With global computerization, a huge number of obscure terms have come into our world. Dealing with them all is not so easy as it seems at first glance. Many of them are similar in names, many have wide functionality. It's time to find out what a shader is, where it came from, why it is needed and what happens.
Optimizer
Most likely, you are an avid player in Minecraft and that’s why you came to find out what it is. It is worth noting immediately that the concept of “shader” is quietly separated from this game and can “live” from it separately. Just like mods. Therefore, it is not worth tying these two concepts together.
In general, a shader originally from programming appeared as an assistant to specialists. It will probably be loud to call this tool an optimizer, but it really improves the picture in games. So, when you have already begun to approximately understand what it is, let's move on to an accurate interpretation.
Interpretation
What is a shader? This is a computer program executed by video card processors. These tools are developed in a special language. Depending on the purpose, it may be different. After that, shaders are conditionally translated into instructions for GPU processors.
Application
It must be said right away that the application as a whole is predetermined by purpose. Programs are embedded in video card processors, which means they work on the parameters of objects and three-dimensional graphics. They can perform a lot of tasks, including working with reflection, refraction, dimming, shift effects, etc.
Premise
People have long been trying to find out what a shader is. Even before these programs, developers did everything manually. The process of image formation from certain objects was not automated. Before the game was born, the developers independently engaged in rendering. They worked with the algorithm, compiled it for different tasks. So there were instructions for applying textures, video effects, etc.
Of course, some processes were nevertheless built into the work of video cards. Such algorithms could be used by developers. But they did not succeed in imposing their algorithms on the video card. Non-standard instructions could be executed by the central processor, which was slower than the graphic one.
Example
To understand the difference, it is worth considering a couple of examples. Obviously, in the game, rendering could be hardware and software. For example, we all remember the famous Quake 2. So, the water in the game could just be a blue filter when it comes to hardware rendering. But with software intervention, a splash of water appeared. The same story with flash noise grenades in CS 1.6. Hardware rendering only produced a white flash, while software rendering added a pixelated screen.
Access
So it became clear that it was necessary to solve such problems. Graphics accelerators began to expand the number of algorithms that were popular among developers. It became clear that it was impossible to “stuff” everything. It was necessary to open access to specialists to the video card.
Before games like Minecraft with mods and shaders appeared, developers were given the opportunity to work with GPUs in pipelines, which could be responsible for different instructions. So programs with the name "shader" became known. For their creation, specially developed programming languages. So, video cards began to load not only with standard "geometry", but also with instructions for the processor.
When such access became possible, new programming opportunities began to open up. Specialists could solve math problems on the GPU. Such calculations came to be called GPGPU. For this process, special tools were needed. From nVidia CUDA, from Microsoft DirectCompute, as well as the OpenCL framework.
Types
The more people learned what shaders are, the more information was opened about them and their capabilities. Accelerators initially had three processors. Each was responsible for his own type of shader. Over time, they were replaced by a universal one. Each had a specific set of instructions that immediately had three types of shaders. Despite the consolidation of the work, a description of each type has survived to this day.
The vertex type worked with the vertices of shapes that have many faces. This may involve many tools. For example, we are talking about texture coordinates, tangent, binormal or normal vectors.
The geometric type worked not just with one vertex, but with the whole primitive. Pixel was designed to process fragments of raster illustrations and in general with textures.
In games
If you are looking for shaders for Minecraft 1.5.2, then you most likely just want to improve the picture in the game. To make this possible, the programs went through "fire, water and copper pipes." Shaders tested and refined. As a result, it became clear that this tool has advantages and disadvantages.
Of course, the simplicity of compiling various algorithms is a huge plus. This is both flexibility and a noticeable simplification in the process of developing a game, and, consequently, a reduction in cost. The resulting virtual scenes are becoming more complex and realistic. Also, the development process itself is many times faster.
Of the shortcomings, it is worth noting only that you have to learn one of the programming languages, and also take into account that different models of video cards host a different set of algorithms.
Installation
If you find a shader pack for Minecraft, you need to understand that there are many pitfalls in its installation. Despite the already dying popularity of this game, its loyal fans still remain. Not everyone likes the graphics, especially in 2017. Some people think that thanks to shaders they can improve it. Theoretically, this statement is correct. But in practice, you change a little.
But if you are still looking for ways to install shaders on Minecraft 1.7, then first of all, be careful. The process itself is nothing complicated. In addition, along with any downloaded file there is an instruction for installing it. The main thing is to check the version of the game and the shader. Otherwise, the optimizer will not work.
There are many places on the Internet where you can install and download such a tool. Next, you need to unzip the archive to any folder. There you will find the file “GLSL-Shaders-Mod-1.7-Installer.jar”. After starting, you will be shown the path to the game, if it is correct, then agree to all subsequent instructions.
After that you need to move the “shaderpacks” folder to “.minecraft”. Now when you start the launcher, you will need to go into the settings. Here, if the installation was correct, the “Shaders” line will appear. From the whole list you can choose the desired package.
If you need shaders for Minecraft 1.7.10, then just find the shaderpack of the desired version and do the same. Unstable versions may occur on the Internet. Sometimes you have to change them, reinstall them and look for a suitable one. It’s better to look at the reviews and choose the most popular.