_ADDRESSMODE
    for wrap modes by default. The default sampling mode is
    BILINEAR_SAMPLINGMODE
    unless
    sampleMode: 'nearest'
    is specified. Fluid simulation stages typically use
    'nearest'
    for field data and
    'linear'
    for advection/dye.

  8. Pass texture routing: For multi-pass effects (like Bloom with 2 passes), the

    passTextureSources
    specification controls which textures feed into which passes. By default, the primary texture is chained through passes (pass 1 reads pass 0's output). Custom routing allows any pass to read from any earlier pass or from external inputs.

  9. Disposing: Call

    dispose()
    on individual effects or
    disposeAll()
    on the terminal effect to clean up. Failing to dispose will leak GPU resources (render targets, materials, scenes, meshes).

  10. CanvasPaint is terminal:

    CanvasPaint
    renders to the screen framebuffer, not to a render target. Its
    output
    property exists for structural consistency but it renders to screen in
    render()
    . Do not chain another effect after
    CanvasPaint
    .


Monorepo Relationships

@avtools/shader-fx
  depends on: babylonjs (npm)
  consumed by: @avtools/power2d (re-exports and uses shader effects)
              apps/browser-projections (uses effects for live visuals)
              apps/deno-notebooks (experimental usage)

@avtools/power2d-codegen
  generates: packages/shader-fx/generated/**
  reads: @avtools/power2d effect definitions
  writes: WGSL and GLSL .generated.ts files

@avtools/power2d
  defines: effect specifications (shader source, uniforms, passes)
  uses: @avtools/shader-fx/babylon as the runtime

The code generation flow is: effect definitions in

@avtools/power2d
are processed by
@avtools/power2d-codegen
to produce the
.generated.ts
files in
@avtools/shader-fx/generated/
. These generated files import the core framework from
@avtools/shader-fx/babylon
(or
babylonGL
) and export ready-to-use effect classes.