OpenGL Shader Programming For "Normal" People



If there's one thing that strikes terror into the hearts of aspiring graphics developers, it's Shader Programming. Viewed as the ultimate source of true beauty and power, it is nonetheless feared as a mystical, arcane black art filled with ungodly voodoo rituals and hungry dragons.



As it turns out, it's actually really, really easy. It's true, there is quite a bit of math and several "gotcha's", but it's the same math you'd need to know for graphics programming anyways, and the "gotcha's" have gotten a lot less grabby as technology has progressed.



As a brief introduction to the OpenGL Shader Language, and shader programming in general, the focus will be on demystifying the entire graphics pipeline and bringing it into the realm of normal, everyday programmers like you and me. So we can stop being scared of what we don't know and can start making the things we really want to: Litter Crew Simulators!



About our guest speaker:



John Cunningham. Scholar, Intellectual, Computer Scientist, Philanthropist, Foster Parent, Inventor, Physicist, Mathematician, Beloved Husband, Loving Father -- John is none of these things. He's just a guy who loves writing code and knows just enough to cause a whole lot of problems for the people who actually know what's going on inside a computer. Obsessed with the idea of making a video game, John has spent the last decade writing suspiciously non-game-like business applications and web-pages because he likes the idea of a semi-guaranteed paycheck even more. Also, he kinds stinks at the whole self-motivation thing, so ... yeah.



The After Party!



Be sure to join us at the Fish Tale Brew Pub after the presentation for good food and even better drinks!