Table of Contents

VS Code Extension

Full IntelliSense for SDSL shaders.

Install

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
  3. Search "SDSL"
  4. Install Stride SDSL Shader Tools

Requires .NET 8 Runtime (auto-installed).

Smart Completions

Context-aware suggestions:

After typing You see
: in shader declaration Base shaders only
compose Interface shaders only
base. Inherited methods only
streams. All stream variables (sorted by proximity)
override Overridable methods from base shaders

Plus 100+ HLSL intrinsics with signatures.

F12 / Ctrl+Click works on:

  • Shader names → Jump to definition
  • Base shaders → Opens file (even external Stride/vvvv shaders)
  • Method calls → Jump to definition in inheritance chain
  • Variables → Jump to declaration

External shaders (Stride, vvvv) open to see full code (read-only).

Rich Hover Info

Hover over any identifier:

Item Shows
Shader Base classes, variable/method count, compositions, file location
Variable Type, qualifiers (stage, stream, compose), inherited or local
Method Full signature, override chain across inheritance
Swizzle Type inference (e.g., float4.xy → float2)

Real-time Diagnostics

Errors and warnings as you type:

Issue Severity
'ColorTarget' is not defined Error
Method 'Compute' is marked as override but no base method found Error
Base shader 'ShaderBase' not found in scope Warning
Redundant base shaders: already inherited via 'MaterialShaderBase' Hint (faded)

One-Click Base Shader Management

When you use an undefined variable, hover shows which shaders provide it:

Click to add as base shader:
Defined in: ShaderBaseStream
Also via: MaterialShaderBase, ComputeColorTextureBase

Click any shader name → instantly added to your inheritance list.

Redundant base shaders show a Remove link.

Four panels in the Stride Shaders activity bar:

Panel Shows
Inheritance Current shader + all base shaders
Compositions All compositions from inheritance chain
Streams All stream variables from inheritance chain
Variables stage and regular variables
Methods All methods including inherited

Each item shows its source shader. Click to jump to definition.

Shader Discovery

The extension automatically finds shaders from:

  1. Your workspace — Any .sdsl files
  2. NuGet packages — Stride.* packages in global cache
  3. vvvv gamma — Auto-detects in C:\Program Files\vvvv\

Add custom paths in settings:

{
  "strideShaderTools.shaderPaths": [
    "C:/MyShaderLibrary"
  ]
}

Commands

Command Description
Stride Shaders: Restart Language Server Reload if things get stuck
Stride Shaders: Show Inheritance Tree Focus the inheritance panel
Stride Shaders: Refresh Panels Update all sidebar panels

Complements Shader Explorer

Task Tool
Writing code VS Code extension
Deep hierarchy exploration Shader Explorer
Quick "what provides X?" Extension hover
Browse all available shaders Either

The extension is for in-editor work. Shader Explorer is for broader exploration before you start.

Editor Alternatives

Visual Studio 2022

Heavier IDE with HLSL support (not SDSL-aware).
Download visualstudio.microsoft.com
Edition Community (free)
Extension Stride extension from VS Marketplace

Gets you error squiggles and HLSL autocomplete, but no SDSL inheritance awareness.

Comparison

Feature VS Code + SDSL Visual Studio
Syntax highlighting Yes Yes
Real-time errors Yes Yes
Completions SDSL-aware HLSL only
Go to definition Full (even external) Partial
One-click add base shader Yes No
Inheritance browser Sidebar panels No
Startup time Instant ~5 seconds

Recommendation: VS Code + SDSL extension understands SDSL inheritance, not just HLSL syntax.

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