Notes From Tuning a Shader Playground

Shader route in this portfolio is intentionally visual but runtime stays disciplined. Easiest wins: reduce work before frame starts. Simplify asset loading, keep uniforms predictable, avoid layout churn around canvas.

UI frames the demo

Page surrounding GPU demo should feel restrained. Strong content hierarchy, subtle hover states. Makes canvas feel deliberate instead of noisy.

Control path stays obvious

Useful pattern: separate authoring surface from runtime surface.

Touch only uniforms that changed:

const nextFrame = {
  resolution: [width, height],
  time: elapsedSeconds,
  mouse: [pointerX, pointerY]
}

shaderMaterial.uniforms.uTime.value = nextFrame.time

Easier to reason about what updates every frame, what stays static.

Compare this write-up with live /shader-demo route. See how much perceived polish comes from pacing and layout. Not raw shader complexity.