“Introduction to Slang: The Next Generation Shading Language” by Bickford, Lorach and Hebert
Conference:
Experience Type(s):
Labs Type(s):
Title:
- Introduction to Slang: The Next Generation Shading Language
Organizer(s)/Presenter(s):
Description:
This hands-on lab introduces Slang, an open-source, open governance shading language hosted by Khronos that simplifies graphics development across platforms. Designed to tackle the growing complexity of shader code, Slang offers modern programming constructs while maintaining top performance on current GPUs. Participants will get practical experience with Slang’s stand-out features: cross-platform capabilities for write-once, run-anywhere development, a module system that streamlines code organization, and generics and interfaces that eliminate preprocessor headaches. We’ll cover integrating Slang with industry tools like RenderDoc and Visual Studio Code, and demonstrate converting existing GLSL and HLSL code to Slang. We’ll also briefly introduce advanced features like automatic differentiation, reflection, and bindless capabilities. Whether you’re developing games, working in visualization, or researching new rendering techniques, you’ll gain practical skills to immediately improve your graphics workflow and prepare for next-generation rendering challenges.
