Shader Magic

This hands-on two-day workshop introduces the fundamentals of writing shaders and harnessing the power of the GPU for parallel processing. Shaders are small programs that run on the graphics processing unit (GPU) and are primarily used for rendering and vertex manipulation. Throughout this workshop, we'll explore shader programming from the basics to advanced concepts, starting with fundamental rendering techniques and progressing to complex parallel processing applications.

Day 1: Fundamentals of Shader Programming Master shader language basics and understand how data flows through the graphics pipeline. Create specialized unlit shaders that manipulate vertex and fragment data. Learn to implement lighting models using dot product calculations for directional, point, and spot lights. Apply mathematical functions to create procedural textures, gradients, and simple visual effects like fire and electricity. By day's end, build several custom non-PBR shaders that demonstrate core rendering concepts.

Day 2: Advanced Particle Systems with Compute Shaders Master GPU compute capabilities through particle system development. Transition from standard shaders to compute shaders, implementing efficient particle data structures and physics on the GPU. Connect your computational data to Unity's rendering pipeline for dynamic visual effects, and optimize performance for real-time applications. Complete an interactive particle system featuring user controls and environmental interaction that showcases the power of GPU parallel processing.

For more workshops like this, visit Tandon at The Yard's 2025 Summer Workshops page.

• XR / game / VFX developers wanting deeper control over real-time visuals
• Creative coders & technical artists eager to harness parallel processing
• Educators & tinkerers who need optimized, bespoke graphics for installations
• Comfort with any game engine or 3D software is helpful; no prior shader coding required.
  

• Laptop with modern GPU (NVIDIA / AMD, DX11+ or Metal)
• Unity 2022 LTS (or later) pre-installed + Visual Studio / VS Code
• 3-button mouse / trackpad for viewport control
  
  

10:00 – 10:15

Welcome & Setup

Introductions; verify Unity installs; open starter project

10:15 – 11:15

GPU Pipeline & Shader Languages

How vertices become pixels; GLSL vs HLSL; ShaderLab basics

11:15 – 12:15

First Unlit Shader

Manipulate vertex position & fragment color; live coding in Unity

12:15 – 12:30

Break

12:30 – 1:30

Lighting Models by Hand

Dot-product math for Lambert, Blinn-Phong; directional, point, spot lights

1:30 – 2:30

Procedural Textures & FX

Noise, gradients, UV tricks; fire, electricity, scanlines

2:30 – 2:45

Break

2:45 – 3:45

Custom Non-PBR Showcase

Build & test several stylized shaders; QA, optimization tips

3:45 – 4:00

Wrap-Up Day 1

Review, commit code, prep for compute-shader install

• Understand the GPU graphics pipeline and shader language syntax
• Create custom vertex/fragment shaders with lighting & procedural textures
• Implement compute-shader particle systems that run physics entirely on the GPU
• Optimize real-time visuals for games, XR, and large-format installations
• Take away a Unity project packed with reusable shader assets and particle rigs
  
  

David Lobser — Creative technologist, Unity/C# specialist, and founder of Light Clinic. David builds XR and real-time graphics for brands like Meta and Samsung, crafts therapeutic VR powered by biometric feedback, and created the particle-physics art app Cosmic Sugar. He’s taught graphics programming at Harvard, NYU, and beyond, translating deep GPU knowledge into accessible, project-driven learning

LOCATION

For walking directions from the gate to the workshop venue, click here.

Also check out other Workshops in Brooklyn, Arts events in Brooklyn.