Shader

Shader(name='untitled_shader', language=Shader.GLSL, vertex=default_vertex_shader, fragment=default_fragment_shader, geometry='', **kwargs)

Located in ursina/shader.py

Important

Looking for shaders to add to your game? Browse community‑made shaders in the /assets folder.

👉 Browse Community Assets

Overview

The Shader class wraps Panda3D’s shader system. It lets you supply GLSL, Cg, HLSL or SPIR‑V source for vertex, fragment and optional geometry stages, compile them at runtime, then assign the shader to any Entity or Camera.

Constructor Arguments

Argument	Type	Default	Description
`name`	`str`	`'untitled_shader'`	Identifier for debug or hot‑reload.
`language`	`enum`	`Shader.GLSL`	One of `Shader.CG`, `Shader.GLSL`, `Shader.HLSL`, `Shader.SPIR_V`.
`vertex`	`str`	`default_vertex_shader`	Source code string for the vertex stage.
`fragment`	`str`	`default_fragment_shader`	Source code string for the fragment stage.
`geometry`	`str`	`''`	Source code for an optional geometry stage.
`**kwargs`	`any`		Additional Panda3D `Shader` parameters.

Class Fields

Name	Description
`Shader.CG`	Cg shading language constant.
`Shader.GLSL`	GLSL shading language constant.
`Shader.HLSL`	HLSL shading language constant.
`Shader.SPIR_V`	SPIR‑V shading language constant.
`.name`	Shader identifier.
`.language`	Current language constant.
`.vertex`, `.fragment`, `.geometry`	Source code strings for each stage.
`.default_input`	Uniforms set once at compile.
`.continuous_input`	Uniforms updated every frame.
`.compiled`	True once `compile()` has succeeded.

Properties

Property	Description
`.name`	Get/set the shader’s debug name.
`.language`	Get/set shading language.
`.compiled`	True if the GPU program is linked.

Methods

Method	Description
`compile(shader_includes=True)`	Compile and link the shader. If `shader_includes`, inject common headers.
`load(cls, language, vertex, fragment, geometry, **kwargs)`	Class method to create and compile a shader in one call.

Example Usage

from time import perf_counter
from ursina import *
from ursina import Ursina, Entity, held_keys, scene, EditorCamera, Shader

app = Ursina()
t0 = perf_counter()

# apply a fresh shader to a cube
cube = Entity(model='cube', shader=Shader())

# allow free camera
EditorCamera()

print('shader compile + setup time:', perf_counter() - t0)

def input(key):
    if held_keys['control'] and key == 'r':
        # recompile all shaders on the fly
        for e in scene.entities:
            if hasattr(e, '_shader'):
                e.shader.compile()
        
app.run()