shaderkielet

Shaderkielet is a term used in computer graphics to denote an approach that integrates skeletal animation with shader-based rendering, aiming to perform vertex skinning and lighting computations within the GPU shader pipeline.

A typical shaderkielet system stores the skeleton in GPU-accessible buffers and uses a shader to apply bone transformations to vertex positions and normals, performing skinning and shading in a single pass.

Origins and status: The idea predates major game engines and appears in academic and experimental contexts as a general concept rather than a standardized API. It is not a single, universally adopted technology, but rather a family of techniques that share the goal of co-locating skinning and shading on the GPU.

Technical considerations: Effective use requires careful data packing, consistent coordinate spaces, and support across shading languages and hardware. Performance benefits depend on mesh complexity, skinning weight distribution, and the ability to avoid CPU-GPU round trips.

Applications and limits: Shaderkielet can reduce CPU load and improve visual quality in real-time rendering and film pre-visualization, but it can increase shader complexity, make debugging harder, and face portability challenges across engines.

See also: GPU skinning, vertex shader, compute shader, skeletal animation.