Table of Contents

Tools & Setup (Windows)

Tools you need before writing shaders.

Required Software

vvvv gamma

The runtime that compiles and executes your shaders.
Download visualprogramming.net
Version Latest stable (2024.6+)
License Free for non-commercial

Stride Shader Explorer

This is essential. Without it, you're guessing what shaders exist.
Download github.com/tebjan/Stride.ShaderExplorer/releases
Requires .NET 6+ runtime

The explorer shows you:

  • Every shader in Stride's hierarchy
  • What each shader provides (streams, methods, variables)
  • The inheritance tree

See Shader Explorer for details.

Code Editor (Choose One)

Option A: VS Code + SDSL Extension (Recommended)

Full IntelliSense for SDSL shaders.
Download code.visualstudio.com
Extension Stride SDSL Shader Tools
Requires .NET 8 Runtime (auto-installed)

What you get:

  • Smart completions — After : only base shaders, after streams. all available streams
  • Go to definition — F12/Ctrl+Click on shaders, variables, methods (even external Stride shaders)
  • Rich hover — Type info, qualifiers, inheritance origin, override chains
  • Real-time errors — Problems appear as you type, not after save
  • One-click fixes — Undefined variable? Hover shows which shader provides it, click to add
  • Sidebar panels — Inheritance tree, streams, variables, methods for current shader

See VS Code Extension for full documentation.

Option B: Visual Studio 2022 (Better for Debugging)

Heavier, but gives you actual error feedback while typing.
Download visualstudio.microsoft.com
Edition Community (free) is fine
Extension Stride extension from VS Marketplace

What you get:

  • Error squiggles as you type
  • Autocomplete for HLSL intrinsics
  • Some go-to-definition support
  • Better debugging experience

Tradeoff: ~5 second startup vs instant for VS Code

Editor Comparison

Feature VS Code + SDSL Visual Studio
Syntax highlighting ✅ ✅
Real-time errors ✅ ✅
Completions ✅ SDSL-aware ✅ HLSL only
Go to definition ✅ Full (even external) ✅ Partial
One-click add base shader ✅ ❌
Inheritance browser ✅ Sidebar panels ❌
Startup time Instant ~5 seconds

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

Optional: RenderDoc

GPU debugger. Lets you inspect what your shader actually computed.
Download renderdoc.org
Use when Output is wrong but shader compiles

Basic workflow:

  1. Launch vvvv through RenderDoc
  2. Capture a frame (F12 or PrintScreen)
  3. Inspect textures, buffers, draw calls
  4. See actual values at each pipeline stage

Folder Structure

Before writing shaders, create this structure:

my-project/
├── MyProject.vl          ← Your vvvv patch
└── shaders/              ← MUST be named "shaders"
    └── (your .sdsl files go here)

The shaders folder name is not optional. vvvv looks specifically for this folder name next to your .vl document.

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