PyFX: A framework for real-time graphics effects

In English Programming real-time effects for contemporary GPUs requires writing shader programs to run on the GPU as well as code for the render state setup logic performed by the CPU. While the GPU parts are well supported by high level programming languages, the effect frameworks commonly used for the CPU parts are lacking both in functionality and expressive power, which makes them difficult to work with.

In this paper we present an effect framework implemented as an embedded language in Python. We show that this high-level language for effect descriptions provide increased expressivity, without sacrificing declarativity of other frameworks. We show how some additional functional features, image-processing and off-screen render targets, cooperate with the effect language giving a rich environment for experimenting with both functional and expressive features of effect programming.